Many people call their workplace their “second home” because they spend a big part of their time there every day. Since the office is such an important venue, it is prudent to pay attention to its design so that workers can do their best.
There have been long-established ties between office design, employee productivity, engagement, and the firm’s bottom line in various research. More recently, study by the
World Green Building Council found compelling evidence that office design has a substantial effect on the health, efficiency and wellbeing of employees.
Other research ranging from collections of workplace art to natural lighting, and the ergonomics of the furniture have shown that these elements improve efficiency.
Technology giants like Google and Facebook have understood the value of the workplace atmosphere so they have made every effort to renovate the office according to the type of culture they want to promote.
We have gathered the best tips from our interior designers to help you build the most comfortable atmosphere for your workers, so that you know what to look for in an office renovation.
1. Get input from the employees
It’s important to gather input from your employees before you start the renovation and take it into consideration. Research has shown that when workers are given the power to determine when and how they work, they feel happier. Happier workers also translates into higher efficiency. Second, workers know best what kind of office layout suits their needs, be it shared workspaces, conference rooms or recreational areas.
Take for example the IT conglomerate CISCO. Originally, CISCO management thought its workers would require conventional cubicles for work purposes. They discovered, however, that was not valid. Much of the time, although conference rooms were over-subscribed, much staff were away from their offices attending meetings. They redesigned their office into a shared environment to address this problem to pick the best room for the employees to meet their needs. This has also brought substantial cost savings to CISCO.
It is also important to find out your requirements in spatial planning. You need to know your needs, such as the number of meeting rooms and the number of people you are going to do space planning, so the interior designer can.
2. Determining the volume available
The next step is to determine the amount of space and factor available in electrical and water points and any potential challenges you may face in your renovation. The amount of space that you are renovating and your specific requirements will dictate the renovation costs. Contact one of our experienced office renovation & interior design team for a more comprehensive and reliable estimation of the budget that matches your needs.
3. Save the world, save costs
One often-neglected aspect of renovation is how to make efficient use of energy. There is also good reason to do so – if you go “green” you can enjoy cost savings You are doing a good deed at the same time by saving the earth.
In most workplaces the most electricity is used by air conditioning. Open-concept office may be able to reduce energy consumption. When you have employees working in a building, you need an additional in-office air-conditioner. An open-concept workplace, by comparison, ensures that everyone shares a general air conditioning system, which would conserve more electricity.
Another factor that can help you save on energy costs is lighting. You may use LED lights with lower wattage but higher lumen to make the lights shinier.
4. Continuity of business strategy
The time needed will vary depending on the intent of the renovation and this will have an effect on your office operations and employees. You should renovate area by area for small-scale repairs, to avoid affecting business operations.
You may need to consider renting a temporary space or allowing employees to work from home for major renovations which take a significant amount of time. Unfortunately, for most businesses, closing the office may not be feasible, so you might need to think of options such as weekend or holiday upgrades to reduce disruption.
5. Showing your Business Identity
When anyone enters your office the design is the first thing they consider. That aspect is also gaining the attention of companies. More businesses are keen to use interior design to highlight their corporate identity.
To do so, the designers need to consider the brand identity of their customers so that they can incorporate the corporate colours in the interiors or furniture designs with good taste. You’ll need a specific proposal for each exchange, too. Technology firms , for example, need modern designs whereas creative firms need more imaginative designs.
How To Select a Reliable Renovation Contractor?
Selecting the right contractor is key to a smooth renovation. A good renovation contractor would customise the best design to suit your needs, schedule and budget while offering you a finished quality product.
Care not just about getting the contractor with the lowest offer when choosing a contractor. Consider the previous portfolio of related works and prestige of the contractor, too.
Here it has the most detailed renovation website for you to choose from, with an vast amount of price packages. If you need inspiration for renovating your office, please contact us for a free consultation on your upcoming gorgeous interiors and management of the commercial property.