Is your workplace inspiring?

Believe it or not, your surroundings and the environment in which you work, does have a direct effect on the WAY you work. Inspirational workplaces elevate your mood, improve creativity, and in turn increase your productivity. If you are continuously stuck between four boring walls, being confined to your workplace for 40+ hours a week should be enough incentive to do something about it! Whether you are an employer or an employee, there are many ways you can create a space that reflects what it is you wish to inspire in yourself, and those around you.

At The Social Adviser we believe building a high-performing culture starts with nurturing your workplace values, and there is nothing more valuable than your people. We do our best to create fresh, vibrant office spaces that motivate our employees to keep coming back for more. Not only this, it shows them we really do care about “their space”. This feeling of ownership greatly contributes to the success of your businesses ‘workplace personality’, and the resounding effect on office dynamics is invaluable.

Stiff corporate culture is becoming a thing of the past; people NEED stimulating surroundings, so here are a few ideas to get you started…

• Colourful Spaces. We don’t live in a greyscale world so why should the interior of your office space look like the sterile environment of a hospital…or worse, an insane asylum! Funky artwork or murals, a feature wall or some groovy wallpaper are just some simple ways to add that burst of energy…and don’t forget some texture too. Think outside the box, get others involved, and come up with something unique to your place and people. Getting your staff or team mates involved in an office makeover is a great team building exercise!

• Optional Spaces. Relaxed spaces for collaboration are a great place to get together with your colleagues and get those creative juices flowing, or to just chill out yourself and focus. Comfy lounges or beanbags in a quiet corner, communal dining areas that are a pleasure to inhabit (food and happiness go hand in hand), or if possible some outside space. Nothing like a change of scenery to awaken the intellect. Stepping away from your desk regularly is also a great way to reset your thinking and break up any feelings of flatness.

• Creative Spaces. Our favourite way to provoke a creative rush or get the imagination going is whiteboard paint. Our office space and meeting rooms are covered in it! (There is something extra enjoyable about writing on the walls). These spaces can be used for project mapping, brainstorming and also keeping your colleagues informed of your day to day activities. Visually displaying your tasks on the wall next to your desk is a great way for everyone to better understand what it is you actually do. Heck, why not even plan a weekly Hangman session for some team bonding! We especially love our speech bubble quote wall; everyone can contribute an inspiring, or funny, quote for the day.

• Interactive Spaces.Vacant space at your workplace may be a little hard to come by but if you have the room it’s worth considering. We recommend having some space for recreational style activities; a spare office can become a games room or exercise area for example.Adding some space where staff can interact in a nonworking environment will help develop better camaraderie between peers as well as allowing a little escape from the daily grind. Consider how you feel after a fitness session or a good laugh. Those feelings of elation or joy have a scientific explanation; it comes from the release of endorphins, the feel good chemicals released in our brain that produce a natural euphoria. What better way to enjoy a lasting feeling of happiness while you are at work.

No matter where you work or what you do there are lots of things you can do to make your workspaces more conducive to innovation, creativity, productivity and just generally feeling good! So get started now, you and your team are worth it.

Check out these “I’d like to work in that place” offices.