5 design tips for small offices to increase productivity

Experts in the field of office design go back and forth about the most productive plan. Do office gardens make employees more productive than office cabins, or vice versa? Do we have to invest again in private offices? Have everyone work at home, or on a flexible schedule? There are just as many opinions as there are options.

However, the only thing that all these tips & proposals have in common is that they cost a considerable amount of money to implement when you start all over again. What should an economical, productivity -oriented organization do?

The good news is that a few small design changes can produce cheap great results. Here are five of our favorites:

1. Paint again yourself!

A blue office
Are you still pleased with the boring, white walls that the landlord painted before your company settled? You may contribute to fatigue of the eyes and poorly hummed employees. Paint is relatively cheap and a change in color can make a big difference in productivity. Theories vary on which colors people inspire the best, but blue is almost universally considered calming, while orange and red are considered energy and creativity. Play this mainly per room so that it matches the purpose of the room. 

2. Make private spaces

privacy space
Even people who love open office spaces occasionally need some privacy. If your employees complain that they do not have enough personal space, make something of it. Screens are always a good option, or you could go with these neat office caps or acoustic screens. These options can also be useful for employees with a relatively open working area. 

3. Add plants

Office plants

Another super cheap way to brighten up the office, plants are more than just a greener way to decorate. Plants make the office environment less sterile and can even purify the air. A study by Chichester College showed that one plant per 100 square meter office space is ideal for cleaning the air from chemicals such as ammonia and formaldehyde. There are plants that are acoustic! 

P.S care for your plants otherwise the opposite effect can arise. 

4. Use acoustics solutions 

Noise masking

Nowadays, noise is a problem in most offices, in the sense that there is too much or too little. Both can be distracting. (Anyone who thinks that a completely quiet office cannot be distracting has never tried a report by working in an office where the only sound is a few dozen colleagues who click away on their Klak-Klak-Klak keyboards.) Sound mask is one Relatively cheap way to deal with the problem. White noise is played through speakers, so that all those small sounds are obscured that can look so hard if you try to get things done.

5. Switch on some lights

Office lighting

Natural light is of course the best light, but if you cannot offer that for all employees, add task lighting to ensure that they can see what they do. (And avoid stinging.) When it comes to the type of light that is supplied, most experts agree that full-spectrum lamps are superior to standard fluorescent lamps to increase productivity and mood.