Pay Attention to Your Space

Your staff will spend eight, ten, 12 or more hours a day in your office, so you want to make sure it’s a place they want to be.

At a minimum, all of your office space should be as clean, bright, well-appointed, and well-looked after as your reception and public areas. What’s good enough for clients and visitors should be good enough for your staff.

But some of the Best Firms to Work For take a step or two beyond just making the place presentable. Minneapolis’ Mahoney Ulbrich Christiansen & Russ, for instance, reported, “We purchased all new furniture, including motorized desks for all employees, which enable them to adjust the desk height to sit or stand throughout the day. Employees were also allowed to select their choice of new seating” – including giant exercise balls that aim to strengthen sitters’ cores while they work.

Standing desks are making appearances in more and more of the Best Firms, like Wichita, Kansas’ Allen, Gibbs & Houlik, where about a quarter of the firm’s 128 staff got to their feet when the firm offered them the opportunity.

Personal choices and cutting-edge furniture will appeal directly to the individual employee, but don’t underestimate the value of a workplace that is, overall, nice to be in. Workplace psychologists regularly tout the value of an attractive workplace to productivity and mood.

“Our offices are aesthetically beautiful, with inviting colors, comfortable chairs, dual monitors, lots of big windows to let the light shine in, and all of the high-tech equipment we could ever want,” said California’s Mengali Accountancy.

Beyond the psychological benefits of a beautiful office, changing your space can also change the way you work for the better. “Our firm recently renovated our entire office space to transform it into workspace that is relevant for the future generations of the workforce,” reported Atlanta’s Porter Keadle Moore. “We knocked down walls to create more collaborative space and updated the look and feel of the space.”

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