Why are 30% of People More Productive in an Empowered Office?

An exciting experiment took place in 2010 to test which office environment inspired the most productivity, and the results were opposite to usual management preferences.

Psychologists Alex Haslam and Craig Night at the University of Exeter conducted an experiment to test how four different office layouts would affect staff performing administrative tasks:

1. The first office type was lean, with nothing but a desk, chair, pencil and paper.
2. The second was enriched, using lean elements but with decoration, such as photos of plants.
3. The third, labelled the empowered office, let participants arrange decoration as they liked.
4. And the fourth did the same, before operators moved it back to the second layout.

In summary, participants found the first office most difficult to work in, a surprise to many management execs who have been praising this lean layout for years.

The fourth was the most hated, inspiring frustrated reactions but a scenario we imagine occurs too often! The second enriched office was successful but the third empowered office, which gave everyone the choice in design their own office space whether it’s having decoration to none at all, made them 30% more productive!

Why are 30% More Productive in Empowered Offices?

The conclusions from this experiment highlight that individuality is everything. Office managers have assumed a uniform office is what works best, and it may for first impressions, but what about the employees? What works for one may not work for another and an empowered office is exactly what we expect to see, and need, in the future.

How to Make Your Office Empowered

Make your office empowered by asking your employees what they’d like their ideal desk space to be like. Do they imagine a potted plant with a photo of their family, or an ergonomic chair with a clean uncluttered desk? Let them create it, and reap the rewards of enhanced productivity. Combine this with the top office design trends and install glass partitions to create multiple offices that suit their mood to empower your employees even further.

Improve your employee productivity with glass and demountable partitions today from Applied Workplace. Get in touch with our team of specialists on 01202 577 7676 to find out more or get an instant online quote.