Creativity is a really important aspect of business. Only when your employees are feeling creative will they come up with brand new ideas and directions for your business. And yet, the vast majority of offices and businesses completely fail to inspire any kind of creativity.
Creativity doesn’t come from nowhere. It is actually a combination of things and usually, the first spark of an idea happens when you find the right inspiration and you are relaxed enough to let the thought through. This is why a dull grey cubicle in an open plan office is rarely a place for great ideas!
Transforming Your Office
It might sound superficial but everything from the color of your office to the layout will have an effect on the way you work. Whether you are looking to boost your creativity or you want your team to be more productive, you should look at your office design first.
A bright space where employees feel that they can express themselves is really important. Indeed, being able to play – whether that means adding a foosball table or a stack of video games – is also really important. Adults learn through play just as much as kids do and being able to relax is vital for clear thinking.
If you can create a flexible space where your employees can make the room into what they need for their project, that would really help too. It’s incredible that something as simple as moving some furniture around could make a difference but, hey, at least that’s a fairly simple problem to fix! Have a look at Rieke.com to see what your office could become.
Be an Inclusive Office
Inclusivity is really important in any office but if you want to be more creative, you must ensure that you foster the right culture. Diversity is key to creating a team but we’re not just talking about socio-economic diversity, here, deep-level diversity including personality, values and abilities are also essential.
Though a group of people who all approach problems in different ways can be difficult to manage, they are much more likely to have a lightbulb moment than a group who all think in the same way. This is because as they discuss their ideas, they will be able to bounce off each other, finding flaws and solutions as they go.
But inclusivity is about more than diversity. Inclusivity is about giving people the chance to speak and to shine no matter whether they are a junior in their first week or a manager with years of experience. This article from Entrepreneur has some interesting ideas but the one that stands out most for creativity are the simplest: talk about something other than work.
Inspiration can and should come from anywhere and, though the office might be the most logical space for a business, you must adapt that space to make it work for you. Transforming your office is a good start to this process but you must also transform your culture to succeed.
The modern, switched on parent needs to find the right way to navigate, not just the school run, but have to find the best way to get to work. If you’re one of those lucky people that don’t need to get to work so soon after dropping the kids off, and having to navigate the myriad of motor vehicles that is rush hour, you are one of a rare breed. But as far as commuting is concerned, it’s incredibly stressful, so are there any ways for us to ensure that we can commute, not just in a happy way, but without having to get into the car once in a while?
Get On Your Bike!
Of course, this may not be feasible, depending on how the school run works, but also, depending on where you live in the world, the practicalities of riding a bike really doesn’t lend itself well to a safe journey. You never know, you might get embroiled in an accident, and sure, while you may very well get a bike accident settlement, if you can ensure that you have a safe route to the office, a bike isn’t just one of the most beneficial options for the planet, it can actually be a good workout!
Public Transport: Yay Or Nay?
Sure, public transport might not bring out your best self, but when you consider the cost of public transport, especially when you weigh it up against a car, you may very well find ways to save a lot of money! While we all need our car, when you think about what you can actually accomplish when you have a seat on the train, you could very well be setting yourself up for a productive day at work, or a relaxing night at home. It’s not always like this, but on the other hand, when you are heading to the office, and you are surrounded by idiots on the road, at least with public transport, that stress isn’t your responsibility. In fact, you could use public transport as an opportunity to get ahead of the game, by sending out some emails, or just putting headphones on and listening to a podcast. If your commute is long enough, you could even get a nap in!
The Carpool Option
Car shares or carpools are a very common way for people to get to the office with another employee, but do you really want to sit in a car with someone who likes nothing more than to talk about work? While it can save you a lot of money, it may not put you in the right frame of mind for the working day. This is especially the case if you don’t like your job! That feeling of being on your best behavior can be exhausting.
Those are your options, when you are heading to the office, and you don’t want to take the car, or you’re trying to find some way to save money, you might think it’s a case of the lesser of evils. But it’s all about maximizing your journey. If you are driving, you can only focus on that, but if you can commute in other ways, you may be able to get a lot more done than you realize!
Working from home is fantastic. There is no boss to look over your shoulder and no strict deadlines. Come to think about it, there is no motivation either. There are too many distractions teamed with a pretty basic working environment. Not to say your home office is unwelcoming, but you spend the majority of the day in the living room. There is nothing wrong with that if you are productive, yet the chances are you’re wasting time. How can you not when the TV is blasting?
What you need is an office which actually wants to make you buckle down and be industrious. These are the things to consider.
Pin It On Pinterest
The hardest thing to do is to start a task. Once you’re in the middle of it, the inspiration comes as if it is being passed down by God. In the beginning, there’s plenty of sitting around and racking your brains for an idea. Well, there is no need to hurt your head in this day and age thanks to Pinterest. A social media site, the platform specializes in bringing together plans and designs from other people. Type in “home office” and see what comes up. Then, use the pins to add your personality and character.
But Be Responsible
Obviously, there will be things on the site which are too difficult or expensive. It all depends on the space and your budget. So, use your common sense and recognize when a renovation is out of the question. For example, this rustic design is difficult to replicate because you need the room.
However, the shipping container office below is entirely possible with a CONEX box for sale. It might seem the harder of the two yet it’s less hassle because there is a ton of space and the exterior already has the wow factor.
Let There Be Light
It’s summertime so there is no need to shun the sunshine. All it does is make you moody and irritable. It doesn’t take a clinical psychologist to tell you this will impact your work ethic. Embracing natural light isn’t tricky, either. The key is to remove the blockages from the windows so that the rays can flood the room. You can start by replacing curtains with blinds as the latter aren’t as thick or bulky. Also, move the desk close to the window to get the full benefits. This also allows you to enjoy the sights every now and again.
Add Greens
Not the color but the plants. If you’ve ever worked in a stuffy office, you know about how uncomfortable it is. People don’t focus on working but letting their mind wander. The atmosphere is so stale that it’s impossible to bother about anything. Plants can help because they absorb carbon dioxide and expel oxygen. Consequently, the O2 levels will be high and the brain will stay fresh. There’s a reason plants are linked to happiness.
Do these tips sound like they will help create the sort of office you’ll love?
Sure, the traditional, uniform office spaces may be functional, but boy oh boy, are they boring. To be fair, there wasn’t as much research around then about what workers like and need to be productive, as there is today. Now, we know that if workers are going to give their all, then they need to be inspired. And inspiration comes in many forms, including the look and feel of the space where they’re working. So how do you brighten up your office, and make it an all-around positive and professional place to work? We take a look below.
There’s something to be said for that cozy lighting, the kind that you find in the corners of libraries and restaurants, but it’s not right for an office space. There, it has to be all about bright, positive spaces, light that invites people to keep their eyes open even when their mind begins to get tired. So take a look at your office space. Is it possible that you could be letting in more natural light? Natural light works better than artificial lighting. Of course, if this isn’t an option, then go manmade – but try to avoid those harsh, overhead lights. They just cause eyestrain.
Bright and Professional
Have you ever walked into an office, and understood that it’s a bright, professional space, but can’t quite tell why? Take a look at the floor. Floors that have epoxy floor coating can reflect light better than normal floors, creating an all-around sleek and bright looking space. It’s an excellent complement to natural or artificial lighting, one that might just help bring your office to life. Also, it’s easy to clean, so you’ll be able to avoid the build-up of dirt that usually affects carpets pretty quickly. And talking of which….
No Dirt and Grime
When it comes to having a bright office space, there’s one thing that will always try to lower the standards: dirt and grime! As such, it’s important that you’re taking steps to keep everything in tip-top condition. That can mean hiring a cleaner to go over your office space and making sure that all your staff knows that they need to keep everything in order.
Natural Options
Even if you have the best furnishings and clean office space, things will still look a little drab if there’s nothing something more going on. You can do this in two ways. The first is to have plants dotted around the space. They really add a lot to an office, and have been shown to boost productivity! And if nothing else, they’re just nice to have around. The second is to add touches of color, which you can do by adding works of art and other funky additions around the place. Don’t go overboard, of course – but if you can do so in a tasteful way, then bring the color!
Take the advice above, and you’ll be on your way to having an office space that’s bright and a happy place to work!
Whether you’re just starting to build up your own office space for your business, or you’re refurbishing a little, you can expect the place to feel pretty chaotic. There will be builders and mess, and it can get overwhelming at times because it may be hard for you to envision the end goal because as of now, it just looks like a dump. But you need to trust the team to do their job, this is why it’s so important that you choose the right people. It’s no good settling with a company just because their price was low, or they were available for when you needed them – if you don’t look into things properly, that’s where they begin to go wrong, so don’t settle.
There are a few other things that you will need to know, or at least think about while the office is under construction.
Here are some to get you started.
Be available
You can expect to have various phone calls, texts, and emails during the construction period, because builders may need to check in with you to ask questions or let you know if there has been a problem or issue. So make sure that you are always available, because sometimes if they can’t get through, rather than stopping a valuable days work, they will take their own initiative. But that may not end up being what you wanted, so communication is absolutely necessary so that you’re both on the same page and you’re left with something that you’re happy about.
Portable toilets
If you are still working around the area while jobs are getting done, then you will want to look into a portable toilet rental so that you don’t have to worry about getting in anyone’s way while they’re working. Not only that, but it will be a lot easier for the building team too as they can just nip outside rather than trying to find the nearest bathroom in the area. People seem to imagine these as being dirty, but if you rent from a reputable company, you won’t have anything to worry about. So make life easier for the both of you.
Consider moving
There will be times where you have no choice but to leave the premises because it’s too dangerous for you to be there while the builders work. But there will also be times where it’s okay for you to be there, it may just be a little noisy and busy. Although you may not like the idea of leaving for the duration of construction, it might be what’s best for you, and for the workers. You will be able to get on with your business without distractions around you, and they won’t have to worry about you being there and potentially getting hurt.
Now you know some important things to think about – go over them and see what else may be a good idea. Then soon enough, the work will be done and you will be able to enjoy your new office space.
Recent Comments