When you go in to the same office every day, it can be hard to realise that it needs modernising. But when you visit another one or even see one on the news (such as Google, which is the epitome of modern), yours can suddenly feel incredibly drab. You have obviously decided to make some updates, which is exciting but can be daunting. Where do you start? Really, it depends on how much money you have to play with – how much you spend is as long as a piece of string! Here are a few ideas to get you started!

Redesign

Not fussed about dust? You don’t need a full renovation to be able to get your office feeling brand new. You can refresh the space with a fresh coat of paint to display the personality of your business – and this can be seen clearly by staff if you decide to choose a new colour entirely. It doesn’t have to be anything too bright or garish, but if you wanted to dip your toe in the water you could go for something light and have a feature wall. If you have any colours in your logo, incorporating those can make a paint job look really slick.

A lot of office buildings tend to have old looking lights. Upgrading your light fixtures can give a really contemporary feel to your office building. You don’t have to go as far as low hanging bulbs like a trendy coffee shop, but you could upgrade the office floor’s so they are brighter and perhaps get a nice pendant in a meeting room or something more extravagant for your board room if you have one.

Furniture can make all the difference to the interior of an office. If you want to create a fun atmosphere, perhaps get some brightly coloured chairs for your break out areas. If you don’t already have break out areas, it could be worth considering as a good place for people to meet internally for discussions. If you section these off with glass, you may want to consider putting a film over so there is a level of privacy.

How is the floor looking? Do you have carpets? You may want to consider switching these up for polished wood floors to give your office an urban feel. If you’re more corporate, stick to a grey carpet and accentuate colours in other areas.

On the very cheap side of the scale, adding some plants can perk the place up. However, not if you aren’t able to keep them alive. You don’t necessarily need to keep replacing these as there are a great deal of good quality “fake” plants and flowers out there.

Gadgets

Investing in the latest technology can be expensive but it is a sure fire way to get your employees feeling like the place they work is cutting edge. If you have meeting rooms, kit them out with televisions and iboards, and in general presentation tools and software tend to go down well.  

A very important part of the day of most office workers is coffee. You don’t have to fork out hundreds but you can get very good coffee makers. Offering that is a major perk and your staff will appreciate not having to fork out £3 for a coffee!

Branding…branding everywhere

Your office branding is very important as it’s the first thing people see when visiting. Include your logo somewhere obvious – not just on the outside of the building. If you have a reception area, you could get a sign put in there too, and depending on how many people work in your office, having signs above each team is a great touch. It looks more professional and also enables people to know where they are going if they don’t already.  Get in touch with a good signage company who will be able to help you with the design.

Lunch and lounge areas

Whilst you want a high turnover and happy customers, it’s vital that your staff are happy to and able to properly wind down during lunch breaks and even after work. You can go as mad as you like here or start small. If you have space (and the funds) a great perk for employees is an on-site gym, which not only promotes physical health but mental health too, and is a great way for your staff to spend their lunch break should that be their thing.

If you have a big enough recreation area, you could put games in there such as a pool table, table football or air hockey, or if you don’t have too much room, darts. If you’re lucky enough to have a space like this already, make sure the chairs are really comfy so your hard working staff can relax!

On a much, much smaller scale, ensure you’re equipped for people to actually make their lunch – microwaves and toasters is great as they open up lunch options. Not everyone can handle the same old salad or sandwich every day! Having a fridge is essential but you could go one step further and provide some things for free – milk and butter are top of this list but you may decide to offer healthy snack options such as yoghurt, nuts or fresh fruit.  

They’ll also need somewhere to sit and maybe even a comfier area. You could ask that anyone who buys magazines to bring them in once they are done for people to read or ask that they donate books. If you can afford it, a television is a great idea as it is a great form of escapism. With any lounge areas, make sure they stand out from the rest of your office or you run the risk of people not being able to feel like they can relax and disconnect from the working day. You could even change the colour to make it feel as though it’s part of a different building.

Before you get the wheels in motion on any of these points, why not ask your staff what they’d like to see? You may end up with some new and/or improved ideas!