The importance of workspace design

The right environment is key to success  

In a survey conducted by Office Genie in 2017, 45% of people complained about the lack of collaborative space, with 20% believing that their working environment hindered them from doing their job productively. Gensler, the architecture design firm, identified four key areas that need to be available for employees which are spaces to focus, collaborate, learn, and socialise.

This isn’t just about creating an open floor plan, it’s about giving employees multiple ways of working. Our Belvedere House business centre in Basingstoke, offers a variety of workspace, including offices, co-working space, meeting rooms, breakout areas and an impressive roof garden as well as a cafeteria/bistro. It’s also next to Eastrop Park, so there’s no shortage of outdoor space to take a well-earned break.

Co-working space and breakout areas provide our customers or visitors a separate area from their usual desk. It can be a place for them to work independently, to think, to relax, eat their lunch or hold informal meetings. Steve Marshall, CEO at Reassured, based at our Basingstoke site commented on what the space has provided his company and employees: “Moving to Belvedere House has been integral to our business growth and has greatly improved employee satisfaction and productivity.

We now have a dedicated sales floor, separate from our back-office teams. We have a learning and development area, used solely to train new recruits. We have ample parking for everyone, ensuring our staff do not start the day badly.

The office upgrade has really helped transform our working environment at Reassured, as we continue to go from strength to strength.

We now have an HQ to be proud of.”

The right space creates a community

There’s no question that when you are looking for office space it’s all about the quality of the space and where your office is located. However, we also believe it’s about how the space is used and the people within the space. At BizSpace, we live by the saying ‘where business gets its buzz’ – workspaces should be fun, collaborative spaces that support the businesses within them and contribute to their success.

We aim to engage with local businesses and actively encourage networking within and around our business centres. We run #LetsdoBizness networking events, ‘Keep it local’ charity fundraisers and group activities.
We believe in building strong communities within each one of our business centres. Our customer at out new Bristol site, Tom West, founder of Hosted Fudge, commented on his experience: “I’ve been operating Hosted Fudge from BizSpace Equinox South since the beginning of 2018. If it wasn’t for BizSpace and David we wouldn’t be where we are today. David, the site manager, has brought a personality and positive culture to Equinox South; its enabled us to be part of not just an amazing Business Centre, but a thriving business community, a group of diverse businesses, who all know and support each other. It’s all made possible through the support and collaboration that BizSpace offers every one of their clients, truly making everything possible.”

Psychology of design

 Imagine endless rows of bare walls and grey carpets … the word “dull” is likely to spring to mind.
As a business owner or manager, it’s important to understand how your choices in interior design can impact both your employees’ and your target customers’ perceptions. Choose colours, decorations and design elements that fit the personality of your brand and make the office space a better environment to work in.

We spoke with our Interior Designer Kate Yates, owner of Territory Interior Design, to discuss her views on the huge effect our workspaces have on employee and team psychology. Kate discussed the importance of creating spaces that encourage a social and communicative atmosphere, as well as raising efficiency and productivity. “Open plan spaces offer a more relaxed and informal work environment and encourage better collaboration and communication whereas smaller, more private work zones appeal to those who work better quietly and secluded.”

Kate described how she has implemented this within the design of our latest acquisitions. “In our newest sites such as Cardiff, Doncaster, Bristol and Solihull, a range of open and private spaces has been provided to get the best out of our customers and offer the variation required to work most effectively.”

Kate also believes that colour, light and configuration can play a large part in employee psychology with bright colours tending to encourage creativity and tempo and more muted spaces offering calmer environments more suited to concentration and focus.

With technology increasingly blurring the lines between work life and home life and younger workers increasingly shunning the idea of the 9-5, it is important that office environments offer a home-from-home environment, which makes people feel relaxed and at ease in the workplace. To learn more about our facilities and space you can phone: 0800 975 0875.