How to Create a Comfortable Office for Your Team
When creating an office, it’s important to consider both the physical and psychological comfort of employees. A person can work productively for only about five hours a day, so the job of a comfortable office is not to force them to sit through all eight hours, but to help them switch: to communication with colleagues, discussion and rest.
Office design trends identify four main pillars of arranging a workspace, already followed by leading world companies. In this guide we look at them, as well as the role of ergonomics, light and acoustics in creating a comfortable space.
Work flexibility
A modern office rejects a rigid attachment to the workplace: regularly changing location within the office helps break out of routine and work productively without an “own desk”. Increasingly, solving work matters is becoming mobile, so corners with high chairs and tables are set up for such moments, where it’s convenient to discuss a work question. On the model of unfixed places, read the article How Hot Desks Work in the Office.
Communication
A frequent mistake in office design is excessive care only about productivity, when it’s no less important to engage employees in communication, the exchange of experience and discussions. The result of such a mistake is a lack of communication zones.
So a key trend is many meeting rooms of different sizes and shapes, as well as whole libraries, gyms and game zones. A cohesive team is a great force, which is why the transition to unfixed workplaces and the creation of interaction spaces is so relevant. On how to equip a meeting room, see the article Equipping a Meeting Room in the Office.
Recreation zone
A separate recreation zone is intended for relaxation and rebooting: here you can both discuss a work question and briefly switch off. It can’t do without daylight, live plants, natural interior elements, comfortable seating and cosy corners.
An important tip: the rest zone is worth fully separating from the workspace to avoid the eternal conflict of interests — work versus relaxation. On how to set it up, see the article How to Set Up a Staff Relaxation Room.
The “green” office
Greening an office works on several levels at once: it protects from stress, enriches the air with oxygen and creates cosiness. Besides, companies affect the environment one way or another, so the drive to make an office eco-friendly is a leading trend in interior design.
And this doesn’t require a multimillion project: a small kitchen area, for example, is not only convenient but also reduces the use of disposable tableware. A more advanced approach is solar panels as a source of electricity for evening lighting. More on greening is in the article Office Phytodesign: Greening the Interior.
Ergonomics, light and acoustics: the basis of comfort
The four pillars only work on a solid base — ergonomics, lighting and acoustics. Comfortable adjustable furniture protects health, well-planned light reduces eye strain, and acoustic solutions help concentration in a noisy space. These elements are built in as early as the design stage, and more on them is in the article Workplace Ergonomics: The Simple Truth.
A comfortable office with Partner Create
A comfortable office is a combination of flexibility, communication, recreation and eco-friendliness on a solid base of ergonomics and engineering. Partner Create will think through all these elements and deliver the office design turnkey under general contracting.
Examples of completed offices are in the office spaces portfolio.
A comfortable office in brief
- A person is productive for about 5 hours a day, so the office should help them switch.
- Work flexibility: unfixed places and corners for mobile work.
- Communication: many meeting rooms of different shapes, plus libraries, gyms, game zones.
- Recreation zone: daylight, plants, comfortable seating; fully separated from work.
- The “green” office: greening, a small kitchen instead of disposables, solar panels.
- The basis of comfort is ergonomics, lighting and acoustics, built in at the design stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
A comfortable office combines four elements: work flexibility, communication spaces, a recreation zone and eco-friendliness. Ergonomics, well-planned lighting and acoustics serve as their base, helping the team switch between work, communication and rest.
A recreation zone is intended for relaxation and rebooting: here you can discuss a work question or briefly switch off. It’s worth fully separating it from the workspace and providing daylight, live plants and comfortable seating.
It’s an office with greening and eco-friendly solutions: plants protect from stress and enrich the air with oxygen. Even simple steps help make an office greener — for example, a kitchen area instead of disposable tableware, or solar panels for evening light.
A modern office rejects a rigid attachment to the desk: changing location within the office helps break out of routine and work more productively. Corners with high chairs and tables, convenient for short discussions, are set up for mobile work.
Create a comfortable office with Partner Create
A comfortable office means the team’s health, engagement and productivity. Partner Create will combine flexibility, communication, recreation and eco-friendliness into a single concept and deliver the space with responsibility for the result.
Explore our work in the portfolio, read useful materials on the blog, or get in touch to discuss your project. Call +38 050 388 24 49.
We also recommend How to Set Up a Staff Relaxation Room and Office Phytodesign: Greening the Interior — they will help make the office more comfortable for the team.