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5 Ways To Design A Productive Coworking Environment

A collaborative workspace requires ingenuity, creativity, inspiration and sometimes a little help. Here's a look at five tips to get started.


A refreshing, inclusive, and comfortable workspace requires ingenuity, creativity, inspiration and sometimes a little help. Here’s a look at five tips that can inspire more coworking and collaboration in your office space.

 

1. Add more light

Natural light is the best way to make your work environment more invigorating, but if that’s not a possibility, get creative. From lamps to LED lights and bulbs, go with lighting options that offer bright light, which is close to sunlight.

Studies suggest that the right amount of light has the power to change mood and behavior. It makes employees feel happy, which can decrease absenteeism. The psychological impact that light and color can have on our bodies is profound. It can change our moods, sleep patterns, appetite and more.

According to MentalFloss, “Most of us don’t put much thought into the way light might be affecting our mood. But if you find yourself smiling on sunny days or feeling more creative with the lights turned down low, it’s no coincidence. The different kinds of light we’re exposed to can have a real impact on our emotional health and wellbeing.”

Consider adding task lighting through the office by placing a lamp at each employee’s desk with different color options or incorporate general spot and task lighting to ensure the entire office is optimally lit.

Softer lighting is recommended in communal areas for relaxation, whereas a more vibrant light is essential for conference rooms.

 

2. Refresh the walls

According to color psychology, “Color is a powerful communication tool and can be used to signal action, influence mood, and even influence physiological reactions. Certain colors have been associated with increased blood pressure, increased metabolism, and eyestrain.”

Cool colors and light hues have an energizing effect that not only positively impacts employee productivity but also improve moods. According to a study, dull colors like grey and overly bright colors like orange induce feelings of depression and sadness in women and men.

Photo: CoWomen, Pexels
Photo: CoWomen, YFS Magazine

On the other hand, low-wavelength colors such as calming blue and restful green (Mother Nature’s palette), help improve focus. Such colors make the employees happy and provide an accurate stimulus to complete a task.

However, paint colors are risky within a workspace, even within the same building. What looks bright and welcoming in one space can easily look dull and depressing in another.

 

3. Bring down the partitions

Collaborative company culture keeps office design principles in mind. After all, it’s about sharing ideas, brainstorming, and open communication. When you take down the partitions, it allows employees to focus on the task at hand by gathering ideas and interacting with people around them.

For example, most people choose a co-working space so that they can interact with other teams. Depending on your type of business, coworking spaces can provide productivity inspiration in two ways:

  • Consider the open-plan spaces that provide teams with visual stimuli. Seeing other employees hard at work will give teams the motivation to work equally as hard.
  • On the other hand, some coworking spaces place desks facing the wall to allow an employee to focus fully on their tasks. In Zen tradition, meditators face the wall so that they can hone their focus and decrease distractions.

 

4. Add touches of greenery

Did you know that plants have the power to improve your mood? A green workspace increases productivity by 15% and makes it easier for employees to concentrate effectively. According to a workplace productivity study, plants improve air quality and increase employee satisfaction and engagement. All of that greenery can make your team more emotionally, cognitively, and physically involved in their tasks.

Photo: CoWomen, Pexels
Photo: CoWomen, YFS Magazine

 

5. Offer functional and comfortable workstations

In coworking spaces, comfort is of utmost importance. A workstation should be developed with employee comfort in mind. Every employee has slightly different opinions as to what makes an excellent workstation, so include variety across your office.

For example, some people like to work from an armchair and coffee table for comfort, but others may find it too closed-in and favour a high table and bar stools where they can spread everything out and collaborate with others.

Invest in comfy office chairs and sufficient table space at varying heights. Make sure desks are the right height. When in doubt, choose adjustable height or sit-stand workstations.

Alternatively, incorporate a variety of heights of seating throughout your office space: bar-style tables and chairs, acoustic booths, and standard desks with high-quality height-adjustable task chairs for comfort.

 

Look for ways to increase productivity, well-being and happiness. If you’re unsure where to start, use professional office refurbishment services to create an inspiring workplace that employees and customer alike, will love to set foot in.

 

Bryony Shaw is the marketing executive at Spectrum Interior, UK’s leading commercial refurbishment company. Her aim in life is to transform as many interior environments as possible into highly beautiful and functional spaces and make all incumbent dysfunctional eyesores a thing of the past. Synchronising the marketing, sales, purchasing and project management teams, she likes to listen to the needs concerning absolutely any interior.

 

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