When you’re trying to motivate your team or yourself to do a better job, you shouldn’t just seek for inner inspiration. The working environment has a huge effect on your focus and productivity. Believe it or not, even slight changes into the office room can influence the results the workers achieve.
If the office is too plain and boring, it limits people’s creative force. Fortunately, it’s not too hard to transform the space into something magnificent. You just have to pay attention to few factors.
- Create the “Coffee Shop” Vibe
Have you ever wondered why so many freelancers love working from their local Starbucks? They feel empowered by the way people act when they are free from obligations. Coffee time is a nice moment for everyone to relax and focus on a basic human need, enjoying one sip after another.
You can easily bring in the coffee shop vibe into the office by creating a more relaxed environment, as well as by adding a kitchen corner with a top-notch coffee machine. Allow your workers to have breaks, talk and enjoy their energizing drinks.
Coffee shop-office hybrids may be the workplace of the future, so it’s no wonder why many interior designers are excited to work on such projects. If you hire a professional interior designer, the effect will be really good.
- Take Advantage of the Outdoors
If you and your workers stay indoors for the entire work day, the walls will drain your energy. You need to get outside the box, and you have to do that in the literal meaning. Do you have access to a patio, rooftop, or a balcony? You can incorporate that space into the offices when you turn it into a lounge area.
Ten minutes of fresh air on every two hours will make a huge difference!
- Make the Office More Comfortable
Brian Rogers, a writer from BestEssays, shares an interesting experience: “At my first job as a reporter for a local magazine, the office space was very functional, but not comfortable. Each of us had a desk with a decent chair. That was it. No lounge area, no coffee at the office, no idea boards… nothing. Just a clean space with desks. It was highly demotivating. At my current job, the offices are the epitome of comfort. I find that the ability to relax in between the tasks makes me way more productive.”
That makes sense! When you stay at the desk for eight hours and you have no option to get more comfortable, you can’t wait for the work day to be over. Your back hurts. You even start going to the bathroom more often, just so you can stretch out your legs.
You have to make the office more comfortable! Add a gigantic L-shape sofa, so the team can relax during the breaks. It can become the favorite spot for brainstorming! If you have enough space in the building, you may even add a meditation room and hire a meditation teacher to guide the team through the sessions.
- Paint the Walls
You may feel like white, as a neutral color, is the perfect choice for the walls in your office. It doesn’t strain the eyes and it feels clean and crisp. You’re wrong; white is not the perfect choice of color for a work space.
Researchers from the University of Texas came down to an interesting conclusion: white walls in offices affect the workers’ productivity in a negative way. They tested the way three groups of people worked in three rooms, each of them with walls in a different color: white, red, and aqua. As it turned out, the office workers made more errors when working in a white room. Red walls were distracting for part of the workers. Aqua was the best choice, as it affected the mood of the staff in the most positive way.
Be brave! White walls are a boring choice. Talk to an interior designer and make the space more inspirational not only through the color of the walls but through the details as well. It will be an investment, but it will yield results.
- Get Rid of the Clutter
Here is an interesting idea for a team activity that will create a bond within the team, but will also make the workers more productive: a spring cleaning action! The office is a highly functional room, with tons of documents and devices around. Since each worker has their own devices, documents, and accessories, things can easily get messy.
It’s time to get rid of the clutter! The more organized the office space, the more focused the workers will be. Stick to minimalism! Get rid of all unnecessary items, so they won’t distract the workers.
- Use the Natural Light
Does your office get enough natural light? Researchers found that daylight had a significant effect on the health of office workers. To be more precise, it improves the quality of sleep they are getting at night. The workers who were exposed to sunlight during the workday got 46 more minutes of sleep per night.
Window blinds are common in offices. Maybe you feel like they add a touch of professionalism. However, blocking the sunlight will make your workers feel cut off from the outside world. Allow them to get as much natural light as possible. Position the desks close to the windows and don’t put the blinds to use unless they are absolutely necessary!
- Bring Some Nature To the Office!
Do you know how you can easily turn a sterile, lifeless office into a more vibrant workspace? Just get some flowers! They are an easy way to add color and redecorate the office. The mere sight of a nice plant will bring a smile on your face. The workers will start taking care of the plants, and they will be happy to see them grow. Think about that symbolism!
It’s important to choose plants that won’t cause allergies. Make sure the office flowers don’t have a strong scent, so they won’t give anyone a headache. You can opt for orchids, peace lilies, or lovely bonsai trees.
The office has to motivate you to stay focused on your work every single day. The moment you get into that space should be a happy moment for you. Fortunately, it’s not that hard to turn a dull office into an inspiring place. The 7 tips above will help you achieve a great effect!
Author Bio: Warren is a marketing enthusiast and a blogger at BestEssays, who loves music. If he doesn’t have a guitar in his hands, he’s probably embracing new technologies and marketing techniques online! You can meet him on Twitter and Facebook.