Picture this – a return to the office

12 April has been and gone. The shops opened, and life is returning to normal, and now companies are seriously thinking about opening their offices and inviting their employees back. It’s the ideal time to get the office ready.

But where do you start? Some staff may be reluctant to return to the office because they’re worried and anxious, but some may be raring to get back to a work environment. Plus, in all likelihood, most staff will be working flexibly. Some may even want to continue to work remotely, so how do you cater to everyone?

A significant consideration is, of course, your office space. You only get one chance at a first impression, so make it count. To create a wow factor when employees or visitors walk through the door, hang a fantastic piece of artwork in reception (or rent a sculpture if you have the floor space). It will boost morale immediately.

Don’t restrict art to the meeting rooms where you want to impress clients. Make sure you put it in your back-office space as well, so your staff can enjoy it. Research has proven that workspaces with art see productivity increase by 35%.

Next, consider how you want your people to feel when they walk into their office. After so long away, you’ll like them to feel welcomed and appreciated for all they’ve done over the past year. If staff walk into a once-bland office to find it spiced up with art spaces, they’ll know their company is treating them and showing appreciation. On top of this, wellness increases by a staggering 42% immediately in a workspace with art. Anxiety and stress levels go down, while other mental health issues are alleviated. Happiness levels rise, interactions between staff are more joyful and friendly, their moods improve, and they do better work.

How do you make the office a destination again? If your people are only working in town two or three days a week, help make the commute worthwhile through programming and events. At Art in Offices, we offer our clients a programme of events that can be done at the office and remotely to build a sense of engagement and community. The programme includes artists talks, (virtual) studio visits, creative team-building activities, workshops, visits to galleries and a curry after work. Building a community laterally within a building is also critical to creating and building a community that’s not just limited to an office or a floor.

How do you create that sense of community again? Lots of this is down to collaboration and creating spaces for it to thrive. Many of our clients have used art to ‘zone’ spaces. They have curated quiet working areas with calmer artworks. Collaboration stations have exciting and colourful artworks that get the mental juices flowing, break-out areas have artwork that brings nature to help people relax. People will naturally build their micro-office communities again when you give them spaces that convey different energies.

And don’t forget that you can rent art and even rotate it. That means you can refresh your space at regular intervals and keep it energised while creating a real talking point if you give staff the option to curate their own office.

We’ve seen what a difference art makes to an office, now let us show you.