What your office says about you

Let’s face it, most of us spend the majority of our waking hours in the office. So shouldn’t the working environment be as friendly and inviting as possible? Well, this largely depends on the type of business you are working in and whether you have a personal office of a shared space office. We take a look at what different office environments might say about you and the organisation you work for. 

Minimalist

Doctors, lawyers, CEOs and other professionals tend to have more minimalistic offices that can seem cold. It is important to make clients feel at ease so even in minimalist offices there needs to be some warmth. Perhaps a splash of colour in artwork, a sofa seating area or coloured flooring. A family photo on the desk or an ice breaking talking point can make all the difference to a client and make you seem more ‘human’ and approachable.

Open plan

Today’s trend for more open, shared space offices – where confidentially is not such a high priority – can be made much more fun without compromising the work ethic. Bright airy clean spaces with modern furniture, comfy seating, good lighting and décor are welcoming, and immediately create the right atmosphere for staff and visitors. Conversely, a drab, old fashioned office with antiquated furniture, little seating and old fluorescent light strips tells everyone ‘this company is not up-to-date’ and is going to reflect badly on you and your business.

Tidy desk, messy desk

Much is made of ‘tidy desk verses messy desk’, with some advocating a tidy desk equals a tidy mind, and others saying it’s more productive to be messy. This depends on how tidy or messy it really is! As long as it isn’t to extremes and is clean, without dirty coffee cups building up, it really shouldn’t matter.  Some people like to have files etc. to hand on their desk and that’s fine – just be sure it doesn’t look too chaotic.