When thinking about the ways to motivate staff, initial thoughts always turn towards financial rewards, such as incentives and bonuses. However, one of the factors that is often underestimated is how important the workplace environment is to an employee. In fact, one report suggested that the workplace environment is responsible for almost a quarter of overall job satisfaction.

With this in mind, we have come up with four great office designs. These will motivate your staff and get them working at their very best.

Make the workspace welcoming and comfortable

When it comes to making a space that keeps people feeling good and keeps them motivated to work, making sure that the physical space is a welcoming, comfortable, and pleasant place to spend time is essential.

Things to take into consideration include:

  • The temperature - Working in a space that is too hot or too cold can be very uncomfortable
  • The lighting - If lights are too bright, they can cause headaches and sore eyes. If they are not bright enough it can make people feel sleepy and cause eye strain. Opt for as much natural light as possible
  • The space: Spread the desks out so that everyone has enough space to work comfortably
  • The noise: If it is too loud, it can be hard to concentrate. If it is too quiet, it can be awkward
  • The ergonomics: Comfortable office furniture is essential – reducing discomfort will increase efficiency and productivity.  

It is quite obvious, really - if a workplace is full of distractions and is uncomfortable, your staff are not going to work to the best of their ability. In a survey by Management Today, almost half of employees would happily change their job and downgrade in terms of their salary, role, and benefits if it meant they had a better environment to work in.

By ensuring your workplace is as positive as it could possibly be and taking your staff’s physical and mental needs into account, you will empower them to work productively but will also be showing them that you appreciate them. That will boost morale in the workplace and ensure staff loyalty.

Calibre Office Furniture CEO, Dave Robbins, explained why comfortable office furniture is so important. He said that as many employees spend a big part of their workday in an office chair, the chair plays an important role in comfort, productivity, and posture. A chair that is ergonomically designed will enable people of all shapes and sizes to be comfortable and supported.

Consider building in social spaces

An office is not just somewhere where individuals sit at their separate desks and work in isolation. It is part of an ecosystem, where employees work together, and bounce ideas off one another. Your office needs to reflect this. You want a space that encourages people to interact with one another and collaborate, but that also has spaces where people can work individually and focus.

Many businesses have caught onto the idea of collaborative working and are adopting this into their office designs. For example, the Lego offices in Denmark are built with large open spaces in the centre of the building for conversations and spur of the moment meetings to happen.

By ensuring there are rooms for not only formal meetings but informal ones too, and a combination of open and private spaces, you may well see an increase in productivity and a swell of staff morale.

Think about the location of the office

It is not just the inside of the office that you should be thinking about when it comes to encouraging motivation in the workplace. Ensuring that you choose a convenient location for your office space is vital.

One of the worst ways to start off a day is through a long and stressful commute, and it is never going to be conducive to productivity. With this in mind, it is important to choose a location that most of your staff can get to with ease. This will mean they get to work feeling relaxed and ready to give their all.

At the same time, think about everything around the office and how it can benefit your employees. If you have an office in the centre of a busy city, there may well be lots of restaurants, bars, and cafés. These are excellent for encouraging social interactions. In the same vein, an office in the countryside may treat staff to glorious views and places for them to take a walk at lunchtime. Consider not just how easy the location is to get to, but the surrounding areas and the benefits that they have to offer.

Enable a work/life balance

One of the biggest challenges facing many workers is balancing their work life and their home life, especially in a demanding workplace. Not getting the right balance can really take its toll, not just on the employees’ wellbeing but on their productivity levels as well. Helping your staff to achieve this balance is vital. The Management Today survey, which asked about employee satisfaction, found that workers believe that having access to social and leisure facilities at work would improve their productivity levels.

This shows how the design of your office can positively impact on employee wellbeing, motivation, and production, and make it a much happier place for everyone to be.