Brought to you by Brother International Corporation
The most successful employees are often a result of an optimal workspace environment that fosters productivity and creativity. Check out these five strategies for developing an efficient yet inspiring office that increases your team’s output.
1) Do Your Research
The best way to pinpoint pain points of your company’s existing workflow is to talk directly to the employees of the company. Find out what’s working for them, what’s not, and listen to their suggestions for improvements. While a company-wide survey is a great start, the way to really dig deep is to talk individually to employees and look for patterns in their responses. With this tactic, you’ll be in a great position to optimize the workspace based on real needs.
2) Give Employees Choices
Some offices are all cubicles, while other offices are a big communal work space. Not one is better than the other, so give your employees the option to choose what works best for their work style by incorporating a mix of both. Let employees have the flexibility to decide whether they want privacy or collaboration. By allowing employees to make their own decisions, you build a sense of trust in the workplace that goes a long way.
3) Get Techie
Technology is essential for a productive workplace, but as the times change, it’s important to evolve. As part of the first point, make sure to conduct an audit to see what tech tools are working well for employees and which ones aren’t. For the ones that aren’t, whether it’s video conferencing, e-mail or IMs, be open to finding new technology that helps bridge the divide between different office locations.
4) Outsource Interior Design
Instead of forcing employees to use valuable work time and participate in redecorating the office, outsource the work to an established office design consultant who will have the experience and expertise to recommend strategies that will actually move the needle for your workplace. Since they’ve seen a variety of issues that other organizations have run into, they can help provide the best solution for your office.
5) Don’t Supersize. Optimize.
While you may think bigger is better, that may not always be in the case in the workplace, especially when it comes to printing. Brother has provided a nifty assessment tool that allows you to answer a few questions about your workplace to learn the best printing solution to help your business save time and money.
Image: Brother
Yes it is true that above ideas can work wonder for every organizations to make their work place a innovative yet inspiring ones, to make employees feel it & at the same time stay motivated with it.
Could you mention some companies that have been good at optimize their workspaces? How is it at Brother International Corporation HQ?
Aira Bongco
I agree. You don’t get to improve something just because you had the biggest items. It is better to just use what you have and maximize it. Doing research is good too as it can help you target the weakness of your workspace.
Good points. The other big decision you need to make is regarding open vs. close office space. Both have pros and cons. Different employees have preferences on either side. But by taking into account their preferences, the type of work they need to do and your own business you can come up with optimal design.