Transforming or altering your workspace environment is the most effective was to update your space.
You can make a huge impact by doing something as simple as changing the colour of a wall. Warm and cozy however, may not be the best approach for an office. Crazy fluorescents and blinding colours, probably not a good idea either. Ultimately when we are talking about colours in an office, we need to land in that middle ground. The ideal colour solutions reflect your brand, evoke creativity and create a calming effect. The colours you choose always need to be sophisticated and professional.
There are many tricks and creative solutions you can implement within your space that would transform your static stale workplace into a dynamic and collaborative space. A trick we like to do is adding moveable, configurable furnishings. One of these items would be partitions. Moveable partitions allow for impromptu breakout sessions as well as additional planned meetings. With moveable partitions, you can take a single room and make it into several rooms all of which may serve a different purpose at the same time. This allows employees to be more efficient ( do training sessions, meet with a client, brainstorm a new idea or hash out an old one, all in the same space) When you integrate moveable partitions you are really converting your space into a dynamic, practical, multi-use space that is effective and productive. No more waiting for the meeting room!
Integrating flexible workstations and accommodating different styles of working is also a great way to make your space more collaborative and customized. There are people who need to work alone, but not all the time, so having a quiet area or telephone booth style office where they can go and work for a few hours, allows this style of work habit the flexibility of being around people or being in solitude when they require quiet and focus. Having areas with a combination of work surfaces such as hi-tops, adjustable height or typical, allows many different types of work environments for employees to move around throughout the day. This decreases the afternoon exhaustion and allows people to be more comfortable while working.
Soft seating is another way to make your space more comfortable and productive. You can add in some modular furniture that can be re-configured, add in benching or even bean bags depending on your culture. Sometimes sitting behind a desk all day just doesn’t cut it.
Having different work areas is great and all, but do not forget about the acoustics! If you are integrating your space into multiple spaces, even if only for the day, be sure to accommodate for the sound that will inevitably occur. There are many different ways of approaching acoustics, so be sure you are aware of the best solutions.
The work environment has changed and your space needs to reflect this. This will increase your employees productivity as well as make your space a destination to work and thrive. Accommodating peoples needs will make your business grow quicker and people will be happier!