Creating Office Spaces That Motivate Your Team

It’s 2023 and teams are slowly filtering back into society after nearly three years of working remotely from the comfort of their own homes. And while many businesses are still supportive of their teams working remotely, the endemic has sparked the reopening of offices worldwide – raising the question: what can brands do to make their offices more enjoyable to be in?

There are a number of things to consider if you’re in the midst of revamping your company’s office space, but the thing that jumps to the top of our list is:

And fast!

Your team has spent the last two years working from their kitchen tables, their beds, their couches, and even from the floors of their homes next to their cats! After getting used to being able to change their workstations (often) throughout the day, a key thing to remember when redoing your offices is creating different areas that your team can utilise for quiet time, relaxation, creative inspiration, and even meetings with clients or colleagues. These spaces can look like small nooks perfect for productive quiet time, bed pods for a quick recharge, or comfy lounges for casual, impromptu meetings with the team.

Some companies have also veered completely away from offices and cubicles in exchange for hot desk plans that don’t assign specific seats and allow for a change in scenery every day! A modern office design that promotes inclusivity instead of isolation is a great way for getting your team to interact more closely with one another and removes that feeling of being cut off from their colleagues or being boxed in.

Aside from allowing your team members to work in a space of their choosing around the office, you can also incorporate natural elements around the office to revitalise your employees. Something that seems extremely obvious, yet is afforded to a frighteningly low number of office workers, are well-lit spaces that usher in an abundance of natural light as opposed to bright artificial lighting.

And as it turns out, the lack of sunlight does more to affect your team than you’d think. According to a study by Dr Alan Hedge at Cornell University, workers in offices with more natural lighting reported a 51% drop in eyestrain and a 63% drop in headaches with approximately 84% of respondents saying that being able to see the sun significantly increased their happiness and 65% claiming it aided in improved productivity.

When you think of a conventional office, you might picture plain white walls, drab carpeting, and an overall sense of dread that comes with entering uninviting, monochromatic spaces. But there are a ton of ways you can incorporate elements like your brand colours, industry-specific materials, or even the energy from your team into a space to inspire them to think of solutions and ideas that jump way out of the box.

At Nanas Design, we try to pull inspiration from your industry and your team to create modern designs that elegantly define your office as a place where great minds meet. One of the key things we stand by is that adding colour doesn’t need to be garish or in your face, but rather, it should subtly showcase creativity and your brand identity.

Large pieces of art can also be used to catch the eye and spice up lounges or smaller meeting rooms. Artwork is a simple way to take your office decor to the next level without going too wild — it can make your space look a lot more interesting, thoughtful, and creative with just a few select pieces.

This can also be a beautiful way to represent the heart and soul of your company.

And lastly, but most importantly, you need to remember we’re living in a

While many companies think about the installation of power sockets, speakers, or even security systems as the last leg of your office renovation, it’s key to remember that wiring is better hidden!
In an era where everyone has a phone, laptop, and maybe even a desktop monitor that needs to be connected to a power source, a crucial part of your office design has to factor in keeping that mess of cables as tucked away as possible. A good rule of thumb is that if you’re looking at a messy environment, chances are your mind can get a little messy too! To avoid that, talk to your interior designer about the wants and needs of the team on a day-to-day basis to come up with solutions like desks with built-in power sockets, Bluetooth speakers that can be easily accessed, or even installing smart TVs that can take the hassle out of multiple HDMI cables in your meeting rooms.

There are endless possibilities for how you can zhush up your working areas to become spaces that your team actively loves working in and that they can draw inspiration from, and we’d love to help you define them.