Today’s best workplaces provide more than space for people to work. They create an experience, with modern office design elements being used to improve the psychological — and sometimes even the physical — well-being of the people inside. Research indicates that the smallest design detail can make a big difference in employee engagement, efficiency and productivity and can attract (or repel) clients and future partners alike. Furniture, in particular, has been shown to directly affect office functionality in a way that often impacts its bottomline. For instance, take a look at how a single piece of furniture, the office couch, can bolster employee happiness and, ultimately, improve a company’s ROI:
A couch probably isn’t the first piece of furniture that comes to mind when thinking about how to furnish an office space (unless you’re in the counseling business). However, having a couch in a room establishes the expectation that people will be gathering there and, therefore, need a place to sit. A couch encourages community, physically bringing together individuals so that they can more easily communicate with one another and hopefully build meaningful relationships. And meaningful relationships, according to an ongoing Harvard study, are the key to happiness.
An Office Couch Encourages Productivity
In addition to encouraging healthy personal relationships, an office couch makes it easy for colleagues to have conversations with one another, especially when there are few personal offices and/or conference rooms in which to meet. Even when a dedicated meeting space is available, oftentimes meeting on a couch is a less formal option than sitting around a large table or behind a desk, making it easier for workers to avoid perceived hierarchies and instead focus on collaboration and teamwork. The benefit: less stress, improved productivity and better outcomes.
An Office Couch Provides Comfort
Finally, working at a desk all day can be a drag, for the body, as well as the mind. The right type of office couch allows employees the option of moving from their chair to a more comfortable spot. Indeed, not only does an office couch motivate them to get up and walk, breaking up the monotony of the day, it can provide the physical support that their bodies need to relax (even if it’s just for a few moments). Approximately 59% of people in one study (summarized here) said that taking “breaks [during the workday] would improve their work happiness, and 43% said it would boost their personal happiness.” That’s a significant number of people who could benefit from adding an office couch to their work environment!
Want to Learn More?
Adding an office couch to the workplace can improve the mood of employees, thus facilitating a boost in performance that burgeons a company’s bottom line. But an office couch isn’t the only design element able to benefit a business’s growth. To learn more about optimizing office design so that your company makes the most of the resources available to it, please contact our team at Key Interiors. For over 70 years we have been providing our clients with innovative design options that translate into profitable business solutions.
