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4 ways your office design could be negatively affecting employee health and wellbeing

Have you considered that your office design and layout could be making your employees sick?

Happy and healthy employees are motivated and productive employees, so it’s in your business’ best interest to look after its staff.

Here are four ways that your office design could be having a negative effect on employee health.

Ergonomics– Employees spend most of their working week sat at their desks, so it’s essential that they feel comfortable there. Ergonomics is the science of creating a comfortable and healthy workstation. Failing to consider ergonomics when designing desks and workspaces can result in demotivated and unhappy employees suffering from aches, pains, and fatigue.

Lack of ventilation– Did you know that indoor air can be up to 50% more polluted than outdoor air? Not providing adequate ventilation in the workplace can result in a build-up of pollutants and allergens and provide the right conditions for mould to grow. Poor air quality can worsen existing health conditions like asthma, allergies, and strokes. Working in stuffy, unventilated spaces also causes fatigue, which can have a negative effect on employee concentration and productivity.

Lack of natural light– Getting plenty of natural light is important to our circadian rhythm, which plays a vital part in getting a good night’s rest. The amount of natural light you get in a day can also affect your mood, with low levels of natural light causing us to feel fatigued and low. Maximise natural light in your office for a happier, healthier, and more productive workforce. If you work in a windowless office, it is more important than ever to ensure that your artificial lights are the right brightness. It may also be worth investing in lighting with bulbs that mimic natural daylight.

Stress– Is your office layout causing your employees stress? Open plan offices have both their advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantage is excessive noise, which can cause employees to become distracted and stressed out. Ensure that your office design is suitable for the type of people you employ and the work they are carrying out. If you do have an open plan office, make sure that there are spaces that employees can retreat to if they need some quiet time to concentrate on a task.

For help designing an office environment that not only looks great, but fosters healthy, happy, and productive employees too, give our team here at Millennium Interiors a call on 01942 603 344.

Why natural light should be a key office design consideration

July 20, 2019 / admin / 0 Comments

Design your workplace for happy, healthy and productive employees by simply maximising natural light in your office.

Forget office slides, treadmills and artificial grass, the one simple thing your employees can’t do without at work is natural light.

Natural light and employee health and wellbeing

Natural light is important for our health and wellbeing. When deprived of it for long periods, many people will suffer from disrupted sleep, low moods and fatigue.

Getting enough natural light during the day is important for regulating our circadian rhythm, which impacts our sleep patterns. One studyeven found that people exposed to plenty of natural light at work slept on average 46 minutes longer than those who worked in windowless offices.

Natural light helps to improve sleep and lower stress levels to create a rested and happy workforce.

Natural light and productivity

As well as benefiting employees, business owners also reap the rewards of an office flooded with natural light.

A recent studyfound that employees exposed to plenty of natural light at work are up to 20% more productive than those deprived of it, so natural light will benefit your bottom line too.

Office design and natural light

Use these tips to maximise the natural light in your office or speak to an experienced office design company like our team here at Millennium Storage and Interiors.

Arrange furniture with natural light in mind– Take the location of windows into consideration when arranging office furniture. Avoid obstructing windows or putting desks behind furniture, instead, ensure all desks are positioned to receive maximum natural light.

Use glass partitioning – If your office currently uses solid office partitions, consider switching to contemporary glass partitions to allow natural light to flow freely through the space.

Window size– If your windows are very small or old, it is worth considering updating your office windows, the more windows the better.

For help and advice designing your office for more natural light,get in touch with our team of experts here at Millennium Storage and Interiors by giving us a call on 01942 603 344.

Office design ideas for creating a sense of community

July 8, 2019 / admin / 0 Comments

Creating a sense of community within the workplace can help to foster a happy, engaged and motivated workforce.

Whilst teambuilding exercises and work social events bring employees together briefly, an office design that creates a sense of community is a far more permanent solution.

Feeling connected and engaged at work can result in happier and more motivated employees.

A buzzing office atmosphere and inspired workforce can also help your business to attract and retain top talent.

Depending on the nature of the work your business carries out, the size of the business, and your employees’ requirements, you may benefit from incorporating all or some of these office design ideas conducive to an engaged workforce.

Open plan– Open plan offices have long been hailed as the solution to help create a more connected workforce. Taking away the walls can help to modernise an office’s appearance and encourage employees to get to know each other and share ideas and knowledge.

Glass partitioning– If the work your employees carry out requires a quieter and more focussed atmosphere, then glass partitioning can provide individuals with their own quiet workspace without shutting them off from the rest of the office.

Break-out areas– Incorporate casual social stations into your office design to allow small groups to comfortably gather for quick discussions and brainstorming sessions.

Collaborative spaces– Create comfortable and practical rooms designed for private group meetings and collaborative work. These collaborative spaces should be kitted out with everything teams may require for a productive and efficient meeting, including whiteboards, computer monitors, and phones for conference calling.

Remember that whilst having open and collaborative spaces is great, there may be times when it is equally as important for employees to have their own quiet space to help them concentrate.

Many businesses find that a hybrid office design featuring both private and collaborative workspaces is effective at promoting both community and productivity.

For help and advice choosing the right office design for your business, get in touch with our team of experts here at Millennium Storage and Interiors by giving us a call on 01942 603 344.

Open plan or office partitioning: which is better?

June 20, 2019 / admin / 0 Comments

Your office design and layout can have a big effect on employee wellbeing, productivity and efficiency.

Office design plays a large part in your business’ culture and success, so it’s worth taking the time to weigh up the pros and cons of the design options available before you decide which is best suited to your team and space.

Open plan offices

Open plan offices tend to be light and airy as there are no walls or cubicles between workspaces, which many people find motivating and energising.

Open plan offices encourage communication, which is great for collaborative work and getting to know each other.

On the downside, employee productivity can decrease in open plan environments for a couple of reasons. Some employees may find open plan environments distracting and stressful, and a lot of time may be wasted on conversations that are not work-related.

Partitioned offices

Partitioned offices give everyone their own individual workspace away from distraction. Office partitioningpromotes a quiet and relaxing environment that is good for concentration and increases employee productivity.

Whilst some employees thrive in partitioned offices, other individuals may find the lack of social interaction demotivating.

Many businesses find that glass office partitioning is an excellent compromise, as it allows employees to have their own private workspace whilst still letting plenty of light flow freely through the office. Glass partitioning can also feel less claustrophobic, particularly in a small office space.

The type of office design that is suitable for your business will depend on the work being carried out, the amount of collaborative work required, and the personalities that you employ.

Some businesses find that the best way forward is to employ a mixture of both partitioned areas and more open plan break out areas to give employees the best of both worlds.

For help and advice choosing the right office designfor your business, get in touch with our team of experts here at Millennium Storage and Interiors by giving us a call on 01942 603 344.

Affordable ideas for modernising an outdated office

May 7, 2019 / admin / 0 Comments

If your office has become drab and you can’t afford a full refurb, use the ideas in this blog to transform it back into a motivating space.

Your office should be a pleasant and relaxing space that inspires creativity and motivates employees. A rundown or drab office could be having more of a negative impact on morale and staff performance than you realise.

If you’re not ready to invest in a full refurb, implementing just a few of these ideas can help to bring your office back to life.

Add art and plants– Ditch the tired, old, cheesy corporate posters and invest in some bold artwork for your walls. Choose art that is personal to your business or that reflects the atmosphere you’re trying to create. Art doesn’t have to be expensive; you can pick up some great prints at affordable prices on Etsy. If you’ve got a creative team of employees, you could even make your own art as a team building exercise!

Office partitioning– Office partitioningcomes in all different shapes and sizes and is an excellent solution for revamping your office’s layout and design affordably and with minimal disruption. Glass office partitioning is particularly popular as it doesn’t block any light and has an attractive, contemporary appearance.

Add a pop of colour– Adding a few splashes of colour to a characterless office can make the world of difference to its appearance. Add a colourful rug, paint a feature wall, update the blinds on your windows, or invest in some new colourful office furniture to create a more exciting, vibrant and motivating work space.

Be creative with storage– A tidy and organised office can help employees to work more efficiently, feel more relaxed, and be more productive. Invest in some modern storage units and clear the clutter to make your office cleaner, tidier and more attractive.

Light– Natural light keeps us feeling happy, healthy and motivated. Try rearranging the furniture in your office to let more light in. If you are using solid partitioning walls, updating to glass partitions can make a dramatic difference to the light and atmosphere in your office.

5 Modern Office Fads They Thought Would Never Catch On

December 20, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

Back in the old days the office was somewhere most people wanted to escape from. Nowadays some employees probably find work more comfortable than home particularly with the proliferation of office entertainment and other fads. Here are some of the biggest fads they thought would never catch on…

Treadmill desks
Apparently if you sit down for the best part of 8 hours a day you are putting yourself at risk of all kinds of illnesses. The solution to this is the treadmill desk. This allows workers to get up and walk while they work so they can be on a physical as well as mental treadmill.

The office slide
Many people laughed when they saw Google’s office slide. They’re not laughing now that other big tech companies have fitted them in their office playgrounds.

Table tennis
Table tennis pool tables and other areas to play games have become common place in trendy offices around the country. What better way to unwind after a hard day staring at the computer screen?

Hot desks
These are temporary desks used by staff who like to do their work on the fly. Dated back to some time in the 1990s you still see them in offices today, although habits are changing due to the increased mobility modern technology provides.

The sleep pod
Apparently we should all be having two naps a day to perform at our optimum level. The solution to this is the office sleep pod. More likely to be found in trendy techie type companies, the pods help keeps everyone fresh so they can continue changing the world.