An Attractive Office Makes You More Productive

In case you hadn’t already realised, office design is our passion. We love creating incredible working environments, as we have always believed that being in an attractive workplace makes going to work more enjoyable.

Design Is a Huge Influence

Now we have proof that we are right! The Human Spaces report on the global impact of Biophillic design, which is design inspired by nature, and their findings have revealed that employees who work in environments with natural elements in them are 6% more productive and 15% more creative.

It also reports that the level of well-being of those employees is 15% higher than those who are stuck in offices with no natural elements.

Furthermore, 33% of the 7,600 employees involved in this study agreed that the design of an office would explicitly influence their decision on whether to work in an environment or not. In India, 67% of workers agreed that the design would affect their motivation, followed by Indonesia with 62% and the Philippines with 60%.

Natural Light as a Stress Reliever

With nearly half of the world’s office employees working in offices with no access to natural light, and Canada, Australia and the US all reporting  the highest percentage of offices with no windows, it’s no wonder these countries are also seeing a rise in average levels of stress.

On the contrary, Indonesia reports the highest percentage of employees (93%) with access to a workplace which includes natural light and space, and has some of the lowest levels of unhappiness in office workers.

Working Alone is More Productive?

Working in your own office is something a lot of people dream of, whether it is to avoid distractions or just simply to have their own space. The report has now proved that, of the workers involved, 39% of the employees said that working alone in their own space made them feel more productive. Staggeringly, Germany has reported that 59% of their workers would prefer a more solitary work environment.

However, 36% of workers reported that they would feel most productive at their own desk in an open plan office. Employees from Spain and Austria displayed some of the highest percentages of workers who would prefer these conditions, and this could be indicative of collaborative work being more common in those countries.

Understanding the Influence of Nature

So what does this influence of nature actually bring to the office environment? With more and more office workers being based in urban settings, it’s quite easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of a busy urban environment.

With a vast amount of employees working upwards of 35 hours a week in an office, staring at the same bland room for an extended period of time would be enough to drive anyone mad.

The beauty of nature is that it is ever-changing, and natural office designs can easily be changed and adapted to an office’s needs. With the support of this research, it is hoped that more businesses will take on board the findings that simple sunlight through a window can boost the productivity of their staff, as well as make the staff feel good about themselves while in the workplace.

We are excited to see how these findings begin affecting the output of companies. At Officescape, we are also on hand to help you achieve that “one with nature” feel to your office space, and thereby get that productivity booming! If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to contact us today by calling 01553 811 833!