Colour affects our daily lives far more than we realise. In the office, skilful use of colours can boost your productivity, health, and even happiness. Studies have shown that tapping into colour psychology can also improve your employees’ productivity and job satisfaction, and positively impacts how your clients, visitors, and customers perceive your business.
Colour can play an important role in conveying information nonverbally, creating certain moods, and even influencing the decisions people make. Given that 90% of snap judgements are influenced by the psychological effects of colour alone, it’s important to know what colours mean and what responses they can elicit. You can then choose the look you want to present professionally, to get the results you want.
So what are the best colours to boost productivity at work and how can we incorporate them into our working environment?
Blue
Light blue is a universal favourite of industries like accounting wherein employees need to be productive and focused on repetitive tasks. This intellectual colour soothes the mind, encourages clear thoughts, and reduces mental strain. It also promotes orderliness, confidence, and loyalty.
Red
Several studies have found that red increases the heart rate and boosts the blood flow. So, if your job requires you to do a lot of physical activity or you need to be mentally alert, then red is your productivity colour.
Red shouldn’t be used in excess, however, or it might cause aggression and competition between team members. This energising colour is better used for furnishings and decorations with a neutral palette as the backdrop.
Yellow
The is the colour of the mind and the intellect, resonating with the left, logical side of the brain. It is creative, the tone of new ideas and new ways of doing things. Post-it notes and legal pads were invented in yellow for a very good reason! Yellow will promote a sense of happiness and optimism, lifting spirits and providing a great workspace area to help stimulate creativity.
Green
Green is the colour that you want in your office if you work long hours. Aside from gently stimulating the mind, it is the easiest colour on the eyes. Less tired workers means higher efficiency and improved productivity.
A great way to incorporate some green into your office is by adding some indoor plants. Not only do you get the wonderful benefits of green, you also get a health boost from the fresher air and anti-stress effects.
Grey
Grey is fast becoming effortlessly cool and neutral enough to allow for almost any and every furniture or design style, whilst offering a calm, but trendy feel to the office. We have seen a huge increase in sales of our grey oak furniture here at OF2GO, which shows a versatile trend, which is here to stay.
As you can see, colours in the office and in our everyday lives is much more than just aesthetics. When used skilfully, it can elevate our moods, improve our productivity, and sharpen our focus at the office.
For further information on office design and colours, please contact us here.