Need to encourage some extra productivity amongst your office staff? Here’s how you do it…

In an office environment, it can be difficult to keep yourself and your colleagues on track. When you’re all  sharing an open plan space, there is a huge temptation to chat to each other and get distracted from your work; we’ve all been in the situation where you mean to have a quick chat with your co worker and end up accidentally wasting 15 minutes of both of your time!

It’s impossible to constantly stay completely focused on your work throughout every second of the day (we’re not robots), but if you’re finding that productivity in your office is becoming a real problem, try out some of these 5 tips for making sure that your workspace is primed to be as efficient as can be. 

Streamline your office set up

If you’ve opted to rent office space for your team, you’ll have the freedom to arrange the layout of your workspace in exactly the way you like. Take advantage of this opportunity, and create a space that’s optimised for productive working. Arrange desks so they’re perfect for collaboration between colleagues, but also so there’s enough space that co-workers don’t feel as though they constantly have to chat with each other. Make sure there’s also a space where everyone can relax, and ideally, somewhere separate for meetings, so anyone not involved won’t become distracted.

Decorate and add some personality to your office

Adding a touch of personality to your office space makes everyone more inclined to work. Let’s face it, no one wants to turn up to work in a soulless, empty shell everyday! Encourage everyone to bring in things they love to look at and that give them inspiration to work; whether that’s family photos, posters, plants or just some colourful stationery they love to use. However – make sure everyone keeps the space as tidy as possible, as mess distracts from concentration.

Set up a office wide filing system to keep everyone organised

Nothing kills a burst of workplace enthusiasm like searching endlessly for a file or important document. Make sure this never happens by centralising a filing system that everyone knows about and follows. Whether this takes the form of an online space, or a physical filing cabinet, perfect your system then make sure everyone knows about it. That way, when you’re in the middle of powering through a task and you realise you need a document, you can find it straight away without disrupting your flow.

Set deadlines for yourself and your colleagues

Make the most of the fact that your office is open plan, and turn the fact that you and the rest of the staff are able to chat and share ideas with each other into a positive. Set company wide, light hearted deadlines and challenges for the home team to encourage everyone to get their heads down – for example, saying that if everyone finishes their current task by lunch you’ll all go out for a coffee.

Take a break

In a small office, having a little break from things can be exactly what you need to clear your brain and get back to work with your head in the game. Making sure you and your team take a stroll around the block, or to a local coffee shop can be a great way of ensuring everyone is stocked up on fresh air, which is proven to aid concentration. At the very least, make sure the office windows are open occasionally so everyone can get their blast of fresh oxygen – office productivity is then guaranteed!

Let us know how these tips are working out for you and your office’s productivity! And if you would like to arrange office space for you and your team here at Send Business Centre, you can view our current office availability here.

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