4 Common Office Design Mistakes to Avoid Office design plays an important role in employee productivity and a brand's image.
By Ceren Cubukcu •
This story originally appeared on Personal Branding Blog
Most business owners don't invest enough time or money into their office's design. However, office design plays an important role in employee productivity in addition to a brand's image. A badly designed office can create a negative atmosphere killing creativity, collaboration and employee morale. It can also affect a brand's image in the eyes of clients. Watch out for these four mistakes when redesigning your office.
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1. Poor lighting
The best lighting is, of course, natural lighting, which is lighting by the sun. However, if it is not possible for your office to use natural lighting, then try to use soft lighting. Don't go for bright LED lighting because too much brightness can cause headaches and anxiety. Try to use yellow or orange lighting in your office. Don't forget that lighting affects productivity. Therefore, never go for cheap lighting and never rely on just one type of lighting. Do your best to make your office look elegant, soft and warm.
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2. Poor storage
Having poor storage areas in the office is very risky because you may lose important documents or have to throw away some documents that you could need in the future in case of an audit. Also, you don't want your important documents to get mixed up with unimportant ones. Thus, the best solution is to have a separate room for storage with different kinds of closets.
3. Poor acoustics
Especially for open offices, paying attention to acoustics is very important because no one can be productive in a noisy office. Therefore, it is important to use acoustic materials in walls to reduce noise levels. However, making it too quiet is also not recommended for an office because it won't be very comfortable for employees. The noise level should be somewhere in the middle in order for employees to feel comfortable and productive.
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4. Poor reception area
This is where visitors get a first impression of your office. If you care about your business, then care about the reception area and make it welcoming and professional. Also, make sure it is spacious and in your visitor's immediate vision so they don't need to look for the entrance of your office. Never use this area as storage where employees put their unwanted reports or files.
