Published on 12:00 AM, April 16, 2014

Your workplace and you

For new companies, an office can be anywhere from the public library, to a co-working space, or a coffee shop with free Wi-Fi. The office makes a major contribution towards the establishment of the workplace culture. Interior design and technology can stimulate worker morale and productivity while the layout of the workplace can boost energy and creativity. So spending time and resources on an efficient space with the right equipment is vital. Not to mention, workplace atmosphere actually affects whether an employee accepts a job or calling it quits.

Culture and personality
How do you want to present your company to the public and to your customers? When designing the floor space think about what your team will be doing: Will you need constant collaboration or will people be separated in different departments? Do you intend to deal with lots of sensitive information and private documents?
Consider going through online profiles or career pages of other organizations and note how they plan a good office space and what they do for inspiration. However make sure to keep your company profile in mind while making these decisions.

Spending
Investing in comfort for your employees and presentable space to meet customers is essential in ensuring long term benefits.
Try to choose an office structure and budget that fits your vision rather than your current situation. If that's not possible, try to blend in and balance the two. Instead of considering this venture as a burden, think of it as an initiative to nurture your company's future.

 

Location
Depending on your business type choose a location which gives you access to the appropriate customer base and also your business partners and suppliers.
"When searching for a good location, I usually consider the 4 P's. Which are: it should be a nice place, it should allow me to have a good level of production, I should be able to provide a satisfactory package (the environment and the service), and at a suitable price for the customers" says Md. Bazlur Rahman, owner of the local chain pizzeria Bella Italia.

Decoration and communal space
These may not be considered to be the most important things in an office, but they still play a substantial role in motivating and inspiring your team. Adding pictures and quotes that represent the philosophy of the company across workspaces can help set the tone for the working environment.

Don't forget to smile
You can always improve and enhance the working materials for motivation and output, but at the end of the day it is the actions and values that you establish that influence your company's environment. What you should always remember is that when you walk into your office every day you will need to have the proper attitude.