14.05.2019, 04:24
Designing Productivity
The physical space of any business is as important as any digital tool in improving productivity and cost-effectiveness.
Despite the current focus on investing in digital tools to make businesses more successful, an area that is often overlooked is the importance of design to employee wellbeing and productivity – a consideration that applies equally to office, warehouse and retail spaces.
Ways You Can Improve the Design of Your Business
There are five key ways you can improve the design of your business to support your employees and their workflows.
1. Organisation
If there is a clear, easy-to-use organisation system, then employees can find and replace items with ease, reducing time looking for a seemingly lost item or trying to deduce the organisation structure.
2. Proximity
Proximity for key tasks is critical. In a warehouse, the loading dock needs to be conveniently located to reduce the amount of time between pick up and drop off. The same applies to other areas of business, like the distance between a file room and your employees.
3. Work-Friendly Furniture
You need your furniture and work areas to work with your employees. They should be designed to support their spine and help your employees to maintain a healthy posture.
4. Smart Traffic Flow
If you have to weave between items on the way from one area of your office to another, something must be changed.
5. The Break Room
Employees need to stay fuelled to stay productive, and they also need to give their minds a break. A well-stocked break room with all the amenities will provide this.
Workplaces That Benefit From Design Changes
All types of workplace environment benefit from design changes.
Offices
Offices need to support the human worker in every way possible. From ergonomic design in the future to a simple but effective traffic flow and storage system. Everything needs to work together to support the health and wellbeing of your workers, most especially your break room.
Retail
Improving the design and productivity of your retail business makes commercial sense both for your customers and for your employers. Create a harmonious flow through the store with a simple system for displaying products. This will make it easier for employees to do their job and be very attractive to customers.
Warehouses
If you follow the best practice for warehouse design you can improve the quality of the work and reduce the time between tasks significantly. Warehouses are big spaces, and you need to consider how long it takes for your workers to get from place to place and conduct their jobs. You should also make use of the height offered in your warehouse, as this is an opportunity that most businesses do not have to take advantage of.
Workshops
Small workshops, both for artists, mechanics, and everyone in-between, can also be improved through simple design changes. Creating a system of organisation and changing the layout so that you have plenty of space without the need to skirt around different tools will improve your safety and your work speed.
Manufacturing Companies
Manufacturing companies thrive on efficiency, and yet if you do not take into account the age and design of old machinery, you cannot innovate or improve. You need to look to the future and try to find ways to consistently improve the flow and design of your warehouse to accommodate new machines.
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