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Is it Time for a Commercial Fit Out or Refurb?

On average your employees spend more waking hours at the office than anywhere else, so it’s important that your workplace is both welcoming and stimulating.

Without the right fit out your colleagues are bound to feel a bit unproductive. But by identifying the problems and discovering the solution, you’re closer than ever to developing a dream commercial space.

Let’s take a look at some of the problems and solutions…

Problem: Low Productivity

With so many interiors being plagued with a lack of inspiration, it’s no wonder that some employees struggle to stay productive throughout the work day. It’s not just a case of putting on a fresh coat of paint on the walls, as your office colours only amount to a portion of how your current commercial fit out is crushing productivity.

There are other areas of a fit out to take into account, such as office furniture, lack of collaborative spaces, office decorations and more.

The Solution: Smart Commercial office design & space planning

Your office should focus on taking on several ways of working rather than tailoring to just one. With spaces designed for not only private work but collaboration, you can get the perfect balance from your commercial fit out.

The best way to separate these areas is through introducing solutions such as glass partitions and acoustics. By making these changes to your office space design, you can keep the noise in a private meeting room, and away from others trying to work quietly. A great example of controlling acoustics is the use of office pods, as they can be used for mini meetings that completely eliminate exposure to outside noises.

Problem: Impacting Negatively On Clients

No client is going to be won over by shoddy office interiors. In fact, if they see a dull workspace with cluttered desks their first impression will probably be that the business is disorganised.

Solution: Complying With Brand Values & Company Colours

It’s important that as soon as a client steps into your office they’re wowed by your workspace. This sets an amazing first impression of your company and can become the basis of their overall opinion.

This is why it’s so crucial for commercial fit outs to express brand values. Let your interiors tell your company story through your colours and branding. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to follow your brand colours word for word (or in this case colour for colour). With a well-developed workspace culture you can really personalise your space. Try adding some quirky colours and office decorations that stand out amongst your brand colours.

Problem: Tired & Stressed Workforce

When your colleagues are completely snowed under, they often work through their breaks so they can stay in the office and plough through. However, more often than not these strenuous hours add up, leaving your workforce completely exhausted and unable to focus.

Solution: Kitchen & Breakout Areas

Your workforce are more inclined to be energised with a kitchen and breakout space within the office, as they can eat their lunch and refuel before jumping back into work. Although some colleagues may go elsewhere for lunch, the majority are likely to appreciate the down time within the office.

This also allows colleagues to work without even realising they’re working in the breakout area, as it’s the perfect place for informal meetings. The social aspect of it will feel so natural that it won’t feel like you’re actually working, which is a lot less stressful.

However, the most important aspect of this area is for employees to take a time-out and give their eyes a rest from the computer screen. It’s not just about improving the quality of work but also reducing stress on the eyes.

Problem: Noisy Office

Although some find it easy to work in a noisy environment, most of your colleagues are bound to have a spot of bother with this. With department collaboration especially, there are bound to be plenty of points in the day where colleagues can’t concentrate.

Solution: Modernising Your Workspace

When people think of the modern workspace they think of a space with no barriers, letting all the noise of the office seep into the ears of those trying to concentrate. This isn’t the case though as many modern workspaces are aiming for flexibility and easy customisation. Everybody works differently, and commercial fit outs should accommodate that. Some prefer to work privately, while others prefer an open space to socialise in throughout the day.

By customising your space so there are ‘zones’ in your office for collaboration and private work, you reduce the risk of your colleagues struggling to focus. With the appropriate interior design and office space planning this is possible, regardless of the workspace size.

The most crucial aspect of this is the isolation of noise. It’s all well and good having these noise zones in place, but without the appropriate acoustic solutions noise will just escape into the private spaces. This more or less makes the idea redundant, but with acoustic solutions such as acoustic office pods, acoustic screens and acoustic partitions you can eliminate the risks.

Problem: Communication Issues

Although noise can be very distracting, shutting away from everyone and avoiding communication can impact the business much more. For departments to collaborate there has to be an effective line of communication throughout the office, and without that not everybody is going to have the same information. This can create disorganisation in the company which can be quite chaotic.

Solution: The Living Office

The modern office is making a big change with the living office, which has 10 settings to choose from.  These settings allow your employees to choose an area to work in which is designed for a specific purpose, whether it be for collaborating with departments, presenting, meetings or private work. This is very similar to the work zones idea mentioned in our office design trends blog earlier in the year, only it’s a bit more fleshed out and purpose built.

Rap interiors have almost three decades of experience in commercial office design and fit out solutions. Our team of dedicated office designers are passionate about making your interior dreams come true, and pride themselves on delivering truly stunning workspaces. For more information about our company and services, contact us on 0333 600 1234 or email at refurb@rapinteriors.co.uk