How new work environments can reduce stress

Employees feel more productive when satisfied with their workspace

Seventy-one percent of employees surveyed felt that the new office enabled them to be more productive, a substantial improvement from just 17% in the previous space. Even nine months after relocating, employees continued to experience enhanced productivity, a subsequent survey showed.

Satisfaction with the office environment also soared to 94% from 56%. Notably, employees identified spaces that enable collaboration and focused individual work as the most-improved attributes in the new office.

Increased face-to-face interaction was a primary factor driving the productivity surge, leading to greater interest and engagement in their tasks.

Consistent with a previous neuroscience study in Singapore, employees showed greater focus and immersion in tasks when working around peers, as compared to remotely.

These findings underscore the importance of office design in enabling both effective in-person interactions and focused work, Hamley notes. “Organizations should analyze employees’ creative work styles to create tailored environments that cater to their specific needs, based on how they get their best work done.”