Optimize Your Office for Productive Meetings
Everyone knows the feeling of being trapped in a meeting that could’ve been an email. When your calendar is as full as your to-do list, it can be tempting to cancel routine meetings and focus on more single-minded work.
But even when it’s a struggle to find the time, research shows that regular one-on-one meetings with employees should be a key part of every manager’s strategy. As distinguished professor Steven G. Rogelberg recently noted in the Harvard Business Review, “managers who don’t invest in such conversations—who view them as a burden, hold them too infrequently, or manage them poorly—risk leaving their team members disconnected, both functionally and emotionally.”
The quality of one-on-one meetings depends on many factors—careful planning, respect for each participant’s time, balancing focus between short-term objectives and long-term goals. But there’s one aspect of meeting optimization that often goes overlooked: The room where it happens. Below, we’ll share a couple of strategies to make your meeting environments more appealing.
The Altos/Optos transparent walls system from Teknion
Maximize Natural Light
The benefits of natural light exposure in workplace environments—and the detriments of lacking it—have been touted by productivity experts for years. According to Psychology Today, workers with access to natural light report higher levels of satisfaction in all kinds of quality-of-life measures when compared to those who work in offices without windows, including getting 46 more minutes of sleep per night on average.
Of course, the best way to let sunlight into your office is to have large windows. Even if your windows aren’t quite as big as you’d like them to be, however, there are ways to maximize the effect of the natural light you do have. Transparent interior walls like these from Teknion’s Altos/Optos system can adapt to a variety of floorplans and allow light to flow into and through a space without sacrificing acoustic privacy.
The Fractals seating collection from Studio TK
Create Collaborative Areas
Productivity thought-leaders like James Clear have long claimed designing an environment that promotes success—with different areas designated for specific activities—is just as important as having the drive to achieve your goals. Much like bringing a laptop into your bedroom can feel like work intruding on your private life, holding meetings in your private office can make them feel like interruptions rather than opportunities.
So consider stepping away from the workstation and holding your next meeting in a more neutral setting. Modular soft seating options like Studio TK’s Fractals collection offer comfortable arrangements for one-on-ones, and the optional high back can bring a degree of privacy to open-office layouts.
Want to make your workspace more conducive to productive, energizing collaboration? Get in touch with OfficeWorks’ space-planning experts today to discuss strategies for your next office redesign.