3 Office Design Concepts & How They Can Influence Employee Retention

It’s common knowledge that an engaged employee is less likely to leave your company, less likely to take sick days and more likely to be productive. They also cost you less, as the average cost of hiring a new employee is now more than $4,000.

It’s important to retain employees, and while perks and salary are important, office designs in Denver, CO can also make a difference. Small changes to design can impact conscious and subconscious attitudes toward work, from changing the ambient temperature of the room to influencing noise levels and impacting mood through available sunlight.

Let’s look at three common office designs in Denver, CO and how they can influence employee retention. Get in touch with our team today to learn more!
 

1. Open Office

The golden child. Open offices are often highly sought after these days, as many see them as huge collaboration spaces. Many companies find teams are able to work better together with large open office layouts.

One thing open offices are great for is sunlight. As long as you have lots of windows on at least one end of the room, light can easily reach deep into the office, providing everyone with at least a little glimpse of daylight!
 

2. Cubicles

Cubicles are a bit of a wild card. With heights generally ranging from 42” or 3’6” (low walls) to 66” or 5’5” (high walls), the amount of noise cancellation and heat trapping which can occur varies greatly. And remember the higher the cubicle, the more sunlight will be blocked – though, some cubicle designs do include glass panels rather than fabric at the top to allow for additional light.
 

3. Individual Offices

Individual offices allow for a lot more customization when it comes to the work environment. Depending on their personality, employees may feel much more engaged because they’re able to decorate more as well as control noise and temperature better. Others may feel cut off from their coworkers, and unable to collaborate the way they’d like.
 

Additional Considerations

Interior walls aren’t the only thing to consider if you’re worried about noise, temperature and lighting.

Your flooring type will greatly influence these factors. Carpeting both helps insulate to retain heat and also deadens footfalls and speech. Floors are especially important on open office spaces, since all other temperatures and noise controls are missing. Cushion-backed tile flooring can also help absorb noise and insulate better than plain tile, wood or concrete flooring would.

Employee energy can be greatly influenced by lighting. Main office spaces need to be brightly lit and painted with cooler colors, so access to natural light is key here. Breakout spaces for collaboration or break rooms should have lower amounts of light and warmer colors to help employees relax and recharge.

For further design considerations for your office designs in Denver, CO, get in touch today!