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Have you considered everything about your next office move?

More than just a change of scenery, moving offices is the prime opportunity to revisit the things that make your business tick. From re-evaluating costs to implementing new ways of working.

But moving offices is not just about growing the company and improving your brand, it is also the chance to realign the culture of your organisation, increase productivity and boost staff morale.

When you consider that the spaces we occupy in our lives directly influence who we are and how we behave, it begins to make sense that the spaces we spend the largest amount of time need to be optimised to provide maximum benefit.

A relatively new frontier, businesses are increasingly exploring the role our sense of smell could play in the workplace. We already know that it is intertwined with the area of the brain responsible for memories and much of our emotional activity.

Cinnamon, mint, lemon, orange and rosemary are all thought to have the power to boost productivity at work. We already understand the calming and stress-relieving properties of household favourite, lavender so why not explore other scents.

Getting the right scent in your new office could play a role in increasing staff retention, productivity and at the very least make the workplace as more pleasant place to be.

On the topic of appealing to the senses, what role does music and sound have to play? If music has the power to inspire, create and provoke emotion, why do so many workplaces maintain a zero tolerance policy towards it?

Inevitably the response to music and sound will differ depending on the nature of your industry, but there is plenty of research to suggest that the effects can be positive.

Dr Anneli Haake of The University of Sheffield has carried out extensive research into the effects of individual music listening in workplaces in the UK. She states that:“Music could fulfil a range of important functions for employees, including providing relief from stress, and improving concentration”

Perhaps more natural sounds would be more appropriate. Sounds such as flowing water have unique masking properties, meaning only people nearby will be able to understand you. Sounds beyond a certain distance will be unintelligible.

These sound masking systems could just be the answer to improving cognitive abilities and productivity, in addition to providing the levels of speech privacy that the modern workplace demands.

Today’s office space is often stripped back, with the idea that less is more. But is that really the case? It is becoming more apparent that when it comes to the working environment, less is sometimes just less.

Considered the impact of greenery or plants in the office? According to the American Society of Horticultural Science, indoor air can be as much as 12 times more polluted than the air outside, due to compounds in paints, furnishings, clothing, and building materials.

The purple waffle plant, the English ivy and the asparagus fern have been tried and tested as being the top performers at removing volatile organic compounds, or VOCs in the home.

In fact, NASA found that houseplants were able to remove up to 87 percent of air toxins over a 24 hour period so it is definitely worth investing in some plants.

With so many advancements in our understanding of the way people work, it makes sense to take full advantage of your next office move. To stay one step ahead, get in touch with Ultimate (Commercial Interiors) ltd for help in planning and designing your new office.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ultimate Commercial Interiors Ltd. .