Do you want to have more engaged employees, decrease office expenses, improve employee engagement and morale?  Your office design can play a major part in those desires. How you may ask? Let’s take a look:

The Kennedy Strategy

According to an article in Entrpreneur Magazine, (Read Article Here) every company should take notes from Robert Kennedy, who made sure that the U.S. Justice Department had the best office design features. Lunch tables in the courtyard, a gym on the roof, and a dog-friendly office were just a few of these design elements. Implementing these features resulted in a huge boost in employee morale according to his biographer, Larry Tye, and strengthened the trust the employees had in Kennedy.

It is key here to focus on what these amenities represent, rather than the fact that they allow the employees to exercise, eat a nice lunch, or pet some dogs. These amenities represent the employer’s trust in his or her employees. They trust their employees to get their work done while also take advantage of the office perks. Building trust is imperative for improving employee engagement.

How Does Office Design Exhibit Trust?

Here lies the crux of the matter: It is not only the employees who regularly don their running shoes that benefit from the running track. It is not just what the running track allows employees to do, but what it represents: a trust in staff that they will spend their time at work responsibly and that they are not chained to their desks.

We all know that office designs can largely vary, so the way that office design exhibits trust has to do with the amount of freedom granted to the employee. For instance, if your office has adaptable design elements like moveable desks or furniture, then you are implying that you trust your employee to customize their workspace to their liking in order to work the most efficiently.

You can also indicate trust in your employees through acts of kindness. Providing employees with such things as comfortable, high-quality chairs, a fully stocked healthy snack bar, and a standing desk show that you care about their well-being and trust them to make the most out of these perks.

The Benefits of Employer/Employee Trust

When you establish trust between you and your employees, you are sure to boost engagement. This can result in a more positive and productive business environment, where your employees look forward to coming in every day and have more of an influence on business operations. If you are looking for ways to further engage employees and indicate your trust, incorporate design elements such as collaborative spaces, meditation rooms, or a rec room, in addition to what we mentioned above. Better yet, see what ideas your employees have concerning improving office design elements. This is a great way to show that you trust them to implement an idea that will benefit the company.

If you’re interested in making office improvements, renovating your office, or if you’re planning to relocate your office in the near future, give us a call at 314.209.8000 or email us at aubreyk@pi-pfi.com

*Article adapted from FSN Partner Service West https://www.servicewest.com/office-design-can-indicate-trust-in-your-employees/