Having a well-designed office can reap multiple rewards for a business. From making a great first impression to boosting morale and improving collaboration office design experts Penketh Group explain how the right office set-up can pay dividends for a business.

Make a statement

When someone walks into your office, be that visitors, clients, staff or interviewees you want to make an immediate first impression.

The entrance to your office is just as important as any other area, it can be the perfect place to introduce your brand and make a statement about the sort of business that you run.

Having a reception area that matches up with the branding of your business in terms of colouring, and being more stylish and interesting than a traditional reception area can really help to make your business stand out. This could be through a trophy cabinet, games, interesting seating, anything slightly out of the ordinary can create a lasting impression.

An unusual or interesting reception area can also help with introductions, it creates a discussion point which can break the ice and help to get conversation to flow more comfortably and easily. This can be a tremendous benefit, especially with people interviewing for roles within a business as it can help get rid of any initial nerves.

Improve morale

A nice working environment can really help staff to feel more productive and motivated. This can be achieved through a number of means, from the simple like ensuring staff have comfortable desks and chairs to work at, to more complicated considerations such as ensuring an office doesn’t get too noisy or at least has dedicated quiet areas for staff needing to concentrate.

Creating an office to meet the needs of your staff can improve productivity, purely by ensuring that issues such as noise and discomfort, which can hamper day to day work are reduced to a minimum.

Couple these considerations with providing the right equipment for staff to carry out their roles and you are well on your way to creating a happy and productive office environment.

Improve collaboration

The other key benefit to a well-designed office is creating specific spaces for collaboration.

Providing staff and teams with the option to share information and ideas effectively is a key component of many businesses.

It is important that you create a space that allows this to happen without disturbing other staff members. A relaxed space, different to a traditional meeting room is often ideal.

This allows staff to sit comfortably, informally, and share ideas on an equal footing. These areas should also provide the technology necessary for research and presentation, such as internet access, screens, projectors and teleconferencing options.

Creating an informal meeting area, designed for supporting collaboration, not only shows your employees that you are providing the means for them to work effectively (improving morale and motivation) but it also allows you to help potentially improve the quality of ideas and work being developed.

Taking the time to understand the needs of your business and your staff is crucial when it comes to your office design.

Having that insight into your business can help you turn a regular office into a highly stylish, functional space which helps to improve the working habits of your staff and help drive your business onto bigger and better things.