Month: September 2019

1. Office design tips to maximise productivity

 

Here on Australia’s beautiful Sunshine Coast, we’re lucky to have larger and brighter workplaces than the tiny offices stacked end-to-end in city CBDs. But when traditional office designs so often prioritise making the most out of a small space, how do you choose the perfect office fitout for a large space? If stacking desks like Tetris is no longer on the agenda, it’s important to seek a new, more accurate goal for your workplace design – productivity. This post will run you through some tips and tricks for maximising productivity in your next Sunshine Coast office fitout.

 

Get the basics right

 

When it comes to optimising workplace productivity, it’s important to start from scratch and get the basics right. Forget sourcing precisely the right shade of muted grey for window shutters – instead, think about the essential pieces of furniture that you use every day . More often than not, these will include desks and chairs. It’s no secret that working from a dodgy old chair can ruin your day, and there’s nothing worse than craning your neck to reach a desk that’s much too high. You and your employees will work much more productively if you are comfortable, so your Sunshine Coast business should invest in sturdy, high-quality padded chairs that are fully adjustable, as well as large desks with plenty of space to juggle multiple projects at once.

 

Lighting and deco

 

In order to optimise productivity, your Sunshine Coast office space should make the most of its natural light. Studies have proven that people work to a higher standard in spaces that are lighter, brighter, and feel more open. This is why large, wide windows are a must, along with practical indoor lights that are energy-saving and easy on the eyes. Ditch those horrible, headache-inducing fluorescent lights, and also steer clear of buying eccentric light fittings for the sake of standing out. Sure, that low-hanging chandelier might be gorgeous, but is it really worth the hassle when it constantly threatens to give you a concussion? Always bear practicalities in mind – decorations can always go on the walls instead of the ceiling.

 

Focus zone

 

Office fitouts are increasingly moving away from their traditional, segregated setup, veering instead towards open-plan, activity-based workspaces. Whether you are embracing this new trend or sticking to a tried and tested office layout, it’s definitely worth considering incorporating a focus zone into your Sunshine Coast office. A focus zone is a particular area or room dedicated to high-volume work that requires, you guessed it, intense focus. Tasks for this space could include research, report writing, or design – anything that requires deep, uninterrupted concentration. It should include dividers between desks to increase privacy and minimise distraction, panels or partitions to prevent noise leakage from other spaces, red accents to increase productivity, and moderately low ceilings to encourage workers to buckle down. Make the most out of your next Sunshine Coast office fitout with a tailored focus zone, just for you and your business!

1. Top four Melbourne office design trends

 

Ah, Melbourne – Australia’s most liveable city is known for its delicious coffee beans, subpar weather, and vintage-inspired rooftop bars. It’s no secret that young professionals Australia-wide are flocking to work in Victoria’s laid-back capital city, but what you may not know about Melbourne is that it is home to some of the most beautiful and progressive office spaces in the world. Whether you’re considering investing in an office fitout in Melbourne, or if you’re simply seeking some new corporate design inspiration, this blog will get you up to speed on Melbourne’s latest office design trends.

 

Experience over functionality

 

Traditionally, office spaces have been designed to maximise functionality. The number-one priority for a new office fitout was simply to provide adequate space for employees to work efficiently. There was little to no consideration given to employee and client experience – that is, the way that people feel in their workplace. In this regard, Melbourne’s offices have always been a step above the rest. With large, open spaces and sweeping designs that encourage a sense of workplace pride, Melbourne’s most forward-thinking offices have found that true productivity comes from employee satisfaction.

 

A little bit of nature

 

Nobody likes stepping into a dark, sterile office with mass-manufactured desks and the smell of yesterday’s floor cleaner in the air. Many businesses in Melbourne have recognised this, so a high percentage of recent office fitouts have incorporated a biophilic design – a workplace aesthetic that draws inspiration from the natural world. With drooping pot plants to oxygenate the room, earthy colours and textures, raw, recycled wood, and unfiltered natural light, biophilic office fitouts have transformed the 9-5 experience of many Melbourne workers.

 

Co-working spaces

 

Gone are the days when businesses operated from a single address. Co-working spaces are becoming increasingly popular in Australia, particularly in Melbourne, as they have numerous benefits. The first, and often most appealing, is cost. It is much cheaper to rent a desk in a shared space than to rent an expensive office in a high-rise building in Melbourne’s CBD. Secondly, there is the convenience of having access to a fully-furnished, attractive professional space without any office fitout costs on your end. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, co-working spaces encourage open collaboration and teamwork. If you’re lucky enough to have a Melbourne office space with large square footage, you should consider fitting it out to share as a co-working space and make some significant cash!

 

Free range workspaces

 

Incorporating all of the above, Melbourne’s most design-forward businesses have invested in free range office workspaces. This means that employees do not have dedicated, static workstations, but rather migrate from room to room depending on their tasks. For example, there might be a collaborative media room for when colleagues need to make a presentation, a separate space for phone-calls, or a room next to Reception dedicated to meeting clients face-to-face. Free range workspaces with open designs have been proven to increase workplace flexibility and productivity. It’s definitely something to discuss with the team before your next office fitout in Melbourne!

 

 

1. Why choose an open floor plan?

 

Brisbane is undeniably one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If you’re lucky enough to work here, or if you’re planning to have an office fitout in Brisbane to modernise your workspace, then it’s definitely worth considering an open floor plan. Ever since they have been in vogue, open floor plans have revolutionised the way that we live, work, and conduct business. They can truly transform your space and the way that you perform within it, which is particularly important in a business context. This blog will give you a run-down of all the reasons why you should opt for an open floor plan for your Brisbane Office Fitout – Australia’s sunniest capital city.

 

Natural light

 

First of all, open floor plans offer much more natural light than traditional office layouts. Brisbane is lucky enough to get 2,800 hours of sunshine every year, and there’s rarely a day without blue skies, so it would be a shame not to let this beautiful weather into your workplace. Enjoy endless summer, allow clearer views of full-length windows, and soak up the benefits of numerous studies which have proven that natural light can increase productivity and improve your mood.

 

Illusion of space

 

Removing unnecessary walls, partitions, or large items of furniture can truly open up your office space and create the illusion of a larger floor plan. Nobody likes to work in a cramped, uncomfortable environment, and once you remove items that delineate one space from another, your office will suddenly appear significantly bigger. Why pay for an expensive renovation when you can simply increase your available square footage through open-concept living? This is particularly something you should consider for your next office fitout in Brisbane, a city famous for its sprawling metropolitan streets and open spaces.

 

Ease of communication

 

Perhaps the most significant benefit of choosing an open floor plan in Brisbane is the flexibility and ease of communication that it offers for day-to-day business operations. When the distinction between different sections of your office begins to blur, it becomes much easier to collaborate and communicate between departments, removing the emotional boundary of stepping into another ‘space’. Choosing an open floor plan for your next Brisbane office fitout will encourage open dialogue and productive socialisation.

 

Workplace equality

 

Typically, an office space is structured to mirror its respective business hierarchy. For example, interns are positioned closest to the front door in small desks, full-time employees share a larger space with better views, and CEOs have a large room all to themselves equipped with a reclining chair and coffee machine. Ok, maybe that’s a little stereotypical, but it’s true that businesses often operate in a physical hierarchy. Open floor plans eliminate this structural distinction, creating a sense of workplace equality that is encouraging for employees of all levels. Your next office fitout in Brisbane could really benefit from removing hierarchical barriers to create a sense of inclusivity across all levels and departments.

Offices don’t come cheap, and regardless of whether you’re holed up in a tiny home office or stretched out in a luxurious Sydney CBD high-rise, it’s important to maximise the space available for your business. Carefully considered, ergonomic office designs can have huge benefits for both your employees and clients. But the very first step to redesigning your business space – or choosing to have a professional office fitout in Sydney – is decluttering. This guide will give you a run-down on how to make the most of your space by clearing it up.

 

Why should I declutter?

We all know that our work environment inevitably builds up mountains of unused or unwanted items. Think of all those documents stashed away in filing cabinets, folders, receipts, old stationery, and cardboard boxes. How can you evaluate your office’s potential when you can’t even see its available space? This is why you should remove all unnecessary items and junk from your office before you even consider adding more furniture. You might be surprised by how much space it opens up, or how much extra room you have to manoeuvre in more desks, chairs, or greenery. Plus, a Spring clean can never go amiss, and it’s satisfying to reap the immediate rewards of a deep clean.

 

How do I start?

There are a number of methods for decluttering homes, but these don’t necessarily hold up for businesses, let alone busy Sydney businesses. Marie Kondo’s famous “does this spark joy?” mantra isn’t necessarily going to elicit positive answers when it comes to items like doormats or payroll data (although it might from the coffee machine). For office environments, it can be a more practical method to divide all of your items and supplies into three categories: essential, occasional, and donate.

 

Essential

These are the items, furniture, documents, and equipment that your business simply cannot go without. They will range from keyboards that you use every single day to fire extinguishers that, hopefully, you will never have to use. Either way, these items are still essential, and should be completely excluded from the decluttering process.

 

Occasional

Items in the ‘occasional’ category comprise those that aren’t used on a day-to-day basis, but still come in handy every so often. They can include trolleys, vases, powerboards, and spare chairs. Items in this category should also be excluded from the decluttering process, but you should consider why they are only being used occasionally. Is your projector screen out of date, or is the toaster faulty? Think about whether there are any changes you could make that would shift these items from the ‘occasional’ to ‘essential’ category.

 

Donate

Items fall into this category if they are rarely – or never – used by your business. There comes a point at which those callipers, held on to for ten years ‘just in case’, become a burden to your space and need to go before your Sydney office fitout. Recycle the trash, donate anything usable, and consider selling more valuable items that simply aren’t needed any more. The UNSW Stationery Reuse Centre accepts unwanted stationery from businesses in Sydney like your own. You might even be able to score some extra cash for your office fitout by selling odd bits and pieces.