Cheerful offices help staff work harder

Published in the Sunday Times 2001

Keen on improving the working environment: When Dawn Gibbins remodeled Flowcrete's offices, sales were boosted threefold

Owner-Managers have long struggled to keep up with bigger companies on staff perks. M Gyms and crèches are beyond their reach.  But some are catching up by investing in what they have discovered could be the cheapest perk of all – improving the workplace surroundings.

Dawn Gibbins is one such owner-manager.  She was sceptical when she found out that her Kuala Lumpur office was planning to pay £2,000 for a study by a workplace environmental consultant.

But the investment paid off. After workplace improvements, staff productivity humped and sales increased threefold in a year to £1.5m.

The change was a milestone for Flowcrete, the firm that Gibbins started to make flooring for airports and railway stations.

“The consultant highlighted how air quality and lighting can help staff” says Gibbins.  “That report made me stop and think how vital the working environment is to the success of my company”.

Last year Gibbins commissioned a second workplace survey, this time at her main site in Sandbach, Cheshire.  When the changes had been implemented, clutter was cleared away, the entrances made more visible to visitors, better lighting installed and the colour scheme livened up.

The improvements were not limited to the offices.  Pictures were put up on the walls of the factory and air quality was improved with a better ventilation system.

“The changes seemd to create a real buzz among our staff and soon afterwards sales took off so much that had to go into 24-hour production” says Gibbins.

Like any other small business owners trying to make such improvements, Gibbins had to do it on a tight budget.  She spent less than £5,000 on the revamp.

“A lot of the changes – such as plants for the office and better lighting equipment – have been very cheap.  But it has had a positive impact none the less” she says.

Gibbins is not the only owner-manager spending money on offices and workshops to make workers happier and more productive.

Small firms are being increasingly attracted to this because it is often the cheapest perk they can provide, according to the Federation of Small Businesses, the small firms lobby group.

John Emmins, its chairman, says “A lot of staff perks, such as crèches, are above the heads of our members.  They just cannot afford them.  Most small firms offer just a basic salary and a pension.  But workers expectations are getting higher.  Creating a better working environment can be a substitute for the other, more expensive perks that only the larger companies can afford”.

More firms are becoming interested in how staff are affected by their surroundings, syas Robert Gray of the Perfect Space, a business that helps firms redesign their offices and factories.

“Businesses are increasingly realising there are rewards to be gained from taking note of the work environment” says Gray.

He believes that many offices sap workers.  “Most are fairly unhealthy places” says Gray.  “Toxins are released all the time by computers, photocopies and man-made materials.  They stagnate the environment and the result is that employers don’t get the best performance from staff”. 

“The quality of air, for instance, can be helped by the careful positioning of the right kind of plants.  Scientific research by NASA backs this up” he says.  “Too much clutter in the workplace is also bad.  Artificial lighting, such as narrow-band fluorescent strips, can make people lethargic”.

Gibbins wants to build on these principles in the new office and production unit she is planning.  “The plans include south-facing buildings to make the most of the natural light, music throughout the corridors and relaxation areas, plenty of meeting places for staff and lots of trees and plants”.

She is ordering giant murals with pictures of mountains and streams for the factory.  “this will involve a large investment but we believe we will get financial benefits from better motivated staff”.

The move by small firms to improve their working environment is partly, a response to working trends, according to DEGW, an architecture and design firm.

Ken Gaining of DEGW says “There was a feeling at one stage that everyone would be working from home.  But people are actually spending more time in the office.

“The work environment is often the reason people leave a company.  On the other hand, it can be a reason to join.  So companies are focusing on creating a more homely environment in the office.

“People are investing money in the hub space of the office.  It might be something as simple as taking out the vending machine, replacing it with a decent coffee maker and having a corner where people can meet.  This sends a message to the staff that the leaders of the business care about their people”.

The cost of redesigning a typical office for 10 people starts at about £80,000, according to Gaining.  But he says the rewards are high.  Surveys show there is an increase in staff satisfaction after offices are redesigned.

Companies that have smaller budgets can take simpler steps says Pia McKerron, who runs a design agency called McKerron Lloyd Design.  She has also noticed an increase in the number of owner-managers wanting to improve their offices and workshops.

“The layout is the most important thing” she says “Not breaking up an open-plan area is a problem – an office space should not be monotonous”.

“Designing an office like designing a kitchen.  Before you do it you have to work out how people work in it.  But a lot of companies don’t do this”.

Small firms are doing more than just brightening up their offices.  They are also wooing workers by offering flexible working hours, according to the Forum of Private Business, the lobby body.

Jim Redman of the form says the relationship between boss and worker in a small firm is not the same as in a big company.  “Small firms have a much clo9ser personal relationship and they can offer flexible working hours as part of their package”.