When it comes to cutting costs, most business leaders and other decision-makers focus on factors such as supply chain management, customer acquisition costs, workforce planning, product price positioning, and so on.
And while all of these are important and should be part of the cost cutting conversation, there is another – and far less obvious – factor that, in many workplaces, is costing tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars per year: office design.
Below, we highlight 4 office design problems that, if they exist in your environment, are costing you money each day:
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Unhealthy Workspaces
Naturally, you want your employees to be healthy because you care about them and their families. But you also have another reason to support their well-being: sick employees are MUCH costlier than their healthier counterparts; especially if their illness forces them to take extended leave, or make large insurance claims that drive up premium costs.
Unfortunately, many workspaces are not enhancing employee health, because they do not allow enough natural light into the environment, because the HVAC system is not suitable (i.e. some areas of the office are freezers while others as saunas), because there is an excess of noise pollution, and the list goes on.
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Lack of Collaboration
Collaboration is essential for workplace productivity and performance; especially among cross-functional teams who are directly or indirectly part of the same project or program, or are serving the same customer.
However, office design that physically keeps individuals and teams apart – when they need to connect and collaborate –invariably creates inefficiencies, and leads to diminished productivity and performance.
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Under-utilized Spaces
Poor office design typically leads to significantly under-utilized spaces – and therefore wasted money. For example, employees may be jammed into uncomfortably tight spaces, while hundreds or even thousands of square feet elsewhere are barely used, or possibly not used at all. And customers may not have suitable areas to wait or meet with employees; often forced to “meet at Starbucks” or elsewhere off-site. Smart office design does not just make things look much better, but it makes spaces more functional and utilized.
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Dysfunctional Lunchrooms
The lunchroom is often a popular “breakout space” where teams informally meet to brainstorm ideas, share information, or simply connect and collaborate. And of course, they also eat there: which means that they need enough table space and access to appliances such as microwaves, kettles, toasters and so on.
However, one of the most common expressions of poor office design is that the lunchroom is essentially dysfunctional. Team members cannot use it to eat or meet. As such, they are often obligated to eat at their desks or in their cars, or forced to head off-site to a restaurant; not because they want to, but because they have to.
Add it all up, and it means unhappy, disengaged and probably unhealthy employees – and higher than necessary costs.
Learn More
To learn more about how office design can either help OR harm your bottom-line, contact Key Interiors today. We have over 30 years of experience helping businesses refresh, renovate or completely re-imagine their office design, while sticking to schedules and budgets.
