Designing an office is not an easy thing. On the one hand, you need it to enhance the efficiency of your staff and, at the same time, you want it to incorporate and encompass all the value that you hold close to heart as an enterprise. A complex task yet a feasible one, as well. With that in mind and without further ado, here are several interesting trends that will help you do just that.

#1. Nap areas

One of the trends that are taking offices all around the globe by storm is the concept of a 20-minute power nap. The way in which this affects modern office spaces is due to the fact that more and more entrepreneurs decide to add a designated nap area to their workplace. In order to achieve this, you need to assign a room with great acoustics, dim the room and ensure that there’s enough furniture to support the needs of your staff.

#2. In-house daycare

One more trend that is amazing for working moms is the concept of in-house daycare. There are numerous benefits that come from this idea, ranging from the fact that they will have no problem staying overtime, all the way to the fact that this is the best possible way for one to spend a break. For a lot of working moms, this can provide a unique chance to improve their life-work balance. What this also means is that the business that offers this feature usually has a lot more talent attraction appeal.

#3. Cubicles are back

The myth of open office being more productive has finally been debunked. Sure, you can still make this kind of layout work, however, it has some significant flaws that are worth taking into consideration. First of all, there’s nothing to muffle the noises that are coming from all around. Second, people have no sense of privacy, which is both stress-inducing and destroys one’s motivation. Lastly, in a cubicle, there’s more choice for customization of the workplace, seeing as how a person in question can decorate it at will, thus using it as their own private office. Amongst other things, this allows one to get a greater sense of ownership when it comes to their business.

#4. Office gym

In the past, the trend of deskercise has drastically grown in popularity, which has made more and more offices consider the benefits of starting a real gym on their premises. You see, exercise helps improve one’s mood, boosts their self-confidence, makes them feel better in their own body and makes them feel, overall, a lot healthier. This latter is a direct productivity boost, seeing as how a person in good shape is less likely to be distracted by back pain. Other than this, it’s also important to mention the fact that better overall health also means fewer sick days.

As far as your gym budget goes, you have so many options to choose from. For instance, a low-cost option would be to purchase enough skip ropes for everyone, in order to provide them with a frugal cardio option and hire a trainer who specializes in calisthenics. On the other hand, if you had something more ambitious in mind, what you could do is make a list of gym equipment you need (it’s best if you were to consult a professional trainer about this) and an agency specializing in commercial gym fitouts. A boost in productivity eventually ensures that this investment results in a positive net change.

#5. Flexible workspace

The next idea involves your use of available space. Traditionally, the cubicle system has a bad reputation due to the fact that it confines people. In other words, there were strict rules about where and how people should work. With a flexible workspace, you can now overcome this difficulty. Sure, you still need to equip the general work area but you needn’t stop there. What you should also do is proceed to equip other areas of your place and optimize them for work.

For instance, some businesses are building roof decks that can act as alternative open office floors. This way you can have your cake and eat it too. Other than this, what you also get is an opportunity to have a part of your office out there in the fresh air. The balcony is another great idea and placing a couple of lazy bags out there can optimize this place for work. Finally, there are some people who prefer to work in the hallway and all they need for this (other than their laptop) is proper seating.

#6. Bring your own device (BYOD)

The concept of BYOD is hardly something revolutionary. Even in the most traditional of workplaces, you probably have something like this already. Keep in mind that a lot of your employees have a work-related app installed on their smartphone and a lot of them are checking company email via their personal phone. The only thing that this does to the concept is that it institutionalized it. This would allow you to establish some ground rules on how these personal devices will be used, mostly for security reasons. All in all, it’s a concept definitely worth exploring.

#7. Work cafeteria

The diet of your employees affects their cognitive abilities, their productivity and even their focus. The only way in which you as an employer can affect it is by starting a workplace cafeteria. It’s proven that healthy fats help improve one’s brain functions, while refined carbohydrates and sugars slow one down.

One of the main reasons why even people who are aware of this often don’t improve their eating habits is due to the fact that eating this way is

A) expensive and

B) impractical.

Getting an hour earlier to make these meals is definitely worth it but a lot of people simply can’t force themselves to do it. With a work cafeteria, this problem can be rectified once and for all.

Of course, implementing new trends isn’t going to solve every single problem in your office. First of all, in order to be productive in it, your employees need to see this office as a safe environment. This is something done with the right mission, vision and ideas, as well as with a capable HR team on your side. When combined with some above-listed methods, this idea has an incredible effect.

Originally posted at RuhaniRabin.com
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