There was a time when workplaces were thought of as little more than a convenient space for employees to get their work done without interruptions or the distractions of home.
Today workspaces need to do more. Your enterprise is competing with other companies and businesses for the best talent after all, and your workspace can make a huge difference in employee productivity. Not to mention that an innovative workspace can attract the kind of talent your enterprise needs.
More adaptive and innovative spaces can even inspire greater employee loyalty and make them more likely to stay with your company.
Customizing your workspace and providing the option of private customized workspaces, even within open office plans, can help your employees stay engaged. Here’s how you benefit, and the kinds of customization most worth considering.
The Benefits of Private, Customized, Workspaces
First, let’s discuss what we mean by private customizable workspaces. These can be offices, but they can also be cubicles and any space that your employees are asked to use regularly. They might even have access to several different kinds of space to meet the different needs of their day-to-day.
To create a private and customized workspace you should make sure your employees can:
- Arrange their workspace to meet their ergonomic requirements
- Can decorate their primary workspace
- Bring in personal items that don’t interfere with their jobs
- Have the equipment best suited to their job requirements
- Have alternate spaces for tasks that require privacy or concentration
- Have spaces for larger meetings and conferences
We’ll talk about how you can create these workspaces more a little later. First, let’s talk about how creating this kind of workspace benefits your enterprise, whether your business is just getting started or already employs thousands.
Improved Employee Loyalty
One of the first benefits you get from allowing a customized workspace is greater employee loyalty. People appreciate being able to customize their surroundings and are usually happier and more responsive if they like being where they work.
Your employees are more likely to stay with you if you give them a customized workspace that meets their needs.
More Productive Time
Another huge benefit of customized workspaces is that your employees will be more productive when they can work with the space instead of against it. When your employees have the kinds of spaces and tools that they need they’ll be able to spend more of their time concentrating on their job.
Just as importantly, when your employees enjoy their workspace, they’ll be able to think more clearly and are less likely to get distracted while they are concentrating.
You Can Show Your Enterprise’s Values
Your workspace is one of the most critical places where you can practice what you preach as a business. Think about Google, Apple, and Patagonia. All of these businesses have created workspaces with benefits and innovations that speak to who they are as a company.
If your workplace is dull and doesn’t give employees the opportunity to recharge or forces them to leave campus to get their basic needs met, that says something about your enterprise.
If you incorporate meeting spaces, a cafeteria, relaxation spaces, and other on-site benefits into your workspace that says something about your enterprise too.
Guess which business talented candidates will want to work for?
