Flamenco News

In recent years, there has been a considerable surge in the culture of office redesigns. Silicon Valley offices have set a wild and unobtainable standard for workplace designs, with huge artistic murals, impressive atriums, and communal areas equipped with table tennis equipment. While these changes are an extreme example of modern office design, they represent a key shift in the understanding of how we work, placing the psychology of employees at the forefront of their consideration.

Productivity and workplace wellbeing are, now more than ever, driving office design. The murals of Facebook’s famous offices stimulate inspiration and encourage worker creativity. Atriums and large glass walls, such as those at the Apple headquarters in California, allow workers to experience nature while working, never feeling closed off from the outside world. And, relaxing activities, such as table tennis, ensure that employees are able to unwind, feeling valued by their managers too, with expenditure being dedicated to their enjoyment.

While these exact examples may not be possible in your rented office space, the essence behind their adoption can be.

Plain and uninspiring walls can be painted, introducing simple and bold colours. Furniture can be replaced with higher-quality alternatives, particularly those made with raw materials, such as woods and metal, which can introduce an organic environment to the office. Welcoming natural elements, even sunlight, into an office has been shown to increase staff wellbeing. Even items like timber fire doors are available in various designs and colours, meaning that every part of your office space can echo the quality of your brand.

Plants are commonly brought in by employees and are a low-cost method of bringing both colour and nature into a workspace. Allowing your employees to further customise their desk space can allow them to feel more comfortable and safe at work, encouraging their productivity and passion.

Assets, such as break room comfort and entertainment, while initially expensive, is a cost that allows staff to feel valued and likely influences their loyalty to a business, leading to lower staff turnover, eliminating hiring and training costs. If there isn’t a space for such assets within your office, collaborations can be made with local services, such as cinemas and gyms, whereby you can find discounts for your staff instead.

Other modern office designs aren’t just aesthetic. They are adopted because of technological and social changes demand them. For example, cloud-based technologies and digital efficiency are slowly eliminating the need for clunky and cumbersome filing systems. Not only is the physical storage of documents more costly to manage but they are also a data risk. Computers and tablets have also eliminated the need for large presentation equipment, alleviating even more room for aesthetic design and open space.

This is why modern offices are becoming more open, embracing open-plan designs and filling spaces with plants. Not only is it better for employee psychology but technology has eliminated much of the space needed by businesses.

Furthermore, there are a rising number of start-ups, each looking for low-cost alternatives to office spaces or to find a workplace with little obligation. This has promoted offices to adapt their working spaces to open and shared designs, accommodating a shifting and temporary workforce, with different businesses occupying various rooms at various times.