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When starting a business, you are faced with countless questions and dilemmas. How do you make your company stand out? If you want to show clients and employees that your business is interesting and creative, you have to put some effort into making some major leaps.
Here are some ways your business can effectively stand out among the competition.
#1. Introduce a Lounge Area
The office isn’t exactly a relaxing environment. It doesn’t necessarily have to be one, either. Everyone in the office is working hard to make sure that projects are finished before deadlines strike and there is more than enough work to go around. However, it’s nice to have a small space free of stress where you can relax and vibe to some music.
Even the most enthusiastic employee needs a break every once in a while. When you’re slaving away at the office workstation for hours on end, you eventually start to lose focus and productivity drops dramatically. Having a breather allows you to regain your energy and composure and get right back to work.
An office lounge would be a great way to help employees relax during work hours. They can sit back on a couch and listen to some music while sipping their coffee. This will allow them to regain their energy and be more productive for the rest of their day.
#2. Go the Paperless Route
Businesses use a lot of paper on a daily basis. It’s a resource that is wasted on forms and documents that aren’t all that essential in today’s world. With the progress of digital technology, it’s hard to argue that there’s still a place for paper in the modern workplace.
Even employee documents don’t really need to be on paper in order to be easily verifiable. Paper is incredibly unreliable and unstable. Countless fires have started from flammable documents being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It has led to countless lost pieces of information and it’s no surprise a lot of businesses are heading towards the paperless route.
Digital information is easy to input and easy to store. Its security is a lot more reliable and you can never lose the information if you put it in cloud storage. Show your employees and clients that you care about the environment and save the trees by going paperless.
#3. Breathe New Air into the Office
Everyone focuses on making sure that their office looks nice, but you shouldn’t forget about the things you can’t see. The air in your office can get quite stuffy after a long day, especially in the winter, when no one even considers opening windows to let fresh air inside. Air that is stagnant and stuffy doesn’t make for a pleasant atmosphere and it can lead to slight exacerbation of health problems.
To prevent this from happening, you have to influence the air in the office. Since opening windows and letting air circulate isn’t always an option, you can invest in an air freshener which will do the job for you. It might even offer you a nicer smell around the office, which is something employees will certainly appreciate.
#4. You Don’t Really Need a Reception Area
A lot of modern offices are foregoing their reception areas for one reason or another. Some of them want the extra space for the work part of their office, while others simply prefer using it for a canteen or lounge. After all, do you really need a reception space in a fast-paced office?
It’s a lot easier for people to get around business areas nowadays. A lot of your business partners will already be familiar with your office before they even set foot inside. They might see videos or interactive maps of the area, or they might contact you and find out where to go before they arrive. With such a large number of ways to get to you and contact you directly, there’s no reason you should waste space on a reception area.
The way you handle not having a reception area can be a part of the creative process. Instead of having a designated individual that tells people where to go, you can use some design tips and tricks to make it intuitive. A lot of offices use sign systems such as coloured footstep marks around their office, with a colour code printed on the wall. It’s a simple, memorable, and spontaneous way to get clients and business partners around your office and show off your creative thinking right off the bat.
#5. Clean up the Area
Cleaning your office is a no-brainer. Obviously, you’re going to want your place of business to be organized and clean, in order to show clients that you don’t neglect your responsibilities. However, how much cleaning should you really be doing? Most people won’t put in all that much effort to really clean the office up. After all, they see it as a place of work and it can get pretty hectic with all the different people going in and out of it constantly.
The cleaner your office is, the better. Surface level cleaning won’t make your office stand out. Small details here and there will show people that the cleaning isn’t very thorough and it’s just done for the sake of keeping appearances. In order to really keep your office clean, you have to look at some of the less-noticeable details. The carpeted areas in your office need to be vacuumed often. Dust and grime will accumulate and that dusty office smell will permeate the room if you don’t clean it.
You won’t see clients looking through the cabinets in your kitchen or office, but it’s something you and your employees will know. Instead of ignoring them, make sure that you keep them well organized and clean on the inside.
#6. Nature is Always Welcome
Staying indoors all day isn’t the most stimulating experience for our minds and our bodies. People have evolved to enjoy the sight and smell of nature and it has a relaxing effect on our thoughts and our productivity.
You can be sure that your employees are daydreaming about spending time in the Blue Mountains whenever they’re busy at work. Since you can’t bring your office to the forest, why not bring a little bit of the forest into your office?
A couple of plants here and there would do wonders for your workplace. Whenever people are surrounded by greenery, they feel calm and serene, even if it’s in the office. Looking at plants and their leaves has been proven to reduce stress and stimulate wakefulness, which is exactly why a lot of offices are introducing some green foliage to break the monotonous nature of the indoor spaces.
The type of plants you pick doesn’t really matter. As long as you choose something that has some natural green colours, you should be good to go.
#7. Forget About Typical Office Art
It’s no secret that a lot of Australian businesses don’t really focus on art. Most offices will adorn their walls with motivational messages and very generic-looking pieces of art that don’t really stand out. You should avoid hanging photographs of eagles and instead look for something a bit more creative.
There are countless alternative pieces of art that you can get for your walls for nearly no cost at all. The internet is absolutely filled to the brim with free art that is just begging to be used in an aesthetically pleasing way.
Look at the colour palette of your office and make sure that the look of your art matches it. Pick out your own personal favourite list of beautiful images and have them printed. If you enjoy poetry or music, you can print out lyrics and excerpts that you enjoy.
#8. Give the Office a Good Pick-Me-Up
Office kitchens are great because they allow employees to get their lunch ready and make some light snacks to pass the time. They’re never equipped like five-star restaurants, but then again, they don’t have to be. As long as you can provide a microwave to make popcorn, you can be sure that employees will be satisfied.
However, coffee is the one thing that employees don’t compromise on. It’s the most important professional pick-me-up of the day and getting the right kind of coffee can really influence the mood around the office. Everyone needs a good cup of coffee to start the day off, which is why you should strive to get a machine that will give you a good brew.
Coffee is a quintessential element to office socializing. People enjoy their breaks with a nice cup of joe and converse with coworkers about their day. If brewing the coffee takes too long, hardly any time will be left to actually enjoy the break. When you’re looking for coffee machine rental in Sydney, make sure that you pick something that is quick and efficient. People don’t want to spend their lunch breaks in a queue in the kitchen.
#9. Try Implementing New Materials
Business spaces aren’t often bastions of creative architecture and design, but that can easily be changed. One of the best ways to show your innovative design ideas would be to implement some fresh materials into your office.
Things like doors, lights, and furniture are ripe for creative changes. The furniture you buy doesn’t have to strictly be IKEA-like and made of plywood or plastic. You can aim for something more old-timey to give your office lounge a cozy vibe. There’s no reason you can’t find an old leather couch to add to the mix, either.
You don’t have to replace everything with new materials. Instead, you can simply find creative ways to make something out of already popular materials. Wood panelling on the ceiling can make for some interesting shapes. You can make just about anything out of it and all you would need is a couple of screws and nails to install them.
Conclusion
There are lots of ways to make your office stand out in a sea of competitors. You just have to look at your employee and client needs and simply adapt in a creative way.
Make use of some of these ideas and you can be sure that your business will be the best new kid on the block.
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