No matter what type of workplace you’re designing, it’s extremely important to design to encourage employee engagement. When workers feel engaged with their workplace, it has a positive impact on their job performance and how satisfied they are with their jobs. An engaged employee is happy to go to work each day, enjoys the work they do, feels connected to their colleagues, and is generally proud to work for their employer. But in the Steelcase Global Workplace Report, research found that just 13 percent of global workers are highly engaged and highly satisfied in the workplace, while 37 percent are either highly or somewhat disengaged.
Many factors play into employee happiness, but the workplace environment plays a significant role in keeping workers engaged. One of the simplest ways to improve employee productivity is through the strategic use of color. A colorful office design is full of visual interest and can even influence engagement. Color psychology is a subtle yet effective way to improve employee productivity and sometimes just a pop of color introduced through colorful furniture or accessories can go a long way.
Nobody likes feeling tied to one place all day long, so it’s no wonder that highly engaged workers typically report having the ability to move around and change postures throughout the day. To encourage movement, add pops of red. Red is an extremely powerful, exciting color known for encouraging movement and boosting energy. Rugs, like the one pictured above from our Arzu Masters collection, are a great way to add a splash of red to a workplace and, if arranged throughout the office, can further encourage movement by leading people from one place to another.
Being able to use mobile technology in the workplace is very important in improving engagement. In the Global Workplace Report, 88 percent of highly-engaged workers said they’re able to choose where they work within the office based on the task they’re doing.
When designing a workplace where workers have this kind of freedom, consider the intended purpose of certain areas when choosing colors for them. For example, many workers crave the option of being able to retreat to a peaceful, comfortable place where they can work alone when they really need to focus. Since the color blue is associated with feelings of serenity and has been shown to encourage concentration, look for ways to add pops of blue to these spaces.
Our Hosu Lounge Seating works perfectly in these areas. Not only is it available in a lovely shade of blue, its convertible style allows people to work however they’re most comfortable.
It’s rare for anyone to ever truly work alone. Workers need to be able to collaborate with each other, so it’s extremely important to have distraction-free places for collaboration. 94 percent of highly engaged and satisfied workers say their work environment allows them to work in teams without interruption.
When people work together as a team, it’s often because they need to plan or generate ideas. Yellow and orange are colors associated with creative thinking and energy, so adding pops of these colors through tables or seating in collaborative spaces, such as our Massaud Conference Seating pictured above, can create a spark of inspiration that will help workers come up with new and innovative ideas.
Chairs are an excellent way to add color to workplace and with the Coalesse LessThanFive Customizer tool, you have unlimited to colors at your fingertips. The Customizer tool makes it incredibly easy to design a custom LessThanFive Chair that perfectly suits the color scheme of any space. With just a few clicks, you can create a chair in any color imaginable. No matter which color you’re looking to incorporate in a space, the Customizer gives you the power to turn your vision into a reality. The possibilities truly are endless.
