Employees in modern office buildings are seeing heightened productivity levels thanks to a series of genius design trends. Business owners and office designers have both recognised areas of commercial spaces that can be optimised for better worker performance. In this post, we take a look at three of these key trends and explain how they help office employees work better.
Standing Desks
More and more offices are being created and crafted with individual desks for employees. Gone are the days when everyone would sit at a long desk and have their workspace separated by dividers. Now, each person has a desk that can be moved up or down. This allows them to transition between sitting and standing whenever they like.
Standing desks are crucial for office design as they let people take a break from sitting down without moving away from work. It also lets them stand in a more comfortable position, so they’re not distracted by back pain or stiffness. It’s a simple implementation that supercharges productivity.
Temperature Control Devices
Working at the right temperature is key for productivity. If employees are too hot, they will spend the whole day fussing about how sweaty they are, rather than focusing on their tasks. That’s why commercial air conditioning installation is growing increasingly popular – along with other temperature control devices.
Offices are being designed around the climate, giving the workers more control over the internal temperature. When it’s too hot, air conditioning kicks in to cool them down – and when it’s too cold, a heating element does the opposite. The result is a more balanced office climate giving employees one less thing to focus on or worry about.
Some businesses are going one step further and implementing more temperature control features throughout the office floor. The inclusion of heated seats for employees or built-in fans on desks are also gaining traction.
Soundproofing
Sound is one of the biggest distractions an employee faces. Exterior noises can disrupt someone’s flow state and prevent them from focusing as keenly as they’d like. It makes it harder to get things done and the entire office suffers.
One could argue that wearing headphones is a solution, but this generates a communication problem. How do employees collaborate at work if they can’t hear one another? That’s why a new office design trend centres around soundproofing. Different materials are being used in office constructions to block external sounds from entering the office space. Thicker and more soundproof windows are installed throughout, creating a quiet hub for workers. Once inside, the outside world is shut off and all you hear are the other office sounds. It enables individuals to slip into their focus mode with fewer distractions, heightening productivity.
We often look at home design trends, so it’s intriguing to see how the commercial world fares. In the case of offices, much of the focus is on developing design elements that aid productivity levels without taking away from the aesthetic appeal of the office space. These three trends are the big ones today, though we’re sure many will follow.
