Your office layout is not something that should ever be an afterthought. It should always be at the forefront of it because it is an important component in the happiness of your employees. 

It’s also a critical component in the productivity of your team. You want your team to always feel comfortable in your office space, the last thing you want is to have them tearing their hair out, so to speak because they find everything about the layout confusing and difficult. 

Here are some of the main things you should be thinking about when you are designing your office space.

What Do You Need?

You must take an in-depth look at what your business needs to function regularly.  You don’t want your employees having to run all over the place, trying to get things from one department to the next. You must seriously look at what your office space needs to look like so that you can be productive.

Consider Space

A lot of people complain that their office does not have enough floor space so they can’t get the layout that they need. However, if you are a startup the last thing you want to do is to go trodding down the road that will lead you into financial issues that you may not be able to manage.

Always try to make sure that your workplace layout encourages communication and collaboration between different departments. There must be a family vibe in any office space. When people spend a lot of time together it’s important for them to feel cozy and comfortable in the environment.

Install Partitions

Sometimes employees may need privacy as well. This is where installing proper partitions in certain areas of your office becomes a necessity. While some employees may not need much privacy if spaces are too close things may get uncomfortable. This often means that partitions will need to be installed. This may require some welding work and machining.

You must make sure that you use qualified contractors. Many out there will be able to install the type of partitions you want.

Install the minimum number of partitions you think you need. Try not to go overboard with this, as this can make your office space extremely cluttered if you’re not clinical in your approach to installing them.

Lighting Is Essential 

Lighting is something that you cannot afford to ignore when it is time for you to plan your office layout. Lighting can make or break the environment. 

A good rule of thumb is to make use of as much natural light as you possibly can. Rest heavily on Mother Nature for this one, when trying to make your offices as comfortable as possible. Invest in large windows and skylights if possible.

In addition to natural light, you’re going to have to consider artificial lighting as well. Make sure that there are enough of them overhead and that they don’t cast a shadow. 

If the workplace is especially noisy at certain hours of the day you can also install acoustic lighting as well to minimize the noise levels.

Consider Storage

Storage space is always an important consideration because the last thing you want is for your office space to look cluttered, and unkempt in any way. 

Failure to manage storage will result in an environment that’s dusty and grimy. If you want to put your business firmly on the path that could lead to success then you have to make sure the environment reflects that. You can’t steer a ship toward the harbor in an ocean filled with obstacles. 

A great way to help maximize space in an office, especially a small one, is to have a lot of shelves. Place shelves on walls where necessary, to remove the clutter from the immediate floor space.

Get Your Office Looking Great

The design and layout of your office is a vital component to the success of your business. It is often talked about that you need to manage your budget and market your business for success, but you cannot afford to ignore the environment of your office. 

You always want to make sure that your employees are comfortable and that the environment that you are in is suitable for productivity. Get your office space looking fabulous and functioning as effectively as you can, by incorporating the tips listed here.

Try out a few of them initially, and don’t overwhelm yourself all at once. Remember that the slow and steady is always best when winning the race towards a successful business.

Originally Published on https://www.breakfastleadership.com/

Michael Levitt Chief Burnout Officer

Michael D. Levitt is the founder & Chief Burnout Officer of The Breakfast Leadership Network, a San Diego and Toronto-based burnout consulting firm. He is a Keynote speaker on The Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting and Burnout. He is the host of the Breakfast Leadership show, a Certified NLP and CBT Therapist, a Fortune 500 consultant, and author of his latest book BURNOUT PROOF.