7 Ways Your Office Affects Productivity (Without Your Realizing It)

Human behavior is hard to predict, but we know it can be significantly influenced in subtle ways. You may not just be able to drastically improve your (or your team’s) productivity by introducing a new tool that helps them stay better organized, but you may be able to boost morale and efficiency simply by changing your team’s office environment.
Your environment can shape not only how you work and stay organized, but also your mood and disposition. Take a look at these seven empirically backed factors, which could change how your team works and feels over the course of a day:
- Lighting
Take a look at your office lighting, including how much natural light you let into the office. Bright light, present on a regular basis, has been shown to make people happier, reducing both anxiety and depression. And sufficient lighting can reduce the onset of computer vision syndrome, as well.
If possible, choose an office space with plenty of open windows. If those are absent, install blue-tinted, bright lighting to ensure your team has ample lighting to keep working productively.
- Ambient noise
Total silence isn’t necessarily good for productivity, but auditory disturbances can make your productivity plummet; research shows your productivity can actually drop 66 percent when you’re exposed to nearby conversations, distracting noises like a squeaky shopping cart or a public service announcement over a loudspeaker.
Providing some level of ambient noise, at a consistent volume, can help cover up some of these distracting noises. Providing closed offices or cubicles also affords employees more privacy.
- Music
Hundreds of studies have attempted to determine whether music is truly effective at improving productivity: Some individuals insist it is and others insist it’s just a distraction. The current consensus is somewhere in the middle.
Low- to moderate-volume music can have a positive effect on employee productivity, with a couple of caveats: The music personally preferred by a worker will have more of an effect than music adjudged to be neutral or even actively disliked (as you might imagine). Music with very clear lyrics can be distracting more than beneficial.
- Air quality
Air quality isn’t as noticeable, as the presence of ambient noise or the lighting in your building, but can be even more impactful on your employees’ productivity.
Scientific reviews indicate that poor air quality can decrease productivity — by as much as 6 to 9 percent according to a study reported on Pub Med. Providing more air circulation, better air filters and exposure to cleaner outdoor air can all be beneficial in improving your indoor air quality.
- Temperature
Studies have found different “ideal” temperatures for a workplace environment, though the exact average temperature for peak productivity appears to be around 71 degrees F.
The caveat here, of course, are the drastic differences between individual preferences; while one employee may be operating at peak productivity, another may feel cold, and yet another may find the office too hot to be able to focus. You’ll have to experiment and adjust from this average to find the peak value for your own team.
- Color
Color psychology is a controversial field, but there is evidence to suggest that different colours can have different effects on your employees’ morale and productivity. For example, blue is said to be stable and calming, helping workers de-stress and feel more relaxed. Green is said to reduce eye fatigue and help employees remain efficient. Red is linked to evoking emotion and passion, which is ideal for more competitive teams.
Try using different colors in different rooms to see how they affect your team’s responses and work ethic.
- Plant life
It may not seem that a handful of office plants could increase your employees’ productivity by a measurable amount, but a study reported by Wired UK indicated plants could lead to a boost of up to 15 percent. There are varying theories as to why plants work, including their appealing “natural” scenery and oxygenating effect; whatever the reason, plants produce a measurable effect.
Agos has taken extra measures to make sure some of these factors are being put into consideration. We made sure that our working environment has an amiable effect on both our clients and visitors.
Our business lounges and virtual offices are well designed and decorated not just for optimum productivity, but also to create an environment where you can easily ease off the stress of work, interact with clients and other co-workers.
It doesn’t matter what kind of meeting or conference you are looking to have, Agos has a wide range of office space rental services available, which includes
- Well-furnished office spaces (that can grow with your business from one person to a team)
- Co-Working spaces (a sociable shared office space)
- Business lounges (for informal meetings)
- Meeting rooms (suitable for small group meetings to bigger conferences)
Our building is situated at a strategic location with a quiet atmosphere suitable for business. It is well secured and equipped with 24-hours high-speed internet access, constant and reliable power supply. This way, you won’t have to worry about any interruptions with your meetings, work progress and conference calls.
At Agos, we give you value for your money.