How important is office design?
Employee retention strategies tend to focus on the corporate culture of companies rather than the physical space an employer provides. However, this has now been deemed important when determining whether employees want to leave or stay.
Many factors are included in office design from how comfortable the chairs are to how much space each individual has and every minute detail of the office layout must be thought about. Some of the smallest aspects of the work space can mean a great deal to some employees on a day to day basis according to office design professionals.
A good office is said to be almost like a good home such as a home has different ‘zones’ that are allocated for and enable different activities. It is believed that the same principals should be applied in the office. Some spaces are designed to enable conversation, some for privacy and others for non-work related time such as break times.
Employee retention is a function of the culture, but culture, employees and space make up the spirit or ethos of a company. Space is important because it is important to the employees. According to professionals, office configuration shows that the employer is genuine in trying to enforce its culture due to quality offices being expensive and long-term.
How do I achieve an employee friendly office design?
It is suggested that the best way to find out what your employees really want is to observe them and listen to what they want. Recent trends are to have a more open-space layout with little privacy however, experts suggest that eliminating every inch of private space is in fact unpopular and employees tend to gravitate towards spaces where they can have a little privacy.
Traditional, dark office interiors are now undesirable with employees preferring a lighter and brighter design. Natural light is a huge winning factor and people have been found to work better with access to outside views. Managers should have offices among employees to remain accessible and involved. If you’re looking to change to design of your office contact our sales team here for advice.