We all know that having a few pictures here and there in your work space can liven up the walls, but did you know that artwork in the office can up your productivity?
Investing in art doesn’t have to be a daunting or expensive process and the benefits can have a hugely positive impact on your business.
Studies conducted by Exeter university found that
people working in what they called ‘enriched’ spaces (that’s to say offices
decorated with colour, art, plants etc) were 17% more productive than those working in the more
sterile, functional ‘lean’ spaces that the study tested against, and it’s
pretty obvious that an aesthetically pleasing and welcoming work space leads to
happier employees, this makes for a more engaged work force as well. But the
benefits to having art in your office reach a lot deeper.
So, here’s 7 reasons why you should include artwork in your next refurbishment:
1) Connecting the
artwork, you choose to put up, with your company’s ethos. History and image can
really help create a sense of brand identity. By thoughtfully picking the artwork on your walls
you can subtly convey to clients ‘what you’re all about’.
A picture paints a
thousand words and you want your office to tell both your staff, and your
customers what you believe in.
2) Art can connect you
with your local community. Images of nearby landscapes,
city scenes or local points of interest brings together a sense of local
awareness, both making your staff feel at home but also showing that you pay
attention to the world around you outside the office.
3) On the flip side
just as you can show local knowledge, you can also show off your national or
global outreach with images relating to other branches and their locations or
even areas of the country or world that your company has business dealings
with. It is especially important when considering this type of artwork in a
head office. You want to convey a sense of connection with other branches and
show the staff working in them that they are just as important to the business.
Using art to emphasise the spread of your company is a subtle way to show the
extent of your authority and reach.
4) Getting your staff
involved in the selection process can forge a greater bond between employer and
employee, as it gives a feeling of empowerment to the people that are working for you. In fact,
the Exeter study mentioned above found that staff who actually had a say over
their working environment worked a whole 30% more productively (than those who
had no say and worked in ‘lean’ environments) that’s twice as productive as
those who worked in the ‘enriched’ spaces. Letting staff pick the artwork on
the walls is a way to help engage them with their own work space without having
to compromise on office layout and other areas of design.
5) Artwork can help
with client relationships as well, not only can it provide a talking point – art is of course
subjective - in those waiting areas, board and meeting rooms, but also shows
that your company is culturally
engaged. In more
conservative sectors (such as finance or law) the line between a corporate
image and a welcoming friendly atmosphere is sometimes hard to draw but having
engaging pieces of artwork up on the walls helps your business show that it has
character. It gives your office space a soul without sacrificing any
professionalism.
6) You may be thinking
‘well won’t this be a distraction for my staff?’, well in truth being
surrounded by visual stimuli is shown to boost creativity, your employees won’t be day
dreaming instead studies show that working in a design aware environment leads
to a more inspired output.
7) Distinct pieces of
art can help staff and customers navigate your office space. Not only do key pieces of
artwork make different areas of your work space more distinguishable and easier
to find (“I’ll meet you in the X room, or I’ll see you by the X painting”) but
it can also be an aid to agile working. By adding different pieces of art
(perhaps varying in media, texture, style etc) to your work environment in
notably different areas of the office, you can easily give each space a unique
feel and characteristic. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck on a task at work
or if you just need a change of scenery to clear your head, bringing artwork
into an agile office space (where you can easily switch up the space where you
are working) is a simple way to create that refreshing feeling, so needed to
get your head back on track.
How does this work for you?
When people talk about ‘buying art’ there is a
preconception that you must spend a lot of money, but this is far from what we
are suggesting here. You don’t need some extravagant budget to brighten up your
office. instead supporting your local community can both promote the bond
between a business and it's neighbours but also demonstrates your investment in
local culture and supporting the local arts scene.
Likewise, you don’t have to buy a piece outright,
you can rent artwork through companies such as ARTIQ, this allows you to dip
your toe into the art world without having to commit straight away, a try
before you buy idea. But equally renting pieces regularly can keep your office
feeling fresh. By changing up your wall spaces you create talking points,
provide a creative space for your staff to work in and keep your interior
design up to date. This can also encourage employees to move around the office
to see what’s new, in large companies where different departments don’t really
mingle this encourages interaction and lets your staff get to know each other!
Equally if you have already bought pieces, rotating them regularly can also
keep things feeling fresh and new.
It’s important to think about the tone you want to
set with the art that you put up. For example, large scale contemporary pieces
can project a swish, modern high flying ideal or traditional antique pieces can
emphasise a company’s heritage and long-standing authority.
As mentioned earlier, it’s a good idea to get your
staff involved at some level when deciding what goes on the walls.
Whether this
is shortlisting pieces and putting out a poll to see what people like and want
to work around, or perhaps having a photography competition where the winners
get their work hung up.
Or even if your business is centred around childcare
for example (or has strong family values) framing artwork done by kids can
easily show the positive ethos that your company has. Art like this is a subtle
way to covey to your clients that your business has strong values and cares
about its employees and customers. Engaging with your staff and community like
this can really encourage a sense of cohesion within your business and make
people more invested in the place that they work. This is the key to retention
as well, if your staff feel like they have a say or are include in the look and
feel of their office space they’re much more likely to enjoy the working day!
Yes taking the plunge and buying pieces of art can
be scary but it should make for a happier, more productive office and we at Hi
Design believe that artwork forms an integral part of the design process and
many of our clients take advantage of our dressing service to add the finishing
touch to their new offices. If you need help picking the right pieces of art to
breathe new life into your work space please don’t hesitate to ask.
Hi Design ‘work spaces that work’