As UK workers continue the slow return to the office, many may find themselves begrudging the change back from home comforts to spending time in a dreary workspace. As a business leader, one of the ways you can better facilitate the return to work is to re-decorate the office with employees in mind: a new office for a new era of work. Redecorating can be daunting, but it doesn’t need to be expensive; here are some relatively frugal ways in which you can change up the office to welcome back staff.
Change Up the Lighting
One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to change the feel of your workspace is to alter its lighting. Adding new light sources can change the way a space feels, by virtue of casting different shadows; coupled with using warmer, dimmer lights, you can easily create a much softer dynamic in the space. Fairy lights are an unobtrusive way to achieve this, and cost very little to procure. Alternatively, you can invest in desk lamps for employees to use how they wish, and minimize the use of the fluorescent lights you likely have installed.
Redecorate the Walls
You can also affect a profound change in mood with little more than a lick of paint. Even if you simply rent your office, you’ll likely be able to get permission to re-paint the walls in a new color or with a new design in mind. Different colors can refresh the space, but also directly invoke a sense of refreshment in your employees; for example, blue and yellow are credited with stimulating productivity and creativity respectively.
You could also take this opportunity to refresh your wall decorations, in line with the new office décor. Hanging framed pictures of employees or events related to the business could be a great way to incorporate the team into the decorating process. You could also design and order your own posters, featuring your business’ logos or prior campaign materials, to advertise your brand and successes to potential visitors as well as remind your team of their progress.
Introduce Greenery
Another form of decoration can be found in the form of flora. Adding plants and shrubs to the office can inject a touch of color, and a breath of fresh air in the form of verdant greenery. Plants can have beneficial effects on mental health and productivity when introduced to working environments, evoking a sense of nature and peace – through caring for the plants may prove a little time-consuming for some, in which case plastic plants are a convincing facsimile.
Vintage and Recycled Materials
Sustainability has had a big push in recent years, as the climate crisis engages an ever-growing population of agitators for change, and sustainable practices become trends. Sustainability is in part responsible for interior design trends incorporating upcycled furniture and raw textiles – which themselves are also inexpensive to realize. By keeping an eye out for second-hand furniture and low-cost vintage items, you can create a unique office aesthetic for less than the price of new wholesale office furniture.
