How To Improve Your Company Culture Through Office Space

Change Your Company Culture Through Office Space

An office space is more than just an area to work in. It is a place where ideas thrive, friendships are forged and a company lives and breathes. A company's office space should reflect the company's brand through a professional and exciting layout. Although a company can operate without owning the best workspace possible, having a stellar office space can make employees work harder and become happier to come to work. Here are eight considerations to take into account when designing a workspace to engage employees and leave favorable impressions upon clients and visitors.

Have a Clear Vision of the Company Culture

Before a company can begin decorating their halls, executives should understand their business clearly. Having a solid understanding of a business's mission statement will make it much easier to connect it to a workplace. A company's image can be encapsulated into a three-part thesis statement: what the company stands for, what the company aims to achieve and what makes the company stand out. This mission statement should be clearly defined in a single sentence to make an office space that is able to reflect that statement well.

Don’t Separate Furniture From Company Values

When decorating an office space, keep a centrality of thought to connect the entire business together. You wouldn't walk into a basketball game and expect to see players equipped to play football. The physical features of a business are its uniform. The entire physical appearance should convey a message to both employees and clients that the place of operation has a living voice. Although the company does not have a heartbeat, an exciting office space should project why the CEO and the employees come to work daily. A good office space will not have random assortments of physical equipment, but it will have everything ordered to project a strong image that everybody can rally behind to support.

Get Feedback From Company Employees About Potential Changes

Although a CEO has many things under control, he can't control what his employees will like and dislike. Given that it takes successful employees to make a successful CEO, an engaging office space should be the culmination of everyone's contributions of preferences. Some people like bean bag chairs, and other people find their presence not acceptable in the workplace. These various interests should be taken into account in the form of a poll to gauge how successful office space implementations will be to rally everybody together. Part of a company's culture is expressing unity; if the workers are split in the workspace, the furniture won't serve its function to enhance the culture.

Have an Idea as to How You Want Visitors to Feel

A business can't run without having customers. This timeless rule should be reflected in the office space; have a good idea for how you want visitors to feel while being inside the business. Some people win the lottery, but most people find success through things like planning and the implementation of good ideas. The office space should reflect the company as professional, and honest.

Since visitors want to feel engaged, executives should focus on making them feel welcomed in the business. Keeping core values in mind while designing an office space will allow one to press an intentional message to its customers. The message will vary between different industries.

Consider the Different Types of Culture That a Company Can Have

Different industries will have different company cultures that are capable of producing success. A sales-oriented company might not thrive under the same culture as an artistic business. Different business should tailor their culture to create positive employee morale and favorable client impressions. Productive cultures should focus on technology, creative culture should focus on freedom of expression amongst its employees and the work and play culture should redefine traditional lines between home life and family life.

The Productive Culture

A culture aimed at increased productivity should manipulate technology to make the workday more efficient. Employees should be encouraged to take advantage of the benefits that the company can offer to give them a competitive edge against other businesses. Many business can find themselves falling behind in adapting to the changing technological world. 

In the age of cloud integration, smart devices and mobile apps, companies can gain significant boosts to their bottom line by taking advantage of these soft factors. Employees should be trained in the use of cutting-edge technology, and they should have a plethora of smart devices to produce productivity. Since technology continues to adapt at a rapid pace, a company should place technology as a priority and design a physical workplace around it.

The Creative Culture

Not all industries are cut and dry. Some businesses require employees to be able to come up with creative solutions to problems. In these situations, a good use of workspace should enhance creativity and allow employees to think outside of the box.

Space should be provided for employees to brainstorm together while not interfering with other workers who need silence. Windows should be placed to keep the atmosphere from feeling constricted, and nature should be brought in to give the office a natural look. Whiteboard and plenty of space should be provided for marketing directors or campaign designers to collaborate with freedom of expression.

The Work and Play Culture

The newest generation entering the workforce has grown up in a world that is completely foreign to its predecessors. Advancements in technology and the effects it has brought has created a generation that doesn't adhere to the same working principles as their forefathers. Informality has become the new formal, and the lines between work and play have been blurred.

In a company revolutionizing their industry, things like a game room in the workplace can enhance the company's image. Creating content walls for employees to post the latest news and other innovative features can create a workspace that redefines were work starts and fun ends. In the age of iPhones and smart devices, a culture that capitalizes on this trend will earn the admiration of the youngest generation in the workforce. 

Consider What Employees Need Rather Than Want

Finally, it is important to focus on what employees need rather than want in order to be successful. Although employees might want the newest computers or devices, most technology can often be purchased used. Create a budget and do everything that you can in order to stay within that budget. 

A good plan would be to figure out what is needed to create a unique workplace and look for how to achieve it in the cheapest manner possible. Computers running on the fastest processors will make people happy to come to work, but it could also break the bank. Once a plan is set in place, achieve it using good financial sense.

In conclusion, a company's workplace will determine how happy employees will be to come to work. If a business has an environment that is appropriate to its goals and image, employees will find that their jobs will be easier to perform and more enjoyable. A great workplace will be the vehicle that takes the company where it needs to go.

A business focused on productivity, creativity or work and play will have different equipment and layouts. Once a company image is decided upon, gathering employee input will refine it into a tangible and applicable manner. Specific features of an office such as bean bags, water statues and wall art can be acquired to create a look that both employees and visitors will love.

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