7 Tips to spruce up your office space

It’s a bit alarming when you think about it but, taking away commuting time and sleeping, we spend almost half of our waking hours at the office – and that’s only if you’re working a standard 5 day, 45 hour week.

Spending five out of seven days a week in a depressing office environment is uninspiring to say the least. This is why companies are now working harder to provide an office environment which fosters productivity, creativity and camaraderie between employees.

Certainly in these tough economic times, not every company will have the required capital to redesign and redecorate their entire office. Therefore, the suggestions below are some really simple tips to sprucing up a drab looking office space:

1.) Plants– Having plants in the office will help in two ways. Not only are they are aesthetically pleasing and will enhance your surroundings with some much needed colour, but they also filter and purify the air within the office. The presence of plants can reduce stress and improve concentration and productivity.

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2.) Visual décor – If you’re thinking about putting up some clichéd motivational posters then think again. All you need here are a few simple paintings or some fine art prints or how about a cluster of black and white photographs of your team?  Some simple additions to a white wall can make all the difference. 3.) Colour – Implementing bold colours within your office environment will make it unique and memorable. Different colours can affect the psychology of your staff – for instance, orange stimulates creativity, yellow heightens motivation and blue is seen as calming. Rather than painting the whole office, you can just create a feature wall.  It might also be worth giving employees a vote on what colour they prefer so you don’t end up having to do it twice!

4.) Music – Although music tastes can vary from person to person, giving staff the option to have non-distracting music in the background is a good way to keep up staff morale.  Don’t forget however, that you will need to purchase various licenses in order to play music in the workplace.

5.) Clutter – Mess and clutter can build up over time and it can make a once manageable office intolerable. Why not set aside a day for spring cleaning with your staff? You will be surprised by the amount of space and how much better the office will look afterwards.  Also, you could invest in some funky storage boxes which will look way more appealing than a cardboard box.

6.) A place to relax – It doesn’t need to be elaborate or expensive – all you need is a rug, some colourful bean bags and maybe a small coffee table. It’s a great way to improve staff interaction and camaraderie, which can lead to better group productivity and also provides the perfect area for informal meetings.

7.) Individuality – Finally, be brave!  You could even go a step further and allow staff the freedom to decorate the office however they like – it’ll give your office a less sterile feel.  There are obvious pit falls to this but if you gave your most creative employee management of this, the results could be extremely eye catching.

These are just a handful of ways a drab office can be quickly and cost effectively transformed into a stimulating and creative environment.

More more information on tailored office services speak to Avanta today.