Things to Consider to Set Up a More Productive Office Space

Working from home has become a new status quo in the last three years. With that, millions of people have had no choice but to reconstruct their homes into offices, creating various types of workspaces. Fortunately, as the notorious pandemic loosens its grip, lots of employees are getting back to their desks in familiar offices. And, as practice has shown, returning to the physical workspace might become an ordeal for many employees after the lockdown. There are multiple reasons for white collars’ unwillingness to come back to offices, and, obviously, no employers can address all of them properly. That being said, there is something you can certainly do to make the workspace look and feel more appealing and conducive to productivity. This something is effectively setting up the workspace so that your team can feel inspired, productive, and rested as much as possible. Below are some aspects you might want to pay attention to when organizing and revamping your workspace.

Lighting Ergonomics

As outdoor creatures, we feel happier and more inspired to spend time outside. Taking that into consideration, a good practice is to try and position office desks near a good natural light source. Sunlight, outside life, and greenery help boost serotonin, as well as overall morale and creativity in the workplace. Be careful not to let the light hit you from behind since this might result in reflections, reduced monitor visibility, eye strain, and poor posture.

Also, make sure you have quality table, floor, and ceiling lights in place to increase productivity and safety in your office. There should be no shadows, glares, or daylight access that can make the work area too bright. Ensure that the amount, color, and type of lighting suit your workplace, as well as your employees’ tasks.

Comfortable Workstation

If your goal is to create a happy, healthy, and productive office environment, you should opt for furniture for office that has been created with ergonomic comfort in mind. Ideally, your office chair should be adjusted according to your mouse and keyboard but not to your desired posture. Your peripherals are items that remain in fixed positions, so you want to accommodate your chair’s height and position to them. Raise or lower your chair to a level where your arms are close to a 90-degree position. Under the desk, make sure there’s enough space for your knees and feet. If the desk is too low and can’t be adjusted, you can address this problem by placing some sturdy blocks under the desk legs. Should you notice that your feet don’t touch the floor, make sure to support them in a natural position with an appropriate footrest or something that can serve as one. You also don’t want to sit too high to avoid wrist-twisting or too low to reduce unwanted tension in your hands or forearms. Arching your neck leads to headaches, and it’s the same reason to avoid a recliner sitting style. So, if you don’t have adjustable chairs in your office, try removing the armrests or/and fitting them with headrests.

Screens and Monitors

If you want to make your employees happy, provide them with a nice monitor. Get at least a 27-inch or, more preferably, a 32-inch screen. Anything below this bar will give a worker’s eyes unnecessary strain and lower their productivity. If your budget permits, use 4K monitors at the workplace with a proper scaling setup. Almost all smartphones have better screens than monitors these days, so why skimp on something that you look at over 150 hours per month?

Make sure the monitors in your office are raised so that your employees’ eyesight is horizontal to the top portion of the monitor. If it’s impossible to adjust a display, a good way out is to use books to lift it up. A monitor arm will be a great alternative too since it will free up even more space on the tabletop. Should your employees need two monitors, consider a curved ultrawide for that purpose. Dual monitor setups are hard to focus on and serve the same purpose.

Separate Workspace

Isolation is what makes us real productivity machines. If you can’t afford to provide each team member with a separate quiet workspace, take care to create a workspace as a purposeful segment of a shared space. If necessary, consider a folding layout where it’s possible to put everything away at the end of the working day. Make sure that each employee’s dedicated workspace is distinguished from the rest of your office setup and isn’t located too close to, say, a rest area, kitchen, and the like. The point here is to help your workers create a physical disconnect between work life, leisure time, and personal life. It’s very important for maintaining a healthy microclimate in the workplace, encouraging productivity, and boosting performance. It’s also a great idea to put partitions or something that can serve as thereof to help remove distractions and help your employees turn their work mode on when necessary.

Headphones

If you want to eliminate unnecessary distractions even more effectively or at least reduce annoying extraneous noises to a minimum, you should definitely consider getting nice headphones for your team. If you plan to work from a shared space, headphones can be a great way to space out and focus. When choosing this device, think of the following: they should be on-ear and over-ear headphones. Chances are you and your employees will be using them for hours so you need to make sure they have a good seal and fit comfortably on the head. Note that buds are not a healthy choice since having them stuck in the ears isn’t conducive to working effectively. If your budget allows it, get the headphones with the best possible microphone because sounding confident and not repeating yourself can take you places. Workspace speakers are optional for most workplaces but might be a handy tool when you have a dedicated space to work in. Listening to tunes can perk up your mood while boosting your workplace productivity and creativity. 

These are only some useful tips that can help you set up a more productive workspace that will help keep your team’s satisfaction high and contribute to your company’s success. And hopefully, as you go along, you’ll figure out more effective ways that will help you maximize your results and make your office an ideal place to work.