In the last few months, the workplace for many of us changed. We became home workers – seeking out the best places around the house to work our 9-5. As we slowly emerge from this forced home working experiment, businesses are asking ‘what’s next?’ for office design and office life in general.

At MBFurniture, here’s what we think lies ahead for office design.

Open plan is here to stay

Although it might be tempting to silo everyone back into those grey office cubicles – not only would you be taking a huge step back into the 90s, you’d be doing your workers a disservice. Just because you need to implement social distancing measures for the foreseeable, doesn’t mean you should socially isolate your staff.

Humans are social beings; we like to socialise and interact with (some!) colleagues. So keep the walls down and think about sectioning your offices up into different areas with green planters, shelving units or smart workspace layouts.

If you’re thinking of introducing plants into your workspace they can do more than create a beautiful aesthetic, they’ve been found to boost productivity by up to 15%! Take a look at our recent client project below (pre-COVID) – the client, a global tech company, wanted a boutique vibe – planters and bookshelves like these can help you separate areas of your office without making it feel closed off.

Social distancing measures are essential, but that doesn’t mean you need to section your office with grey padded dividers. Think vibrancy – plants, warm colours – make the office space inviting to employees.

Collaborative, multi-functional spaces

Although you might ditch the daily scrums or workplace huddles – you still need places that encourage team collaboration. Instead of having staff gather around one desk, you need multi-functional spaces – a space that can transform into a quick meeting spot, breakout space or a quiet area to work solo.

The office needs to adapt to our behaviour and restriction updates. You need to create an environment that is safe and secure for staff while delivering a functional and collaborative space to drive your business forward.

Creative clutter and storage solutions

Pre-COVID we had a lot of stuff circulating our desk space; papers, stationery, cups, food – all kinds. But in a post-COVID office, we’re having to take better care of our workstations. Cleaning up after ourselves has never been more important.

That’s where smart storage solutions can come in handy, just like the ones below. Each employee can have a smart locker of their own to keep their belongings in throughout the day. Solutions like these keep your office looking tidier and help keep them cleaner, too – mitigating the risk of cross-contamination.

We completed this project for a client’s headquarters based in London. The client wanted an end of desk storage and locker storage solution to tie into their current office space. The locker storage has combination locks – which suits this particular client as the users change daily.

There’s no key management – they are self-serving.

If you’re looking for something similar for your office, call us today on 01932 379 427 to discuss your project.

You can have the best job in the world, but it still can’t make up for the fact you work inside a soulless office.

In short, giving your office a retouch here and there can increase worker happiness and productivity, and it can help you attract (and retain) staff members. Who doesn’t want to work in a vibrant, playful office?

If you’re wrapped up in calculations, figuring out whether this is something your organisation can afford, they absolutely can. You don’t need to spend big to create an impact. From changing the colour scheme and sprinkling a few potted plants around to entire office refits – injecting personality into your office space needn’t be break-the-bank expensive.

As the global economy continues to emerge from COVID, many employees are perhaps anxious and worried about what their new office environment will be. Giving your office a lick of paint and some new meeting room furniture, or break out space, can help your company provide those employees with a warm welcome back.

So how can you inject personality into your office space?

Do some research into colours

You might already know that colours are synonymous with emotions. When you walk into a light blue room, for example, it might feel cold and unwelcoming for a home, but in an office setting hues of blue can stimulate the mind, making you feel more productive.

When picking your office colour scheme, you should undoubtedly take the lead from your branding and your company logo, pick an accent colour to bring out on your walls, flooring or office accessories. You want cohesion between your branding and your office – your office should be an extension or a personification of your brand.

Other colours that can be conducive to a happy and creative environment include warm yellows, oranges and reds. Always be sure to create a mood board so you can see how the colours will look together and whether they complement your office style or shape.

Image source: BuzziPicNic Round by BuzziSpace

If you’d rather stay away from bold colours, you can opt for a more muted, yet modern twist on the meeting room table. BuzziPicNic Round from BuzziSpace offers customers just that.

Ask your team for guidance

Who better to help you design a new, productive and vibrant space than those working there? Making your employees feel heard is a great way to increase morale within your team, so have group meetings and implement suggestion boxes around your office. These brainstorming sessions can help you get to know your team better, as well as building an office environment everyone has been craving!

After you’ve had all suggestions submitted, filter through them and notice which ideas come up more than once, focusing on these ideas initially could help solve problems that numerous members of staff have identified. Most of the time, the budget will dictate what work gets done, but you should always listen to your employees.

Bring the outside, inside

According to research, introducing plants into the work environment can reduce tension and anxiety by 37%. If this statistic wasn’t already enough to get you riffling through the garden centre – perhaps the overall aesthetic of plants in an indoor space, will.

Plants can bring any dull office to life. With transparent desk dividers all the rage in a post-COVID world (MBFurniture can help you with these, by the way!) – some manufacturers have given their planter toppers a new lease of life and turned them into a living, breathing office dividers.

Who says social distancing has to lack personality and flair? If you’re hoping to inject a little more excitement and productivity into your workspace, contact us to discuss your office project on info@mbfurniture.co.uk