Can’t Concentrate? 5 Insidious Ways Your Office Design Can Make You Less Productive

If you find it difficult to get any real work done at your desk, it could mean more than just a lack of ability to concentrate.It could also be a problem in your office.

Office design can affect the productivity of what you accomplish during the day.If you often find yourself staring listlessly at your work, you may want to consider whether the following environmental factors and workspace design choices are preventing you from reaching your full potential:

1.The dirty air you breathe in the office.

If you work in an office, then you probably spend most of your time indoors.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that most Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors.The air you breathe in these enclosed spaces can impair your cognitive function.

Bringing in more fresh air indoors or having a good ventilation system can improve employee productivity, according to a 2017 study conducted by researchers at Harvard University, Syracuse University and SUNY Upstate Medical University.

In one experiment, researchers recruited more than 100 managers, architects and designers from 10 buildings in the United States and subjected them to cognitive tests at the end of each day.Employees working in “green-certified buildings” with good indoor air quality performed 26 percent better on the test than those working in conventional buildings, even after controlling for annual income, job category and education level.

2.Putting up with bad lighting

Proximity to natural light can make or break an employee’s work experience.Employees value natural light so much that in a 2018 poll conducted by research firm Future Workplace, they preferred it over cafeterias, fitness centers, or on-site childcare.

It’s no surprise: a study of 313 office workers led by Alan Hedge, a professor in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis at Cornell University, showed that a lack of natural sunlight takes a toll on our bodies.Employees who were exposed to more natural light reported less eye strain and headaches.

The study states, “With smart windows, employees get more views and natural light, and productivity increases by 2%.Productivity increases (and decreases) are linked to environmental conditions for employees, so companies that create ideal office environments with plenty of natural light and unobstructed views of the outdoors will be richly rewarded.”

3.The coworker you’re sitting with.

Humans are social animals who mimic the behavior of those around them.Studies have shown that people’s emotions are contagious.When your coworkers are rude, you’ll start to notice their poor attitudes as well.

Office seating arrangements may not take into account how distance from certain types of coworkers can affect your work.In a 2016 Harvard Business School study that analyzed the speed and quality of performance of 2,000 employees at a tech company, researchers found that sitting within a 25-foot radius of a high-performing employee could positively increase a coworker’s performance by 15 percent.

But bad habits can be contagious.The study found that sitting near a toxic neighbor (someone who has been fired) increases the risk of nearby employees being fired.”Once toxic people are around you, you have an increased risk of becoming toxic yourself,” said Dylan Minor, one of the study’s authors.

4.Your coworkers can’t agree on a temperature

If you’ve ever gotten into an argument with a coworker over the office thermostat, then you know that the optimal temperature for getting work done is different for everyone.

A CareerBuilder survey of 3,321 employees revealed that 53 percent said productivity is reduced when the weather is too cold, and 71 percent said productivity suffers when the weather is too hot.

Even researchers have come to different conclusions about the ideal workplace temperature.A 2006 study by researchers at the Helsinki University of Technology and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division found that employee productivity peaks around 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit, while an independent study at Cornell University found 77 degrees Fahrenheit to be the optimal temperature, where employees make fewer typing errors and are more productive.

OSHA does not regulate the temperature of office buildings, but recommends keeping the temperature between 68 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit, a range that feels like the difference between a refrigerator and a sauna, depending on personal preference.

5.No plants near the office

Perhaps you should be thankful for the succulents on your desk that allow you to focus and get your work done.Research from the Attention Restoration Theory has found that natural greenery within sight is not only great company, it also helps people focus.The theory suggests that you can restore your attention by observing nature because when we enjoy nature, our concentration is effortless.

A study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology compared business offices with and without plants and found that employees working in offices with plants were more focused.

In another study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, 34 students were asked to take a reading test that required them to recall the last word in a sentence.Students who were randomly assigned to complete this intellectually challenging task at desks with four potted houseplants performed better on the reading test than students who had no plants nearby.

Before you sit down at your desk to start your day, the environment affects your productivity in a variety of visible and invisible ways.You may be able to put a plant on your desk, but you may not be able to switch to a nearby seat with a high-performing employee or a desk near natural light.If you notice a less-than-ideal environment in your workspace, talk to your manager or HR department.

You spend more than 2,000 hours a year at work.It’s best to make that time worthwhile for you.