Crafting Your Way to Tomorrow’s Office

One of the challenges we may encounter when setting our ship towards corporative success is to create a space that is apt for inspiring your staff to give their best without needing your constant “boss attitude”: a place in which they feel cherished, where their goals match the brand’s, and where the overall work ambience is as comfortable as one can imagine it to be. How can that idea become a reality? Let’s cover some basic points.

Location, location and location

That mantra used by most Real Estate Agents happen to be the crucial factor for a company to be successful. Why? Think about this: you want to work at a place where you can concentrate, where you feel inspired to put time, efforts and money in making your ideas something palpable. Well, the same thing happens with your crew, and believe me when I say no one desires to be working right next to a football pitch, a discotheque, or even an elementary school.

The noise factor, which at first you might even overrule, ends up becoming tiring and energy demanding. If you snap out what you been doing every five minutes because there is a crowd cheering outside, there is a fight or a children’s play right in front of your office building; then you are losing precious time that could translate into exciting new projects.

Another point to consider about a location is directly related to the kind of business you are managing. If your company strictly depends on doing deals with the public, then you need to find a place as centric as possible, while at the same time being spacious enough to attend your customers without having to ask your employees to move away from the area.

Ensuring security

Linked to the topic, we have been talking before; security is another key factor to consider. Not just because you would happen to place your office at a bad-rep neighbourhood, but also to give your working crew enough awareness that nothing would go unnoticed: they can simply come with laptops, smartphones, etc. without needing to worry about a stranger stealing it.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

Security also works in a second mode, and that’s by protecting you and your crew from hackers. Everyday appliances like televisions, tablets, laptops, and smart home devices are constantly logged to the internet, where undesired access can happen and put your teamwork at risk of a data leak, extortions, cyber kidnappings and much more. As a first countermeasure, invest money in setting up a VPN for your office, alongside with a secure firewall. Teaching your crew how to protect themselves while surfing the net is also essential, and a much rewarding experience as knowledge is often passed on to new employees.

We can analyse all the factors to consider on this behalf at this infographic courtesy of ForRent.com

The Advantages of Natural Illumination

Experts say people who work under natural light conditions not only perform better but also happen to improve their lifestyle in aspects such as gaining sleep time. The reason behind such studies is directly linked to the role of Daylight on Circadian Rhythms, which is the way our body responds in a 24-hour span to light and darkness.

The influence of artificial lighting, especially for those who happen to be night shifters, has a direct impact on our overall health, leading to conditions like obesity, depression, bipolar disorder, diabetes and anxiety attacks. When looking for your next HQs, please take into consideration how natural lighting is entering the ambience you plan to make your future offices: not only your employees will thank you, but also you are doing a favour to yourself.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

We can take the example of Dublin, the Irish capital in which large corporations are putting their capital and trust after the EU referendum vote when needing to switch locations from, now unpractical, London. Data shows that this relocation-mania held mostly by US corporations currently based in the UK is going to lead to the creation of up to 12 million square feet of constructed office area, where every single aspect of high-tech comfort is considered as an essential element for top-level working performance; but most certainly natural comfort is along the many leading actors that take active part in their green building policy for tomorrow’s architecture.

Bring Entertainment to the Equation

It is no surprise to see at some of the HQs of leading startups areas dedicated to entertainment like ping-pong tables, shelves filled with books and comfortable furniture, tables to sit and chat with co-workers or clients while drinking a cup of hot coffee, etc. All this comes from a new conception on how workers should be treated to maximise their engagement with the brand, and truth is people will do a better job if they feel like they are at home rather than having a pushy boss constantly reminding them what to do.

Create a space for your crew where they can unplug from the stressful work situations without even needing to leave the area: it shows people you actually care about their well-being and speaks lengths of your performance as a leader.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

By taking all these elements into consideration, you are surely walking the road to a more efficient organisation. Some of the changes stated above doesn’t even require much investment on your behalf but a mentality switch on what you used to consider it was essential to boost productivity.