Article Contributed on: 6/11/2007 2:48:14 PM
How many of us are all too familiar with working in spaces that resemble a beige, white or grey box with no ventilation or natural sunlight? It is no surprise the average American worker feels unhealthy, depressed, overworked, and unproductive within their current work environment and it should be no wonder to management why their employees are lethargic and cannot seem to produce quality work.
Fortunately for workers, many businesses large and small are starting to take notice of this decline, and are promptly earmarking their budgets and incorporating color and other health inducing elements into workspaces.
Businesses are finding that as they transform working conditions for staff, they are also creating environments which encourage higher productivity, stimulate creativity and can even affect the bottom line.
Two businesses come to mind as leaders in the trend towards healthier and more inspired workspaces. The "world's best search engine", better known as Google is leading the way in workplace innovation through the use of color and décor in company artwork, office areas and even the employee café's. On a much smaller scale, Denver based arts-in-education organization, THINK360 has stepped up to the challenge by moving their staff into a larger work space that incorporates a healthy dose of color (
provided by Spiral Design Color Consulting and Dina Chaiffetz), increased the amount of natural sunlight, provided larger work areas and added a small scale gallery. Both of these companies have created a more pleasant environment that assists employees in being at the top of their game.
So what can an employee sitting in a beige box complete with ugly cubicle, do to give the office a much needed boost of energy? You can start with your own space by adding a dose of color through artwork and other simple décor. Increase ventilation by adding a healthy plant that increases air circulation, and make the extra effort to go outside on breaks rather than hanging out by the water cooler.
If you work at home, you call the shots and have the luxury of creating a space that is uniquely your own and meets your specific needs. Consider painting the space with a favorite color or take a cue from a piece of art hanging above your desk, that inspires you as you work those long hours. Starting with one color or design element is the best approach in creating a balanced space that is neither too cold, nor too hot, as this can encourage illness and increases the potential for duplicating that company work space you loathed so much. Limit patterns and consider how much natural light you have to work with in order to create a space that is well lit and well ventilated.
By focusing on one color element, you can design a space that is therapeutic, energizing and makes you want to actually work - imagine that!
For more information on how your company or home office can design a simple and affordable color plan -
Contact:
Christina Kittelstad, Spiral Design Color Consulting
www.spiraldesignsinc.com
Christina@spiraldesignsinc.com