AN electronic dance mat sits in the centre of the office at youth fitness firm
Shokk. The mat - on which employees are encouraged to practise their dance
moves on a daily basis - is just one of the many unusual ways in which the
company uses its office space to inspire its staff.
Managing director Kieran Murphy believes the company’s dynamic workspace
relates directly to its creative output.
“From the moment you step into our office there’s a culture of ideas that will
feed into productivity,” he said.
Shokk owns a number of youth-only gyms and hosts evening classes and activity
sessions. The company also recently expanded into sports merchandise. With
an emphasis on the creation of new and innovative ways to encourage young
people to exercise, Murphy is keen to maintain an environment that
encourages staff to stay focused on their subject matter. “Games and youth
exercise are central to Shokk, so I also wanted to keep them central in the
work environment,” he said.
As a result, employees are not limited to honing their dance skills; they are
also actively encouraged to use skateboards to get round the office and to
relax by flying remote-control planes above their desks.
“Trying out products is a big part of what we do,” said Murphy. “But the
absolute key to the whole thing is the generation of ideas. It can be hard
to find ways to inspire creativity - it’s so easy these days to hide behind
a PC and send out e-mails. Getting everyone onto the dance mat for 15
minutes followed by a brain-storming session has proved extremely effective.”
Shokk, which has 30 employees at present, is expanding rapidly, and Murphy
hopes the company’s dynamic office environment will help to attract the
right kind of staff.
“What we’re asking ourselves when we’re looking for staff is: ‘Is that person
a Shokk person?’ ” he said. “How people react to our workspace when they
come in for an interview has really helped us in finding the right
candidates.”
According to psychologist Tom Stewart, the average person often experiences
creativity or inspiration at unusual moments.
“We’re quick to form a particular pattern in the way we think,” he said.
“Often it’s when we break this pattern - it could be something as simple as
getting up to make a cup of coffee - that we come up with something
different.”
Stewart, who is also a director of System Concepts, which advises firms on the
ergonomic use of office space, believes that this trait can be stimulated in
the workplace. The key, he believes, is variety. He suggests that the
small-business manager should compartmentalise his or her office to provide
staff with different environments.
“Having a defined kitchen or lounge area can be beneficial,” he said. “It
gives staff somewhere different to go – this can aid the thought process.”
The idea that flashes of inspiration can occur away from the desk is
something that the IT software-design company Exony takes extremely
seriously.
The walls of the company’s 4,000 sq ft office in Newbury, Berkshire, are
covered floor to ceiling with whiteboards on which staff are encouraged to
scribble their thoughts. Exony’s co-founder, Rex Dorricott, came up with the
unique design after witnessing how a whiteboard in his own home encouraged
his children to work on creating something visual together.
“The whiteboards promote col-laborative creative communication,” said finance
director Michael Hickland. “Anyone can jump up and jot down ideas. It
reduces formality and gets everyone joining in.”
Exony relies on building new and innovative software, and Hickland sees
creativity as essential to the company’s success.
“We need to inspire employees by maintaining an effective and efficient
environment,” he said. “I think our unique office design enables staff to
come up with great products.”
Hickland also believes that the office environment has contributed to the
company’s high levels of staff retention. Exony has lost only one member of
staff from a team of 40 in the past nine months.
“I think people enjoy working here because we have created an environment
where everybody feels that they are contributing and have a role to play,”
he said.
Exony, founded in 2003, spent £30,000 on the initial design and construction
of its office. Since then, the company’s expenditure has been extremely low.
“We just buy in a large supply of board markers,” said Hickland.
Huw Moseley, managing director of the workplace interior specialist Eastlake
Design Partnership, remains convinced that creating an unusual and inspiring
workplace can be achieved on a limited budget.
“There is a bit of a fashion at the moment for high-cost features and
stand-out designs,” he said. “I actually think it is much better if small
businesses avoid the gimmicky trends - they’ll just go out of fashion.”
Instead, he advises managers of small firms to focus on what their companies
are trying to achieve – in terms of meeting the needs of their staff and
their business.
“Creating an effective working environment is quite simple: think about what
will inspire staff and help them to work at their best. Overwhelming people
with a gimmicky interior does not normally help,” he said.
However, Moseley does make an exception to this rule: in some instances, he
thinks a carefully chosen, stand-out feature can provide a small company
with a unique business advantage.
“For some small businesses, attracting customers can be a problem,” he said.
“Purchasing an item of very trendy furniture or a piece of art can be a good
use of money because it provides a talking point. It gives people something
by which to remember your business.”
TOP TIPS TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD
1. Think about who you are as a company and what goals you are trying to
achieve. If at all possible, reflect your brand in your office environment.
2. Make an effort to inspire creativity by compartmentalising your workplace,
for example, by creating different areas or environments within your office
space.
3. Avoid the gimmicky trends - they are very expensive and are bound to go out
of fashion soon.
4. One or two talking points, such as an unusual piece of art in the office,
can help you to stand out from competitors.
