Friday, October 23, 2009

An Office Design Which Leads To Efficient Workflow Can Improve Productivity

By Anthony Woods

The interior designing of an office has become extremely important as companies face surmounting pressure to improve their productivity. Through appropriate office design, which gives extra attention to workflow, you can ensure that the working of the office continues with minimum disruption, therefore leading to higher productivity.

An efficient office design takes into consideration a number of aspects like layout, fittings and furniture, and technology to provide a great work setting for both the staff and customers. All of these factors make an impact upon the productivity and workflow and are hence responsible for the company success.

Having a proper workflow involves allowing smooth and fast movement of both staff and merchandise. This implies that a great deal of focus must be on the layout of the office so as to make sure that movement from one area to another needs least amount of effort and time. It is always advisable to use lifts in the office if you have more than one floor. Further, the alleys must be adequately broad and must have carpets in order to prevent accidental falls.

Interaction is one of the key factors of workflow in an office, which means that there must be the least number of barriers between colleagues. One of the ways of ensuring this is to avoid enclosed rooms and opt for a cubicle based office design. Even when you have to use rooms, they should have glass walls, signifying the absence of obstructions.

Co-working is quite crucial for ensuring smooth functioning of the firm. To enable workers to exchange thoughts and latest developments it is essential that you offer a place for meetings. These rooms need enough space for a team to be seated and must have the required technological gadgets that can assist in meetings like speakerphones, PCs and monitors.

Along with assignment and delivery of work, a proper workflow also deals with the implementation of work. A workforce can be efficient only if it is physically fit and thus ergonomics have a vital significance in any office. You must hence take care that the design of the working area has been tested by an ergonomics specialist. Office chairs and tables deserve special attention in this regard, and they must be carefully chosen.

Ensuring a good workflow in the workplace could have a major impact on its efficiency and the physical and mental health of the employees. Thus, it is wise to patiently think about these issues in the designing the office.

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