Is there room for psychology in office design? Absolutely! In fact, we believe that considering the psychological needs of the people who use an office is the best way to maximize return on your investment while attracting and retaining motivated, successful employees. That’s a big claim, and it’s backed by research. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow first published his Hierarchy of Needs in a 1943 paper titled “A Theory of Human Motivation”. He discussed the importance of meeting needs in stages, beginning with the most basic, and working up to a stage of self-actualization where individuals achieve ...read more...
well-being
How to Make the Most of Natural Light in Your Office
Lighting has a huge impact on employee morale and the overall productivity of your business. As per the Harvard Business Review, 47% of employees interviewed for a research study expressed tiredness due to lack of natural lighting, whereas 43% found the environment downright gloomy. A simple and obvious fix for this, of course, is letting in some natural light or sunlight. In fact, an additional benefit of natural light is that it is one of the key components for an up and coming office design approach: Biophilic design. What is that you ask? Simply put, this type of design includes the incorporation ...read more...
Improve the Accessibility of Your Office with These 4 Strategies
According to recent research, only about half of Canadians with disabilities are employed either full-time or part-time. This statistic can be improved if employers simply make a few changes to their office layout and design. While newer buildings must comply with basic accessibility standards, there are a lot of ways you can make your office more supportive of employees or candidates with physical disabilities or mobility challenges. In fact, you could be missing out on top talent if job seekers are passing up your office because it doesn’t support their needs. Design your office space in a way that allows ...read more...
What Went Wrong with the Open Office – And How to Fix It
Could Activity Based Working be the solution to the problems encountered with the open office? Managers and companies are usually quick to adopt new types of office plans that are touted as a solution to all sorts of problems – communication, productivity, collaboration, and so on. But too often they defeat the whole purpose by applying the same inflexibility to every new layout that comes their way. Rather than simply trying to give employees the tools they need to do their jobs, they start focusing on goals like getting the most use out of square footage, packing employees in like sardines, whether it be ...read more...
Why Workplace Well-Being Is More Important Than Work-Life Balance
We keep hearing about work-life balance - the idea that we need to make sure we’re able to recharge from the stress and burdens work environments place on us. If you work a typical 40 hour week, plus add in commute time, you can see how difficult it can be to make that trip to the gym after work or do something for yourself amongst your other obligations. This is why workplace wellbeing is so important. Let’s face it, the workplace is our second home, and how are we supposed to feel “balanced” if one of two places we spend most our time is a countering our ability to feel well? It makes the time spent ...read more...
