How does considered office design benefit a startup business?

Starting a new business is an incredibly exciting time, but there’s a lot riding on the first two years to ensure your new venture turns into a stable, growing success story.  

The office is the central hub for most startups – even in the world of mass remote work. And how that office makes employees feel affects how they work…which ultimately affects the potential success of the business!  
In this article, we’re going to look at why great office design is so important.  
A great first impression  
First impressions are vital, and not just for new potential clients when you’re giving them the tour before an important sales pitch!  
Employees who are required to come into an office want a great space to spend their day. The office needs to be bright, open, welcoming, warm and inspiring.  
Remember that the hottest talent on the market have a choice of where to work. If you’re not offering full-time remote work, then your office space needs to be incredible enough for a potential candidate to forgo that benefit.  
Also for new businesses, you may need to impress potential investors! A great office space signals that a startup is well established (even in its infancy) and has the potential to go places.  
Just think, would you invest $500,000 in a business running out of someone’s garage?!
Improved wellbeing
Employee wellbeing has become a critical topic within the HR space over the last decade and for good reason.  
Scores of research have highlighted how companies who invest in the physical and emotional wellbeing of their people are more focused, take fewer sick days, are more engaged and – crucially – the organisation becomes more profitable.  
Great office design is key to this for a number of reasons:

Natural light aids concentration, boosts happiness and reduces eye strain  
A warm space that can be kept cool in the hotter months is critical to comfort levels
Easy access ensures hiring isn’t limited to able-bodied people only  
Standing desks and break-out zones help mobility and reduce skeletal issues  
Ergonomic desks and chairs support the body and promote a better posture
Planting improves air quality and boosts mood  
Private booths help employees get some quiet when they need to focus or recharge  

Improving wellbeing is one of the key reasons why organisations are investing in office refurbishment companies to reimagine and redesign their spaces.  
Remember, not everyone working in an open-plan space is an extrovert that thrives on other people’s company. Some need quiet isolation to do their best work.  
Better work outcomes
One of the key reasons why bosses want workers back in the office after the pandemic and the overnight switch to remote work is that they believe great working environments can foster more collaboration and creative solutions to problems.  
This is absolutely the case… but only in great working environments!  
Standard offices with rows of desks and a background hum of chatter and printers don’t facilitate the sort of conversations that can lead to the next revolutionary idea.  
Great office design is critical here by creating zones where employees can chat and discuss ideas, away from where people are quietly getting on with their tasks.
Impromptu meeting spaces with connected screens and conference calling abilities, even a good oldfashioned whiteboard for workshopping ideas, are also key factors.  
Remember that by investing in a workspace, you are investing in your people’s ability to deliver great work for the business.  
And for a brand new startup, you will never be as reliant on your employees to help make your venture a success than right at the start!  
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