When people are invited to an office for the first time – particularly potential new employees – how an office is decorated and fitted out can communicate a message about the type of company as well as the type of people who work there. 

Did you know that a major cause of employee’s inefficiency is poorly designed spaces that do not help workers to get their jobs done? That’s why it’s important to have an appropriate office design that not only boosts the morale of current employees but also encourages new talents to want to work there.

A well-designed office can help businesses to communicate brand ethos and identity, demonstrate professionalism and reflect the values of the company.

So, with that being said, how can it be ensured that the office space makes that ever-important good first impression?

Read on to find out more!

Arc in scene

Reflect on company branding for your office design

When wanting to present a consistent message about a business, then it’s important that what is in the building is aligned with what is intended to project to customers to avoid any mixed messages.

For example, if customer service is the emphasis of the brand, comfortable chairs for visitors and refreshments are a key part to supporting the brand message. Likewise, if the brand communicates virtues of freedom but employees are shut into tiny cubicles to work and there is no flexibility within the office space, then that would also be considered a confusing clash.

The aim of any business is for potential clients to walk through the door of the office and think ‘I want to be part of this’. So, it’s crucial that the entrance is welcoming and sets the scene for what’s to come and what to expect from the business. We suggest using the company’s brand colours within the workspace or even displaying the logo on the wall to help further implement the branding into the office design.

Bouli scene

Create a visually stimulating office design

If the entrance to the office is aesthetically pleasing, it will set the tone and improve moods instantly. This can be done by placing plants and creative artwork to draw attention and help to make visitors and employees feel at ease. For example, in the image above the Bouli soft seating has an intriguing shape and makes for a visually stimulating feature for breakout spaces.

As we know, there are many benefits to implementing biophilia around the workplace, including that it improves air quality and natural light, as well as helps to relieve stress and improve mental wellbeing. Therefore, plants are highly recommended to create an attractive workspace that will attract and retain talent.

We suggest placing our Zorla mobile floor screen as not only does it feature sound absorbing effects, but also the top wooden box can be filled with natural or fake plants to make a decorative piece of furniture that employees and visitors will love.

As for artwork, the stunning Dezibel Print can be used to visually enhance an office design with uplifting imagery. Adding colour to the room is renowned for helping improve moods, especially in the corporate world where most furniture tends to be neutral. So, it’s important to not shy away from adding a dash of colour to help liven up the space.

Better yet, we have our new Renwick, an acoustic wall panel available in a variety of different colours and styles to help the office interior pop.

Use ergonomic and efficient office furniture within your office design

The office furniture used in a workspace is crucial when trying to make the place feel warm and inviting. Seating is most susceptible to wear and tear, so durable and ergonomic furniture made from high quality materials needs to be chosen to ensure longevity.  To make sure the right fabric is chosen, we recommend the Martindale abrasion rub test. The Martindale Test is a measurement of the durability of the fabric according to the number of times discs can oscillate sandpaper or wood across the fabric before it shows distress.

For office furniture to be considered ‘ergonomic’, it must be designed to be comfortable, adapt to the shape of the user’s body, and correct their posture. For example, our Webb 2.0 task chair has an excellent ergonomic design that is both supportive and comfortable with a seat slide, a curved 6-position lockable backrest and 3D armrests.

Similarly, our Stirling office chair is specially created from sensitive foam so that the seat moulds to every individual, providing that incomparable user comfort an ergonomic chair is expected to provide.

To pair with ergonomic chairs, height-adjustable desks such as our Wolfe or Flexure can also improve the efficiency and flexibility of a workspace as it allows the user to choose whether to work sitting or standing. Height-adjustable desks have several health benefits such as influencing employees to stretch their legs more at regular intervals to avoid a sedentary lifestyle, so they are a sought for feature.

flexure-desk

Consider sound absorption for your office design

The open plan office was designed to make collaboration easier. However, the lack of walls and barriers in these spaces tends to expose workers to an elevated level of noise that can leave them feeling distracted and stressed. In one study, 99% of workers reported that their concentration was impaired by office noise, especially by telephones left ringing or by colleagues talking in the background.

Research has shown that people who are highly dissatisfied with their work environment are also highly disengaged at work. The cost of this disengagement in the UK is said to be an estimated £52-70 billion!

While it’s true that your organisation might have little control over the architecture of the building, acoustics can be improved by investing in office furniture that reduces noise.

Wall panels and ceiling panels can be added to spaces to help absorb sound and reduce reverberation; they can make for a great visual feature too. We recommend using our Dezibel Wall in combination with one of our dividers such as the Focus Floor that can be used to improve acoustics within the room and can be easily moved around to create a new configuration in a flexible office. Did you know that Haiken can calculate the right amount of sound absorption needed for your office space? Contact us today to find out more.

Alternatively, to improve the collaboration within an open-plan office space, our Scott Meeting Pod can be placed, so that 2-4 people can gather and discuss ideas whilst being surrounded by optimum sound absorption.

Scott Meeting Pod

Make a good first impression with Haiken

Using our office furniture design expertise, at Haiken we are committed to ensuring you can make that great first impression as soon as employees or visitors enter through the door. For further help and advice on office design, feel free to contact our friendly office furniture experts today.