Improve office layout to enhance productivity, happiness
By Yun Suh-young
.jpg?w=728)
Cover of the book "Work Environment Creates Culture -- Vol. 1 The Beginning of Workplace Design" / Courtesy of Fursys Books
Pixar is famous for its innovative policies, one of them being giving their employees money to buy their own office furniture as they wish. If every company was like Pixar, we'd already be living in a revolutionary society.
It's not easy to emulate the forward-thinking animation company, but more and more companies are striving to make improvements in their office environments to cater to their employees' needs and wants.
Companies are realizing that ergonomic office layout designed according to different work patterns and styles is key to the comfort, efficiency and productivity of their employees but also key to their happiness, as satisfied employees are more likely to produce better ideas and outcomes. The happier the people, the happier the company and hence the creation of a virtuous cycle.
But not every company knows how to do this, even if they're aware of the need.
To help companies find their right office style, layout and furniture, Fursys, Korea's leading office furniture producer and consultancy, recently published a book called "Work Environment Creates Culture -- Vol. 1 The Beginning of Workplace Design."
The book is categorized into six chapters: 1) Democratic Planning, 2) Work is Social, 3) Fostering Creative Buzz, 4) Bringing Open and Closed in Balance, 5) Diversity of Work Settings, and 6) Wellbeing in the Workplace.
The book delves into discussing what makes a good office and what needs to be done to make a good environment.
Based on extensive research and experience it has accumulated throughout the years through its clients, the company guides readers about what choices can be made according to different fields of work and work styles and how to choose office furniture according to the company's needs.
First, the book advises companies to know the general office trend, to get the gist of how society is evolving. Then it advises them to question the "why" aspect of the space. Companies need to know why and how they use their spaces, how each department uses their space differently and how the space impacts employees' work performance. The core to innovation comes first from knowing who they really are -- hence knowing their "work DNA."
In order to improve a company's work environment, it is crucial to evaluate their work space objectively because subjectivity will hinder effective decision making. Familiarity of space leads to hesitance in making change, the book says, and it is the breaking of familiarity and hesitance that becomes the first step to making a difference.
Other helpful and interesting information in the book include: how horizontal work culture can be created by changing the office layout; how to enhance or reduce communication and collaboration using different types of office furniture depending on different needs of the company; how the effective use of sound can enhance creativity while too much noise can hinder concentration and productivity; the role color and plants play on the psychology of employees; and how effective open offices are compared to closed offices, contrary to the rising trend of open offices these days.