With the new year comes new resolutions both personally and professionally. Did you resolve to be more productive?

When it comes to productivity at the office in 2020, use the start of a new decade to make some serious changes for the better.

From your office environment to how you set your goals, you can boost office productivity just by making a few small changes.

If your office needs a little shakeup this year, consider these tips for ways to boost office productivity and make 2020 your company’s best year yet.

1. Set Goals That Are Attainable

With the new year, set some new goals for your company or team. Goals are one of the ways to boost productivity because they give your team a shared purpose and something to strive for.

Keep your goals attainable and you’ll have a much better success rate. Goals that aren’t achievable can hurt your office morale and decrease productivity.

Forbes gives some questions to ask yourself to help you set new 2020 goals.

2. Clearly Define Roles and Tasks

If everyone in your office is running in circles without a clear direction, use 2020 as a time to clearly define everyone’s roles and tasks.

Take a few minutes to go over goals, roles, and job responsibilities at the beginning of the year. This will help everyone stay on track and focused.

3. Optimize Your Work Space

If your workspace isn’t conducive to a modern work environment this can really hurt productivity. One of the best ways to boost office productivity is by re-working your office space.

New furniture, a new layout, and even small changes to your space can do wonders to increase communication and collaboration.

4. Make Feedback a Priority

In any successful office, people should feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback, Feedback is crucial to being the best we can be.

In the new year, create a welcoming space for feedback and you’ll see a big change in how your office communicates.

5. Encourage Collaboration

Teams need to collaborate in order to be successful. Make sure your office culture, as well as your office environment, invites open communication and collaboration among teammates and colleagues.

6. Maximize Meetings

Meetings often get a bad rap for being time sucks. Keep meeting productive, timely, and on track.

Use meetings as a time to collaborate and make the most out of them to keep them productive.

7. Think Outside the Office

To help boost productivity, make sure your technology in and out of the office encourages collaboration and work sharing.

8. Let Loose

Sometimes, in order to be more productive, you just need to let loose. In 2020, host events, happy hours, or off-site meetings to shake things up.

9. Encourage Wellness

Healthy employees are happier and more productive. Offer incentives for making health a priority or create spaces within your office to help promote wellness.

Teach employees how to be healthier too by bringing in a coach to help employees learn how to eat more plant-based meals.

10. Treat Yourself

Every once in a while if your office is in a rut, treat yourselves. Order in lunch, bring in breakfast, or just upgrade your coffee for a nice little pick me up.

11. Track Your Performance

At the end of the year or each quarter, check-in and see how you’re performing. Regular check-ins will help keep everyone on the same page.

Boost Office Productivity for a Better 2020

Make 2020 your most successful year yet. From setting goals to encouraging collaboration and wellness, making a few small changes this year can really boost office productivity. Even small changes to your office environment can do wonders for your team’s productivity.

If you are ready to make some great changes to your office space, fill out this contact form to work with a professional to help get your office off to a great start in the new decade.

Did you know that only 11% of people are satisfied with their work environment? Most people spend 40 hours or more at the office and a dull and depressing environment can have damaging effects on their mood, productivity, and even their health.

On the other hand, a fun and exciting work environment can have the opposite effect, while benefiting you as the owner, as it can lead to an increase in productivity.

But how do you create the perfect atmosphere for yourself and your employees? What are some of the most popular office design trends in 2019? If you’re asking yourself these kinds of questions, wonder no longer, because we’re here to help!

In this article, we’ll be discussing a few of the most popular office design ideas that are out there. Read on!

Free-Range Spaces

Free-range spaces is a design trend that picked up steam over the past few years and doesn’t show any signs of losing popularity. Free-range spaces are open office layouts that encourage in-person interaction among employees. So instead of communicating via phone calls or e-mails, your team would work side-by-side to complete tasks.

This cooperative approach can increase camaraderie among your team, employee happiness levels, even overall production.

Experience-Driven Rooms

The office is no longer just a place to work on spreadsheets and have meetings. More businesses are starting to offer employees non-work related experiences via experience-driven rooms.

Obviously, you can’t set up a 50-foot rock wall, or even just a small gym, if you don’t have space for it. But a simple break room that has a couch and some games, or free drinks and snacks, could be just enough to help your employees briefly escape the daily grind.

Old Meets New

For years now offices have implemented old and rustic design elements, as well as new and sleek design elements, but never together. Recently that approach has changed. Designers are now starting to incorporate items from both worlds to create a whole new atmosphere.

For instance, maybe your office has exposed metal beams throughout. You can mix in an old, restored wooden desk into the equation and create a whole new style.

This is a great way to utilize old office furniture, which is often cheap to find and easy to restore.

Slim and Sleek

The simple, minimalist approach to office decor has been around for years now. Taking the slim and sleek approach always works and creates a fun and futuristic vibe that your employees are sure to love.

A benefit of going this route is that it opens up a lot of space, which in itself can help create a more relaxed and comforting vibe at the office.

Go Green

Incorporating a lot of plants into your office decor is a trend that is never going to go away. The health benefits to having plants in the office are plentiful, and they look nice, too, which is an added bonus.

If possible, natural light is another great design tool that can really help turn a workspace into something special. So if you have windows, don’t cover them up and don’t be afraid to open them (or even doors) on a nice day.

Office Design Ideas: What’s Next?

Now that you’re up to date on the latest office design trends of 2019, you’re all set!

The desired outcome is to create a workspace that both you and your employees enjoy being in, creating an environment in which everyone can thrive together.

Still not sure what to do with your workspace? Or maybe you have an idea, but you’re looking for some new or used furniture? Contact us today, we’ll be glad to assist you!

Sitting for ages in a waiting room can help or hinder your impending appointment. If it’s something you are dreading, like a dentist or doctor, comfort is key. Anxiety can be running on high during that wait.

The waiting room design matters. Harsh lighting and hard chairs do not help put a guest at ease. Here are a few ways to really give your waiting room a boost.

Waiting Room Design Made Better

You provide a service and you want to provide the best service you can. That needs to start when your guests enter the office space, not your office.

1. Comfy Furniture

Sitting on a hard plastic chair is brutal. It’s difficult for ten minutes, double that and the results are ‘ouch’. Get softer chairs, seats or couches. Armrests, leg room, and a nice soft backrest take the pain out of waiting.

2. Visual Appeal

This includes soft or natural lighting. Pick a soft, calming color or combination of colors that will be soothing for guests. Hang art that is local, either bought or on display for a limited time.

Plants make a big difference. If you don’t have great light, use artificial plants, trees and add fresh cut flowers. Even paintings of nature will be calming. Photographs of your travels, your patients or the community are also nice.

3. Spacing

Keep seats away from the entrance and offices. You don’t want people getting jostled or knocked about. They also don’t need to be exposed to a cold blast of air every time the door opens.

Try to keep space between seating, if possible. If people are sick or blaring their phones, people need to get away. it’s uncomfortable to have people stacked up on top of each other, so try grouping seating so everyone isn’t facing each other.

4. Refreshments

No one expects you to set up a wet bar or ‘make your own omelet’, but providing water and coffee or tea is an inexpensive way to show you care. This can be done with a service or an urn you make yourself.

You could have a vending machine, with drinks and healthy snacks.

5. Activities

While the well-thumbed magazines are okay, you need activities for kids. Games, puzzles, and books work well. Try to avoid the noisier types of toys.

The parents want entertaining, as well. Have a few TVs mounted on the walls, provide channels suitable for kids and offer free wifi. A selection of reading material other than movie star mags is nice.

Another Ten Minutes

An uncomfortable waiting room is an uncomfortable guest. In many cases, they spend just as much, if not more time waiting. People get antsy when they are uncomfortable or don’t know where to look.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money on waiting room design, but you don’t want the bare bones, either. Making your guests comfortable both physically and mentally is very important.

A happy guest will keep coming back. If you need some ideas or more information, please continue reading here.

Injuries caused by offices not optimized for ergonomics cost businesses $15-20 billion each year in worker’s compensation expenses. These kinds of injuries also lead to more time off from work than other workplace injuries.

If you want to avoid the costs and lost productivity associated with injuries caused by poor ergonomics, you’ll need to make sure you’ve provided your workers with a proper ergonomic office. Not sure how to do that? Don’t worry, we’re here to help.

Secrets of an Ergonomic Office

Here are 5 ways to make sure you have an ergonomically correct office.

1. Proper Chairs

For employees spending many hours at a desk, having a proper chair is key to preventing injuries related to poor ergonomics.

The most important thing is to make sure the chair is fully adjustable so it can adapt to the needs of workers. Because each worker has a different body type, you’ll want to make sure they can customize the seat height, backrest height, and armrest height and position.

2. Monitor Placement

To avoid eye and neck strain, monitors must be situated properly. Workers should not have to strain their neck or squint to see the monitor. This means employees should not have to turn their neck to see the monitor. If the worker must move their neck to view the monitor it can lead to neck muscle strains.

Monitors should be placed at the worker’s eye level and at a distance where the worker can clearly see the monitor without moving their neck forward or squinting.

3. Keyboard and Mouse Position

Having a properly placed keyboard and mouse is important to maintaining the proper body position when sitting at a desk. Employees should not have to reach for the mouse and must keep their elbows and wrists parallel while using the keyboard.

Having to reach for a keyboard or mouse can lead to fatigue and even injury after an extended period. For this reason, it is important you pay attention to the placement of keyboards and mice.

Because each employee is different, the exact position of these devices will vary. Having adjustable chairs and desks can help make sure the placement can meet the needs of each employee.

4. The Right Environment

When you think about ergonomics you probably don’t think about the overall office environment. But, factors such as lighting, room temperature, and humidity matter.

Lighting should not create a glare on monitor screens or be too low for reading printed materials. Office temperature and humidity should be comfortable for employees and not require them to wear bulky sweaters and clothing to keep warm.

5. Using Ergonomic Accessories

To make sure you have an ergonomic office, you’ll want to use ergonomic accessories that help customize the workspace for each employee. For example, footrests can help shorter employees keep their legs and knees in the proper position while at their desk. Having an adjustable document holder will allow employees that need to read printed documents from straining their necks.

Some workers may even prefer a balance ball chair for their workstation.

Making the Office Ergonomic

An ergonomic office will not only cut down on injuries and loss of productivity but is also an important factor in keeping employees happy.

When it comes to making your office ergonomically sound, we’re here to help you. From ergonomic workstations to accessories, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today to find out how we can help you create an ergonomic office.

At the end of 2016, there was more than 12.3 million square feet of occupied office space in the United States. Do you know how many cubicles you can fit into that much space? Luckily, the answer to that question doesn’t matter because open office design is a better choice.

While there is a need in certain office environments for partitions, halls, and walls, check out these five benefits of using an open layout, and you might change your mind!

1. Collaboration and Cross-Training

Working together toward a common goal — collaboration — is part of human nature. Instinct tells us that pooling and sharing resources can produce better outcomes than trying to go solo on a project. Employers can facilitate this natural need to connect and share by implementing an open office design.

Cross-training is critical to business sustainability. Open working spaces allow cross-training opportunities to arise organically during regular work.

2. Improved Relationship Building

Constructive, positive working relationships are better for business and morale. Open concept offices can foster natural bonds because it’s easier to chat about work and life. Plus, people can’t “hide” in offices when issues arise.

This benefit comes with a caveat. Strive for employee buy-in before tearing down walls and taking away private offices. There are many ways to keep employees happy and having strong dispute resolution practices for open environments is among them.

3. Reduced Cost

With an open office design, you save money on construction and maintenance. The savings come from more than not needing to build as many walls. Ventilation and electrical wiring are less complex to install and service. Routine office cleaning is faster.

Plus, furnishings such as whiteboards and filing cabinets in private offices are often underutilized. But when put in an open layout, fewer pieces can be used more often.

4. Flexibility

Nothing remains static in business for long. Products evolve, markets shift, people come and go. Open concept offices make it faster and easier for growing companies to accommodate new staff and reorganize teams.

Typical workstations are easy to dismantle and move. Rearranging work surfaces and project areas can take only a few hours. That not only helps contain labor cost, but it also reduces staff downtime.

Keep in mind that good open office design also includes conference rooms and small project meeting rooms. It’s a fact of life and business that some meetings and work sessions require privacy. This is another way to make workspaces flexible.

5. Flattened Hierarchy

Open work environments aren’t just for front-line staff. It’s common for managers and people higher up the chain of command to also work in shared space. It can require a shift in mindset for leaders as well as staff at first. But soon, leaders discover that issues are identified and resolved sooner than when they spend their time in an office. Stronger and more respectful bonds are other common byproducts of several layers of command sharing space.

Of course, leaders can’t fulfill all aspects of their role while in the middle of the action. This is another reason for including a few meeting rooms of different sizes in your office design.

Closing Thought About Open Office Design

Open office layouts tend to spark creativity. It’s easy to use lighting, color, and choice and placement of furnishings to add flair and efficiency.

At Workspace Solutions, we help customers plan and install innovate work environments. It’s core to our mission. We’re a locally-owned office furniture store and design center based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Our dedicated staff builds great relationships with customers across the region and from coast-to-coast.

Are you ready to explore how an open layout could benefit your business? Contact us today!

Is your tiny office space affecting your work flow?

Well, it doesn’t have to be that way!

By utilizing some super simple design solutions, your office space can go from feeling cramped and crowded to feeling spacious and comfortable in no time.

Here are seven easy design solutions to make your office feel bigger.

Let’s get started!

Paper Storage

Those piles of paper on your desk are taking up more space than you think!

Some files can be stored digitally. Just make sure that you educate yourself about the ins and outs of digital storage before you get started to ensure maximum privacy and protection for yourself and your clients.

For the documents that can’t be stored digitally or are too important to risk losing into cyberspace, organize them in a filing cabinet. The top can be used as a surface to decorate or provide even more storage opportunities.

Use Color

The color of the walls and floor can make a room look bigger or smaller depending on their shade and placement. Here’s how.

Dark colors on the walls will make any room feel smaller. Keep the walls of your office space light to make the room appear more open. Off-white, cream or yellow are great options for making your office feel more spacious.

The opposite goes for the floor. Darker colors for your office floor will make it appear larger. For a quick fix, try a dark-colored rug.

Hang Some Mirrors

Trick your brain into feeling like you’re in a bigger office than you are by using mirrors!

Hanging mirrors around the walls of your office will give it the appearance of extending much further than it actually does. The reflection of light will also brighten the space. This subtle addition to your office design can make a huge difference in how you feel while at work!

Get Rid of Wires

Mouse wires, phone wires, printer wires, computer wires… they could be taking up more space in your office than you realize.

These days, you can get a wireless version of virtually anything. Make your office wire-free to clear more space. Visual simplicity is the key to successful office design solutions.

Clean up Clutter

Minimalism is important when it comes to maximizing your tiny office space.

Getting rid of anything that you don’t absolutely need will make the space look much bigger- not to mention making your work life more organized as well!

Ditch the outdated magazines, unused furniture, and piles of paper to declutter your office.

Use Walls for Storage

Why stick with floor space when it comes to storing things at the office?

Get creative with wall shelving to make more room on your office floor and help with organization.

Change up Your Chair

Traditional office chairs can take up lots of space, and can also be detrimental to your health.

Ditch your current office chair and look into some different options. Save space and make a positive change for your health with this easy solution!

There You Have It

Use these simple design solutions and you’ll feel like you have a new, spacious office!

Remember to continually reduce any unneeded items to keep the space visually open and organized.