First impressions are so powerful that even facts will not change them – as found in a study by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. In this sense, your professional appearance – and that of your business – is so powerful that it can override even a solid business reputation.
The question for anyone considering updating their premises or carrying out renovation could be: what amounts to making a good first impression? While basics such as cleanliness and tidiness are key, they aren’t everything. Your business should express the core values of your business and surpass client expectations of what an office in your industry should look like. It’s why many entrepreneurs look into franchising because often the first impression has already been made and the formula has proven effective. That’s the effective franchise meaning, but how might you leverage this, or curate your own business introduction?
In this post, we’ll discuss that and more:
Putting Wellness at the Forefront
One value being embraced by key players in the architecture and interior design industries is that of employee wellbeing. The offices of WSP The Mailbox recently was one of four Birmingham-based winners of the British Council for Offices’ Midland and Central Property Awards and the reason is its placement of wellbeing at the epicentre of its design. The offices comply with the global healthy workplace certification and have met the company’s own sustainability targets (which include creating a zero carbon footprint by 2025). The interior architecture of the offices comprises light-filled, open-plan, collaborative spaces, as well as more private zones (think cosy booths and circular half-open spaces). The layout suits both group and individual/small-group work, and acoustics are second-to-none. Before making a decision on the final look, management surveyed staff, finding out that they desired breakout areas for informal meetings, social spaces, and flexible workspaces. These wishes were taken into account and the result was a 14% perceived increase in productivity.
When Artistry is a Necessity
If you work in fields like design, art, technology or engineering, then cutting-edge interiors should be a priority. The WSP The Mailbox offices are a clear example of how modern, avante-garde interiors can show clients exactly what your business can do for them (in this case, the company offers management and technical consultancy services for the property sector). Another Birmingham company, Cornerblock, recently deemed Best Commercial Workplace, has features that appeal to those with a taste for design – including a dramatic front entrance and stunning communal roof garden. This building celebrates the beauty of urban design, both in its metal-and-glass exterior construction and its use of industrial materials like brick and tile in its interiors. The offices boast an almost New York loft-type design, sparse yet rugged, minimalistic yet functional, light-filled, and graced with the odd metallic feature and artworks that provide a pleasant spot for the eye to roam between work tasks.
Breaking Free of the Mould
Core values like sustainability, ergonomics, and open space design are increasingly becoming the norm among top-level businesses in the UK. You need to use services like PAT Testing to keep your business safe, clever design to make your workplace aesthetically pleasing and well thought out spatial planning to ensure you can accommodate anyone who may be visiting. Ingenuity House has been lauded for its innovative spirit, since it shows how intelligent thinking and design can ensure that space and energy are utilised to the full. The business utilises an intelligent occupier system that maximises energy consumption, aligning it with the user’s needs. Artistry abounds in every corner of the office space, which boasts pyramid-like atriums and ceilings, irregularly descending staircases, private and collaborative working spaces, and a stunning central patio built to improve internal communication.
A select number of offices in the Midlands are showing the extent to which design can express a company’s core values – including interest in their employees’ wellbeing and a wish to lower their carbon footprint. Innovative design also leads to improved collaboration and workflow, which is beneficial both to the businesses themselves and their clients. Breaking free of traditional design exudes innovation – a quality that leaders in their field should express in everything from the way their employees dress to the offices they greet clients in.
