It’s easy to apply a clinical and well-formatted approach when designing and managing an office space for our business, no matter how modest our brand is. But as we tend to spend almost a quarter of our lives at work, it’s not hard to see why some bosses would rather make this experience more enjoyable for their staff.
Making your offices feel like home, or at least a homely place to focus and work, is a good place to start. We of course start by making sure the restroom and kitchen facilities are thoroughly cleaned, especially the latter where the staff may be responsible for cleaning out the appliances (such as the microwave!)
However, offices require a different approach to that you may find appropriate for your front room. Instead, making your offices feel like home means making sure provisions are accounted for, that the space is social, and that every staff member remains welcome there no matter what.
In this post, we’ll discuss how to achieve all of that and more:
Storage Areas For Staff
Staff need somewhere to store their goods, and while keeping a rucksack under their feet when at their desk might represent how many of us functioned while at school, giving staff a place to store their goods, like a worthwhile locker, is a good investment. You may also ensure that with electronic parcel lockers, staff can handily and privately accept mail at work too, giving them more of a professional utility to themselves rather than anything else.
Kitchen Appliances & Space To Enjoy Lunch
Kitchen appliances like a well-installed microwave (or a number of them), a clean and sizeable staff refrigerator (or multiple of them), and a calm, clean, spacious place to enjoy their lunch are all essential provisions. Staff should have the time to retire to a comfortable place away from the desk if they need it. In some cases, you may work out a discount deal with local cafes or delis if your staff patronize them each day (that is, spends money within the business as opposed to talking down to them of course). Companies that make the lunch hour refreshing and enjoyable tend to enjoy a happier workforce. You may even provide free coffee or tea and pastries on Friday.
Comfortable Designs & Personal Space
How you design the office will be for function first, and form second. But you’ll also find that personal space is essential to get right, and that the comfort and ability to think in an office comes from how the desks are aligned, and how much terminal space each staff has. Sometimes, this may mean keeping less staff in each room. It might mean arranging the desks in a line shape rather than around the room and several Z shape formations within it. You’d be stunned at how much easier it is to work when you’re not on top of someone, and they’re not on top of you trying to do the same thing.
With this advice, you’re sure to make your offices feel like home.