Increase your team’s productivity

Written by Admin on 22/06/2016. Posted in Workplace

Look around your office. Feel the vibe. Is it a busy, high-functioning office that conveys energy and the pursuit of excellence? Do you feel that every employee is giving 100% and believes in your brand? If you think there’s room for improvement, follow Evoke Projects’ tips for increasing productivity in your workplace.

Zone it up!

Your office design has a major impact on productivity, and activity based working is the ideal solution for many businesses. For activity based working, zones are created for different types of work (e.g. meetings, team work or quiet work) and staff move to the area that fits their needs. As well as increasing productivity, an office design that incorporates activity based working also lowers the square metre cost per person and has great flexibility for adapting to an office fit-out change.

Research consistently shows that productivity will increase in well-designed offices because staff are motivated and feel appreciated and well catered for.

Add colour into your office design

Entrepreneur magazine reported on the effects of colour on productivity and mood in the workplace. 1 Green and blue improve efficiency while yellow is believed to inspire creativity. Using different colours within your activity based working zones allows you to target the mood you want to create. Have a chat to Evoke Projects’ office designers for advice about which colours will work best for your zones.

Share your brand dreams

If you think about famous brands, you will realise that iconic brands are much more than just a colour and a logo. They have actually made their colours and logo represent the customer experience. The Nike tick and ‘Just do it’ suggests success and energy. The dark rich purple of Cadbury screams luxury and quality.

It usually takes many years to build up such strong branding, but it all starts at the ‘coalface’, at the micro level of the organisation. Share your objectives and dreams for your brand. Motivate your employees to be your brand and then watch their productivity increase.

Ensure your office design reflects your branding. Use your logo and corporate colours creatively throughout the office. Add mood lighting or special features that reflect your brand.

Too hot or too cold?

Don’t forget to check your air conditioning temperature for the winter months. Generally, between 21-23 degrees Celsius is considered to be the optimum temperature, but studies have shown that this does not suit everybody, with recommendations varying between 20 degrees in winter and 24 degrees in summer.

People are more accepting of cooler offices in winter and warmer offices in summer, which gives you an opportunity to reduce your energy bills if you are currently maintaining the same temperature all year round. If you are nearing the end of your lease or considering an office fit-out or refurbishment, take the time to review your air conditioning with your landlord.

Also, you will probably find that staff can easily tell you the areas that are particularly cool (e.g. near vents) or warm (e.g. near sun-facing windows). Take this into account when planning your office design and zones.

Technology drives productivity

Technology is a great driver of productivity. It enables efficiency in the office, better communication and more flexible working on the road or at home. Whether or not every employee needs a personal laptop and work smartphone will depend on your business needs, but be proactive in your planning around this.

Other productivity boosts can come from virtual filing, file sharing, video conferencing, employee portals, wireless printing and smart software such as calendars that sync.
Technology improvements are best implemented during office fit-out or refurbishment planning so that you can take a holistic approach to the future of your business. Cabling and WiFi availability in your existing office design might otherwise constrain your technological advances.

For more information about boosting productivity through better office design, please call Evoke Projects on 1300 720 692. There is also a wealth of information and more useful articles on our website – www.evokeprojects.com.au

Book a meeting Call 1300 720 692

Tags: office design, productivity