Every employer wants to motivate his or her employees to give it their all. Sometimes they use seminars, while other times they motivate them with incentives for success. Experienced employers know that the work environment is just as important when increasing office productivity. You need to make sure that office décor positively affects productivity. Here’s how you can achieve this.

Add a dash of nature

Plants might be the most important piece of décor you could introduce to your office. There’s something about plants that make them special when it comes to room design. They have a myriad of positive effects on both productivity and mental health.

Plants have been proven to have a calming effect when looked at. Their presence in a room is enough to reduce anxiety and stress. It’s probably because of their soft green hues and natural shapes. This reminds people of nature and makes them feel at peace. This can impact workers and prevent them from burning out on a busy day.

The calming effect has another benefit. It’s a lot easier to focus when you feel level-headed and relaxed. Enough plants placed at strategic locations around the office can have a very positive effect on productivity. Make sure you have a couple of small potted plants near windows. This allows you to pick some more demanding species which need some extra sunlight.

Introduce comfortable lighting

You have to think about the lighting in your office before you look at any other part of the décor. It’s a factor that will influence the look and feel of the rest of your office décor. Not to mention, the type of lights your office uses can negatively affect employees and their eyesight.

Some light sources can be a real eyesore. Consider the typical fluorescent lights that most old offices use. It’s something that does not provide good visibility, while also not being easy on the eyes. You should avoid these types of lights, as they will eventually cause vision problems in your employees.

Incandescent lighting is a step up in terms of quality. It’s a lot cozier and provides some much warmer lighting for an office environment. Plus, it isn’t likely to cause eyesight problems if placed properly. On the other hand, incandescent lights tend to burn out quickly and consume a lot of power. LED lights might be a better choice for your office.

Most of all, you need to consider the amount of natural light your office allows for during day time. The placement of windows is an important factor to consider. Natural lighting is the best possible way to light your office. It feels a lot nicer than artificial light and it can help with focus.

Set the tone with colors

The color of your office might not seem like a very important detail, but it can be surprisingly useful in office design. Colors schemes aren’t just nice to look at, they also have practical applications. A well-designed office will have a color scheme which matches the general aesthetic of the business, while also helping stimulate employees’ minds.

Different colors elicit different reactions from employees. The color blue is soothing and helps with clearing your thoughts and reducing anxiety. It’s great for jobs where you need to clear your thoughts and focus without pressure. Green gives the room a calming and natural vibe, which is why the presence of plants can help people relax. More aggressive colors like red aren’t out of the question either. They help keep people alert and awake, elevating pulse. 

It’s a simple change that can have a big influence on productivity. Make sure you pick the right color scheme for your business space to help better stimulate productive behavior.

Create a quiet spot

Modern office designs have their benefits and drawbacks. Consider open working spaces, for example. They are a great way to build team cohesion and they help build the relationship between coworkers. There’s no better way to create a teamwork-oriented space than having everyone work towards the same goals in the same space. Keeping them separated from one another doesn’t give you anything but a feeling of isolation. 

On the other hand, this does have a couple of drawbacks. For one, employees are never free from noise and chit-chat. This can make it hard to clear your thoughts. Having a designated quiet place somewhere outside of the workspace might help with this. A well-insulated office lounge can make for a very calming environment, which is why it’s utilized in many modern offices.

Keep it hot in there

Having the office at a respectable chill temperature seems like a good idea. It won’t bother anyone that brings their jacket and it can really help save on the heating bill. However, it turns out that it’s actually not as efficient of an idea as it first seemed. The temperature of an office has a bigger influence on work than you might think.

People work a lot better when the ambient temperature of the room is a bit higher. Having the office at or above room temperature can positively influence the productivity of the work being done. It makes quite a bit of sense when you think about it. When people are chilly, they try to make themselves cozy and comfortable. This takes away from the focus on work. Keep the temperature slightly higher than usual and you should be seeing good results pretty soon.

Improve the layout

The way you position furniture in the office is extremely important for a variety of reasons. For one, you don’t want the office to feel tight and cluttered. It’s a claustrophobic feeling which can influence how comfortable or uncomfortable your employees feel. There’s also the matter of making the office feel open and spacious. When you just throw a bunch of furniture out there without any organizing, you aren’t utilizing the space as well as you could. 

To prevent the office from feeling cluttered, make sure you take care of any excess items and furniture. More isn’t always better, that’s for sure. Consider the movements of your employees before deciding where to place everything. If your layout causes bottlenecks and lines where it shouldn’t, consider improving it.

Add some artsy touches

Every office has pieces of art hanging on the walls. Without them, the walls would feel awfully bare and featureless. You don’t want your office to look like a prison, which is why you need to add some artsy touches to the walls.

This is pretty easy to achieve. You don’t need to go all out and buy an original Picasso to make your walls look nice. Anything that matches the color scheme or theme of the office would suffice. A quick trip to the flea market could get you exactly what you need. On the other hand, you could just print out some art you like from the Internet. This is a lot simpler and a lot cheaper than any other option. Plus, who’s going to complain? Art is art, after all. You also get a much bigger variety to choose from.

If you’re feeling bold and brash, you could use some very large pieces of art to accentuate a part of a room. A huge painting or photograph that takes up an entire wall might just be the thing your office needs. It’s not too difficult to set up, as long as you have a frame in mind. Such art would show that you mean business and you’re not afraid to show you have a taste.

Always consider ergonomics

The furniture in your office must keep employees safe and comfortable. Most people don’t associate offices with danger or injury, but injuries aren’t at all rare. This is mostly because office employees spend the majority of their time working while seated. This can negatively affect back and neck muscles. If they are constantly strained, this will eventually lead to physical issues.

This is easily remedied with better seating options. If your employees make themselves comfortable in ergonomic seating, you can be sure that the number of injuries will drop significantly. If they can sit properly at their desks for long periods, it’s going to improve their chances of avoiding future problems. 

Computer monitors are also guilty of causing neck issues. Many aren’t adjustable and this means employees are supposed to adjust their position to get a good view of the screen. Adjustable monitors don’t have this problem. You should strive to outfit every computer with one to avoid injuries. 

Get the right appliances

Appliances are very useful tools in any office. They are used for a wide variety of things. Simple machines like the water cooler make summers a lot more tolerable. They also give employees a reason to get up and have a quick walk or maybe talk to coworkers. It’s a place to gather and have a conversation while you get hydrated.

A well-furbished office kitchen will have very useful appliances. A microwave can make all the difference when it comes to what people around the office will eat. It’s a lot easier to eat a prepared meal from home if you can heat it beforehand. Let’s not forget coffee. It’s one of the most essential things you can have in your office kitchen. This is why efficient office coffee machines are in high demand right now. Everyone needs their daily dose of coffee. It helps them concentrate on their work and it’s one of the best early morning pick-me-ups in the world. Plus, it can taste pretty delicious.

 Clean house

Cleaning might seem like an implied part of dealing with a business environment, but some offices didn’t get the memo. It’s crucial that your office is clean and looks respectable. Not many clients are willing to deal with businesses that don’t even bother to keep their office clean.

It’s especially important for the employees. Nobody likes working in an unclean environment. It can feel demoralizing and worrisome. Make sure your office is always free of dust and grime. Cleaning often might seem like just another extra expense, but it’s well worth the effort and funds.

Conclusion

The office décor has a huge impact on how productive your employees are. This is why you need to dedicate some time and funds to make sure your office is up to par. If you apply some of these ideas to your office, you’re going to see good results a lot sooner than you might think.