3 Tips For Designing an Office Startup That Is Appealing to Employees

When designing an office space that will cause people to clamor to work for you, you might think you have to invest in a video game room, provide everyone with an amazing espresso bar or bring in pizzas every Friday for lunch.

While your employees probably would not say no to these types of amenities, when the chips are down, what they find appealing in an office space is a bit more basic.

For example, if you are busy designing a startup office, the following tips can help you create a space where people want to work.

1. Give them privacy

As Office Renew notes, open office spaces were all the rage for a while. However, what employers are finding out is that their team does not necessarily want to work in a large area with everyone else — they like their opportunities for privacy. This does not mean a return to the land of cubicles where no one sees anyone else; instead, consider creating a number of zones where people can work depending on what they are doing.

 

These can include conference rooms, “huddle rooms” for privacy or brainstorming sessions with a few other team members, phone rooms where people can make calls or work solo and social areas like a break room or a work area that is noise-friendly.

2. Let there be light (and maybe a nice view, too)

According to a recent study by Future Workplace called “The Employee Experience,” more than half of the over 1,600 North American employees surveyed said that natural light and views of the outdoors were their most important office perks. More specifically, employees reported that access to natural light and views made them more happy, improved their work satisfaction, performance and commitment to the company.

On the flip side, 47 percent of the employees surveyed noted that a lack of natural light or a window at the office made them feel tired. When choosing where to house your startup, do everything you can to select a space that has ample natural light including plenty of windows, and if possible, a great view. Then, set up desks and other work areas near the windows.

3. Help them feel safe

One of the most appealing concepts to a potential employee is office safety. To help assure your team that you are taking their sense of security very seriously, outfit your startup with a high-quality and visible security system. While you don’t want to spook your employees by making it sound like you are in a high-crime area, or that you will use your surveillance system to keep tabs on what they are doing, it will be reassuring to everyone that you have security cameras monitoring the premises.

Enjoy that new office space and your happy team of employees

It is reassuring to know that you don’t have to spend huge amounts of money on extravagant perks to entice people to work for your startup. Employees don’t necessarily need or want over-the-top attractions; they really just want the basics like natural lighting, a sense of privacy and feeling safe when at work.