office-1-1

New Year, New Office

The beginning of a new year is all about a fresh start. A new diary and stationary to keep everything organised, new projects will be starting, and everyone has come back from holidays with a new energy and outlook on life.

We have come up with four helpful ways you can harness this energy that comes with the new year and use it to improve your office inside and out.

Re-arrange the Office

Just as Mr Keating stood on his desk to see the world from a new angle in Dead Poets Society, mixing up the seating plan in the office can give your staff a new perspective. For larger teams, changing the seating plan around is also a great way for staff to get to know other team members they wouldn’t interact with on a regular basis.

If it is logistically possible in your workplace, hotdesking is also a great idea to liven up the office environment. By having a rotating roster around who sits where, this gives everyone the opportunity to sit in the widow seat, under the aircon or any other sought-after spots in the office.

office-building-1

Brighten up the Walls

Adding or replacing artwork is an excellent way to liven up a workspace. Depending on the style of your business, there are a number of options available. Why not feature work from local artists, or have something commissioned that reflects the ethos and personality of your organisation? Furthermore, getting staff to contribute their own artwork, or that of their families is not only a great way to brighten up your standard white walls, it is also a fantastic way to recognise the talents of your whole community.

Mirrors are another simple way to brighten up your office. Not only do they make any room feel more spacious, they also increase the amount of light and can be a stylish addition to your workplace.

Photographs also great way to personalise your office environment. Having professional shots taken is a great asset for a business to have, not just to customise your space, they also help with branding and marketing. Moreover, encourage staff to bring in their own photographs of their families, pets or selfies taken at the Christmas party.

Small Renovations

There are several minor physical and cosmetic adjustments you can make that can have a massive impact.

Whether you are adding walls or taking them away, they can change the overall feel and flow of your work environment. A cramped workspace is not ideal for anyone, so the new year is a great opportunity to see if anything can be done structurally to make your office space more open and inviting. No matter if it is small structural changes or large-scale renovations, our team can provide many ideas constructed personally to suit the size, logistics and budget of your business. More and more offices are opting to replace some walls with glass panels in boardrooms, meeting spaces and breakaway zones. By doing this, there is an increase in natural light.

For larger workspaces, it is often beneficial to zone off different areas for different departments. For teams that are more collaborative, to improve overall productivity, it may be beneficial to keep them separate from those who work independently. Another idea is to designate different zones for different activities, this could include a ‘quiet zone’ for those who like to break away and work quietly on their laptops, or a collaborative area with whiteboards and projectors for departments that work collaboratively.

In addition, a growing number of workplaces are opting to provide more recreational areas for their staff, with drinks, video games and even ping pong tables, space allowing. It is widely believed that such spaces do wonders for employee morale and team bonding, so why not try it for your office?

Non-Physical Changes

A new office doesn’t just mean physical changes, it can also just be a more general change in atmosphere around the office. Implementing new strategies like a regular social calendar, weekly staff meetings and team building days are great way to build morale and enhance the overall atmosphere in the office

The new year is the most opportune time to revise processes and systems and make changes to improve their effectiveness in the new year, this could be as simple as investigating new communication apps or workflow tools. These non-physical changes could also include new mechanisms to reward staff and provide incentives for great work, whether is a monthly award or some sort of gift for exceeding certain goals or KPIs. Other new methods to try could be as simple as stocking different items in the kitchen, having a different coffee available or bringing in a lolly jar.

Staff input on these changes is critical, as it is they who spend a considerable amount of their week in the office. If the logistics of your business means that all staff are seldom in the same place as the same time, placing a suggestion box in a communal area like staff room or kitchen is an easy way to gage office sentiment and ascertain what the staff want out of their office environment.

Give your office a new lease on life without breaking a lease with these easy tips! For more information on how Future Fitouts can improve your office fitouts and environment, contact us today for quote.