Is staff productivity hampered by an unsatisfying work space?

Finding the right productivity solutions is key to the ongoing success of any business. After all, for any company to be greater than the some of its parts, staff have to be consistently on point.

New research suggests that there's a productivity killer out there that few give more than a passing thought, and that's the quality and usability of office design and workspace.

The World Green Building Council has released its Health, Wellbeing & Productivity in Offices report which claims that a lack of clear direction is what stops businesses from unlocking all of the productivity potential that's within their employees.

"One of the key barriers to incorporating health, wellbeing and productivity considerations into business decisions has been confusion around what to measure and how," the executive summary of the report explains.

Actively encourage better engagement

However, the research goes onto answer its own question, with the following nine criteria found to be crucial in creating a workspace that actively encourages better engagement and increased productivity:

• Indoor air quality
• Thermal comfort
• Lighting
• Biophilia
• Noise
• Interior layout
• Look and feel
• Amenities and location
• Active design

Some particularly telling statistics from the research revolve around noise. Sixty-six per cent of workers will experience a drop in performance if they are distracted by bad acoustics. This includes disturbances centred on loud noise, over exuberant conversation and an office space with a lot of echo.

Staff form a huge part of an overall budget

Another fact of note from the study is that over 90 per cent of any organisation's resources will be spent on recruiting and employing the right staff. This massively outweighs any outlay on building costs and better illustrates how even a slight drop in overall productivity can be costly.

Considering the work environment of employees can be incredibly important in boosting productivity while also proving to be relatively cost effective too.

Measuring the results of any changes definitely is tough, but businesses will likely feel the impact more if they are ready and willing to make sure that the work environment they provide for their employees is as engaging as possible.