An office space reflects the culture of a business itself. What does the space where your staff performs say about their productivity? If snafus are up and engagement is down, it could be because things just aren’t in the right place. Arrangement matters if a company wants to enjoy greater productivity through more fluid workflow. According to work space planning studies, a well thought out scheme can increase the productivity of workers by 30%. Throw in a splash of enhancement, transitioning from minimalist to a decorated space and productivity rises another 15%. How is that possible? What is going on here?

How Space Affects The Mind

The elements of the study were to compare four different layouts to see how a person performed common administrative tasks in each. The results speak for themselves:

  1. Minimalist: With only a bare desk, paper, pencil and swivel chair, test subjects felt a sense of oppressive heaviness which interfered with their ability to concentrate.
  2. Softened Minimalist: By adding a few potted plants and floral photos, a bit more work was completed within the allotted time frame and the worker experienced mood improvement. A few plants and pictures elevated productivity levels by 15%.
  3. Free & Soft Minimalist: This scheme involved the same decor enhancements as in #2 except the workers were free to arrange them as they pleased. This resulted in a dramatic shift in productivity level and mood. This is where the 30% more productivity numbers began to appear.
  4. Disempowered: Here, the experiment began as #3 but as the workers began their tasks, the experimenter came in and rearranged the decorations. The results were stunning. Disempowerment is disastrous for worker productivity.

Although scientists have studied how management practices affect the job performance of employees, the answer may actually lie in arrangement of workspace, selection of decor and empowerment of workers to adjust smaller decorations according to their own preference. For more information on how the workspace of your business can be re-designed to improve productivity, consult with experts in commercial interior design.