Make Your Office Your Playground

We’ve all felt young at heart and for some of us, that feeling never leaves.

The notion that “age is just a number” really does apply, and according to new research conducted by Florian Kunze of the University of Konstanz in Germany, workers who feel younger than they actually are tend to achieve more personal job goals which benefits the company’s accomplishment overall.

The Research

According to this research, it seems as though offices which promote youthful thinking and feeling meet their goals faster and perform better as company. The study took into account various different work sectors; wholesale, retail, service and finance.

The researchers asked employees to give their real age as well as the age that they felt. They were also asked to provide self-reported performance measurements such as their job goals. They then asked the HR and management departments to provide details of the company; its financial performance and it’s employee retention information.

Workers over the age of 25 were found to feel around 4.4 years younger than they actually were, and those over 50 felt more than 8 years younger. Workers under the age of 25 generally felt older than their age by around a year. As the average subjective age of the company dropped, the work accomplished by the workforce increased. They were able to meet the goals that they had set themselves and performed better if they felt that their work was meaningful or important to them and the company.

Why Does This Work?

The results of the research can’t pinpoint why people who feel younger than they are perform better, but there are a number of possibilities.

The younger generation are motivated by their want to succeed, whereas the older workers feel as though retaining their position in a business is more important. Employees who feel young have the advantage of feeling young and motivated as well as being flexible and willing to learn.

For companies who are working within extremely dynamic industries, this research is vital as keeping your workforce flexible and motivated is important in fast-changing business environments.

Does Office Design Affect Subjective Age?

Here at Officescape, we believe that office interior design plays a role in how your workforce feels when they are in the workplace. With a well designed office that promotes feeling youthful, your workforce will be surrounded by an engaging environment and inspiration to feel like a kid at heart.

We’re not saying install slides in every office (which would be pretty fantastic!), but incorporating design elements and items which make the employee feel as though they are young again will definitely have an impact on the work that they produce.

It is important to note that this research didn’t conclude whether the subjective age of the employees was the cause for the increase in performance. It was the management of the companies that reported the success rather than a neutral party.

The researchers concluded that the results simply imply that “companies should perhaps worry less about the chronological aging of their employees, but rather undertake measures that stimulate their workforce to feel younger than their chronological age, especially, if they are operating in a dynamic external environment.”

If you are looking to spruce up your office design and don’t know where to begin, look no further than Officescape. We are experts in creating attractive office design to your specification, allowing for a completely bespoke design that fits the needs and requirements of your business. Contact our professional office design team today by calling 01553 811 833.