The design of a workplace can often be the key to employee productivity and job satisfaction, influencing factors such as an employee's decision to join a company, commitment to work and the inclination to stay on.Yet, the investment and effort involved in designing a workplace is surprisingly low. MYB decided to chat with a few architects and designers across the country to make this task a little easier and find out five things that are a no-no for any business owner looking to create an effective office space. 

1. Not paying enough attention to light and colour 

Your office should be as naturally lit as possible. Also, adding too much colour or too many bright shades at the same time can be distracting and actually hamper productivity at work. Therefore, colours should be used very selectively to enliven the space.
—Vimi Rath, founder and director, Stonehenge Designs, New Delhi 

2. Ignoring the office’s brand value

It is important for workplace design to help represent and enhance your organisation’s ethos, branding, type of work, aspirations and other intangible aspects. Most offices we come across are so similar it becomes difficult to distinguish one from the other, regardless of industry and size.
—Sneha Ostawal, principal architect, Source Architecture, Bangalore

3. Being too “now”

Most offices end up designing for their current needs. But, a dynamic organisation, as most small and mid-size enterprises are, should factor in flexibility, and scope for expansion. Aesthetically also, it is good to balance contemporary influences with a certain timelessness.
—Amritha Ballal, founding partner, SpaceMatters, New Delhi

4. Neglecting employee work patterns

The worst mistake you could make is not communicating with employees to understand their needs and difficulties in the current workplace. Work patterns should be studied more carefully to achieve cost effective design, especially when it comes to installing services such as air conditioning and lighting.
—Madhavi Sagane, independent designer, Mumbai

5. Shying away from professional help

In Indian metros where real estate prices are high, one should use space efficiently. A lot of offices try to fit too much storage or too many people in a little area. There are innovative ways to use spaces that a designer can help discover. In spite of that, people tend to save costs by hiring local servicemen.
—ElricaD’souza, founder, Zyk Design Studio, Mumbai