We are now more flexible with how we choose to spend our time working in our offices because the traditional regular office hours are a thing of the past. While many professionals have cut back on-site working hours, others find themselves in their offices working on crucial tasks at strange hours.

Since we spend a significant portion of our day at work, the office setting serves as a stimulus for development. While an attractive and cleverly planned workspace might increase employee productivity, a drab and dark office can decrease productivity. Because of this, it's critical to design your workplace space effectively to increase employee engagement and productivity.

Here are some of the most important tips to maximize the potential of your office space:

Have a flexible layout

Especially after spending two years in a pandemic, the need for work flexibility has increased significantly. While the trend of working remotely skyrocketed, a lot of firms have switched to hybrid workspaces. This calls for a flexible layout in your office space that is in sync with the needs of your employees.

Employees in 2022 no longer like staying glued to their desks from 9 to 5 without any scope for recreation. If you want your employees to give their best, it is always advisable to steer away from rigid layouts. Make use of free-standing office dividers, movable screens, and open floor plans to make your office layout more flexible. Have enough space for your employees to move around and feel comfortable as they spend hours working on projects that aren't quite their favourites!

Use movable and multifunctional furniture

If you are planning to enhance your office space, your furniture needs to be given special attention. It is always advisable to switch from traditional fixed furniture articles to movable furniture. Install ergonomic chairs that are flexible and can be moved around as per your employees' requirements.

Having movable furniture creates more space within your office. It can be moved around easily, allowing you to change the look and purpose of a specific section of your office in a hassle-free manner.

You can also have more breathing room in your office space by installing multifunctional furniture. Install desks with storage and electrical support. Have multifunctional chairs and desks in the common areas to make meetings more flexible and easy to organise.

Make smart use of lighting

Lighting plays a very important role in designing commercial interiors as it directly affects the performance of the workers. It is always advisable to have a well-lit office, making sure that each of the workers gets enough light to work comfortably. Dim and dull lighting often makes people lazy, demotivated, and slack around in an unproductive manner.

Make use of LED downlighting to brighten up the office space and use it smartly. For example, having artificial light bounced using glass helps you cover a larger section of your office space with light.

Along with artificial light, it is equally important to make smart use of natural light. Never make your workers feel as if they are working in a corporate dungeon with no contact with the outside world. Let natural light come in through your office windows and enhance the productivity of your employees!

Optimise the common areas

If your employees are spending several hours every day working in the office, they deserve to be treated with comfortable and aesthetic common areas. Optimise your common areas to enhance the potential of your office space and boost the productivity of your employees.

There is a common misconception that common areas are limited to high-end enterprises having huge office spaces. This is certainly not true. Irrespective of the size of your office, you can always dedicate a section to helping workers relax, have informal meetings, have food, and recharge their batteries before they get back to work!

Build privacy pods

Especially if you have implemented an open floor plan in your office, employees are likely to get distracted when they need to work with the utmost focus and dedication. For such cases, it is advisable to build privacy pods for your employees to work in an enclosed environment, away from all the noise and disturbance of the office.

Privacy pods can also be designed for purposes other than work. You can have a dedicated pod for making phone calls, reading, lactation, and even meditation. As the name suggests, a privacy pod allows your employees to have some private time away from the hustle and bustle of the office. It helps them free their minds without letting any external stimuli bother them.

Create dedicated zones

To make the most of your office space, you can always divide it into different zones depending on various purposes. Apart from their respective desks and cabins, these zones help your employees get specific work done or collaborate with their peers.

Companies often prefer creating dedicated zones based on different projects/clients handled by them. All employees working on a particular project can work in a specific zone with their team members and managers. This enhances the spirit of collaboration and improves the overall performance of your teams.

Apart from zones dedicated to specific projects, you can also create zones that are designed for relaxing, meditating, having food, having client meetings, or simply for an employee to work alone without distractions, just like a privacy pod.

These were some of the most important tips to maximize the potential of your office space. Commercial interior designs have a significant impact on the reputation of a business and the productivity of its employees. Make sure you spend enough time designing your workspace, keeping in mind every stakeholder has a vested interest in your business.

The interiors of your office should be an extension of your brand personality and reflect everything your business stands for. From casting the first image of your business to giving it an aesthetic appeal, commercial interiors play a major role in building the identity of your brand.

Source - IANS