What Makes A Good Office Design Great?

Planning an impactful office redesign project requires a good understanding of your business’s priorities, your employee's needs, and the key elements of good office design. From the reception area to the private meeting rooms and every space in between, a truly great office will inspire, engage, and motivate employees with every step that they take, so what makes your office so special, and how can you make it even better?  

Collaborative Spaces 

Good: Good office design accommodates employee needs and adapts to meet them, no matter what project they are working on or how many colleagues they are collaborating with. Coworking spaces bring team members together in meeting rooms, breakout spaces, and relaxed zones that make it easier to work together, brainstorm ideas, and finalise projects in person, rather than over email or huddled around cramped desks.

Great: Not all employees work the same way and what suits most may not suit all. A workplace should reflect this and accommodate the working needs of all employees with coworking and solo spaces that allow employees to work in whichever way suits them. Whether they spend several days focusing on a project in a sound-controlled cubicle, or a few hours in a meeting room with their team, a great office works for the benefit of all.

Remote Working Capabilities

Good: Remote working allows employees to work from home or at a location of their choice whilst still actively engaging with their colleagues, projects, and company mission. Virtual workplaces, high-speed connectivity, and video conferencing setups all allow remote workers to participate in daily office life and remain core members of the team without requiring them to return to the office.

Great: Hybrid working has risen during the post-pandemic years and hybrid-friendly workplaces give employees the option to work from home or in the office. The key to supporting hybrid employees is to maintain the levels of privacy and focus that employees have in a home office by providing them with quiet zones for individual work, whilst also giving them spaces to connect with their colleagues and enjoy their in-person connections, as and when they choose to.

Layout

Good: Most workplaces separate employees across private offices rather than bringing them together, but open layout offices are surging in popularity, and with good reason. These layouts remove the physical barriers across an office and allow employees to feel part of an interconnected network of colleagues in a workplace that fosters discussions and encourages spontaneous collaborations.

Great: Open layouts are a popular design choice but the best offices combine this approach with carefully-placed structures and quiet zones that prevent excess noise from spreading across the building and impacting employee concentration. Just as employees need to engage with their colleagues and leadership team in person, they also need to focus on their work in a quiet space that offers privacy, prevents distractions, and provides space to recharge after a whole team meeting.

Branding and Decor

Good: Instilling a sense of pride and belonging in employees isn’t just achieved through posters or emails; it is reinforced everyday through the use of company colours and branding throughout the building. A good office design surrounds employees with design features that reflect the good work and past achievements of the company, and motivates them to contribute to its continued success.

Great: Whilst incorporating business branding into the layout of a workplace motivates employees, there is a time and place for it; just as there is a time and place for calming colour schemes that reduce stress and support employee wellbeing. This is particularly true for businesses whose branding includes bright blocks of colour or large-scale graphics as these impactful zones should be combined with separate areas that use minimalist colours to calm the mind and facilitate focus.

Lighting

Good: When it comes to providing plenty of light that helps employees to focus, but not too much that it becomes distracting, the right lighting fixtures make all the difference. Overhead lighting that is distributed evenly throughout the space illuminates the entire office, whilst additional lighting helps to guide employees through the workplace and highlights key areas such as desks, bathrooms, breakrooms, and fire exits.

Great: The best workspaces balance natural light with artificial lighting and incorporate fixtures that maximise sunlight throughout the space. Glaring bulbs and harsh LED lighting can quickly create an overstimulating environment and cause screen glare, particularly during sunny days, whereas ambient lighting solutions provide a consistent level of soft lighting that mimics natural daylight and pairs well with smaller desk lamps for improved concentration.

Designing A Great Office With Universal Contracting

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