Your workspace is speaking to your clients, your potential hires and your employees. Are you paying attention to what it’s saying?
Much like culture, office environments are a part of “workplace heritage” – they provide a visible definition of what is important to both leadership and the business. According to research conducted by Teknion, a leading designer and manufacturer of commercial furniture, office environments shape how we work, where we work, who we work with and who wants to work with us. They can influence thought processes by limiting or encouraging creativity, providing environments to encourage collaboration or promote individualism and can evoke a progressive, evolving tone or one of mediocrity.
Your firm has services that it is selling to an end user – services like legal knowledge, expertise, support and guidance. Your firm’s marketing plays a key role in sharing this message with your clients. Think about your office environment as a service that you are trying to sell. When you look around your workspace, what message is it selling? If you picture a potential client considering your workspace, how convincing is the sale?
Even small lobbies can showcase tasteful design. Photo credit: Bungalow 56
Trust is an important factor for clients – especially at a law firm. Chances are that if a customer is walking into a law firm they want to feel like they’re entering a place that is trustworthy, safe and welcoming. Law offices have long been decorated with traditional, heavy furniture in an effort to convey stature, prominence and trust. These days, such furniture is considered to be outdated, heavy and intimidating. Imagine how the experience of a client would change if the space was brighter, warmer and more open.
Outdated conference room, with poor technology and poor lighting. Are those encyclopedias on those bookshelves?!
Aside from physical aesthetics, the layout or space plan of your office is yet another opportunity to speak with your clients. Organized spaces convey orderliness and a respect and dignity for the office. Well-arranged desks both promote and speak to positive interaction among employees. Collaborative spaces for different-sized meetings maximize your real estate while offering a choice of meeting places.
Teknion workstations allow employees to work independently but easily collaborate with their neighbors.
Details like the proper brainstorming amenities (from white boards with markers that actually work to wireless presentation sharing and projectors) support a message of positive collaboration.
Modern conference room design includes comfortable seating, ambient lighting and wireless technology. Source unknown.
Don’t let outdated design hold back your firm’s potential. Contact me for a free design consultation today!