Office furniture and design ‘affect staff productivity’

A workplace which is cluttered with old office furniture and outdated office equipment can have a negative effect on employee productivity, according to a new study.

Research carried out by The Mind Lab for HP suggested that staff who work in an office with open spaces and mobile office equipment reap significant benefits.

The researchers set up two workspaces – a "free-range" office with an open layout and mobile communication devices and a "battery" office with cubicles, more stationery office furniture and slow computers.

Workers in the free-range office saw their stress levels fall by 50 per cent and their productivity rise significantly. They also exhibited higher IQ scores and increased short-term memory abilities.

"On every measure from memory to IQ to the speed with which new information was processed, the battery office produced a marked decrease in intellectual performance combined with a sharp increase in stress levels," remarked Dr David Lewis, research director neuropsychologist at The Mind Lab.

"The study clearly shows that restrictive working conditions are not just bad for employees, they are also very bad for business."

Last month, architecture firm Stubbs Rich also found that the positioning of office furniture and equipment can have an impact on employee morale.

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