Inclusive Office Design: Designing for Accessibility in the Workplace

Office Kitchen with plants on lights and a plant pot in the corner of room

When it comes to giving your workspace a makeover, whether this is a fit out or a full refurbishment, there are many things to consider but there is one element that should be at the forefront of your design: accessibility.

When you prioritise accessibility in your workplace design, you go beyond creating a functional space; you create an environment that fosters inclusion, empowers your team, and values diversity. An accessible workplace demonstrates a commitment to ensuring all employees can contribute their best work and collaborate seamlessly.

Importance of Accessibility in the Workplace

Accessibility is crucial and that is why it plays such a significant role in why your office layout matters. When you prioritise accessibility, you allow individuals with disabilities to participate in all aspects of work-life. Employees with disabilities should have equal opportunities to contribute and succeed within the workplace from being able to access the physical office to its meeting rooms and even being able to use technology and other systems in place.

Prioritising accessibility in the workplace fosters a culture of inclusivity and respect for diversity. When employees see that their organisation is committed to accommodating their needs and removing barriers to participation, they feel valued, supported, and empowered to perform at their very best.

Meeting room with acoustic solutions - acoustic walls

4 Key Considerations for Designing An Accessible Workplace

1. Physical Office Accessibility

The foundation of an accessible workplace is ensuring a smooth and safe physical environment for everyone. This means creating barrier-free entry and exit points with automatic doors or easy-to-open handles. Bathrooms should be accessible, featuring wider stalls and grab bars.

Hallways and doorways need ample width to allow for comfortable movement, and ramps or lifts should easily connect different floors and office levels. By making break areas and common areas accessible, such as lowering water fountains or installing accessible surfaces, employees can navigate the entire workspace freely and participate in all aspects of their work day.

2. Adjustable Office Furniture

In the realm of office ergonomics, adjustable office furniture has become a game-changer. Desks with electric or manual height adjustments empower employees to switch between sitting and standing throughout the day, promoting better posture, circulation, and overall well-being.

Adjustable chairs with lumbar support and customisable armrests can be tailored to individual body types, reducing strain and discomfort. These features, along with monitor arms that allow for optimal screen positioning, create a workstation that adapts to the user, leading to a more comfortable and productive work experience.

3. Sensory Office Considerations

Not everyone thrives in the typical open office environment. Thankfully, creating a sensory-friendly workspace is becoming an increasingly recognised aspect of accessibility. This includes offering designated quiet spaces with good acoustics for focused work, free from distracting noise or clutter. For those with auditory sensitivities, noise-cancelling headphones can be a welcome accommodation.

Lighting can also be a factor, so adjustable office lighting that allows for dimming or cooler tones can help reduce eye strain and headaches. By acknowledging sensory sensitivities and offering solutions, workplaces can foster a more comfortable and productive environment for a wider range of employees.

4. Accessible Meeting Spaces

Ensuring inclusivity should also extend to meeting rooms. Ideally, these spaces should be large enough to accommodate wheelchairs with ease, featuring wide doorways and round tables to avoid obstructing movement. Accessible features within the room itself are essential, including lowered counters for presentations and controls, and assistive listening systems for those with hearing impairments.

Additionally, meeting spaces should be well-lit and have proper ventilation to cater to those with visual or respiratory sensitivities. By creating these accessible meeting environments, everyone can fully participate and contribute to collaborative discussions.

By implementing these elements of inclusive design, your office transformation goes beyond aesthetics; it becomes a powerful symbol of your commitment to a diverse and thriving workforce. Imagine an environment where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential. This is the power of an accessible workplace – a space designed for everyone to contribute their best and unlock innovation and success together.

Creating Accessibility In the Workplace With McFeggan Brown

Our comprehensive office fit-out service goes beyond mere aesthetics. We recognise and understand the unique requirements of your team, ensuring every aspect of your office design is tailored to promote inclusivity and accessibility for all. Contact us today to get started on creating your accessible office design.

If you liked this blog. Check out our blog ‘How to Design a Co-working Space or ‘18 Office Design Ideas That Will Transform Your Workspace’.

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The Complete Office Design Checklist

It is handy to have an office design checklist if you’re moving or refurbishing your office as these events can have an enormous impact on your business. So before you get into colour swatches and branding, you need to take a look at the fundamental aspects of your office design and what effect your choices will have on your business and office culture.

To help simplify this process, we’ve put together our complete office design checklist in one handy infographic below.

Why Is Office Design Important To Your Business?

Office culture is more important than ever before — British people are reported to work approximately 1,800 hours annually and an average of over 3,500 days over their lifetime. So being unhappy at work can have a substantial negative impact on employee mental health. Likewise, if their workspace isn’t meeting their needs, they can soon become demotivated, unproductive and unhappy — this will have a knock-on effect on your business.

Check out our office design checklist below to create the ultimate office experience that’ll boost productivity and support employee wellbeing.

McFeggan Brown Office Design Checklist

Choosing An Office Space Layout That’s Right For You

As shown by our office design checklist infographic, one of the first things to consider when thinking about refurbishing or moving offices is your workspace layout. Are you thinking of having an open plan office, cubicles, hot desks or perhaps separate rooms for each department?

In recent years, open plan offices have become more popular; however studies show that workers in open plan offices take more sick leave, are more stressed and less productive than those with more privacy. And despite employers’ best intentions, they’re also shown to reduce face-to-face communication and increase email messaging.

So if you’re thinking about having a totally open plan office, you might want to consider breaking up the workspace with office partitions, comfortable seating areas and plants to give your employees more privacy.

Office Lighting To Improve Employee Wellbeing

Next on the office design checklist: consider how your office layout plans may affect the lighting in your workspace — where are you placing large furniture, walls and partitions?

Season affective disorder particularly impacts people in the UK through the autumn and winter months. This low mood is triggered by low levels of daylight and studies show that women are more likely to be affected by winter depression than men.

With this in mind, we recommend doing what you can to make the most of natural light in the office — avoid blocking windows with bulky furniture and consider installing skylights if the building allows. Where possible, arrange desks so that employees are seated close to windows.

When it comes to fixed office lighting, be sure to replace broken and flickering lights and opt for dimmable LED lighting over fluorescent lighting options. Layering ambient lighting with brighter lights for focused tasks will allow for flexibility depending on the task in hand.

Incorporating Plants Into Your Office Design

An important element on our office design checklist is plants. Plants have many benefits, from improving employee mental health and productivity to cleaner air and reducing noise levels. But for many, plants are an afterthought when it comes to office design — they tend to be scattered about after the office fit out or refurbishment process is complete.

But it doesn’t need to be this way. They can actually be incorporated into your office interior design right from the get-go – from living walls and partitions to floating baskets and rooftop gardens. There are so many options — you won’t have an issue finding plants to suit your tastes.

Office Kitchen with plants on lights and a plant pot in the corner of room

Pet-friendly Office Design

With domestic pet owners making up 51% of the UK population, it is becoming increasingly popular for employers to allow their employees to bring pets, usually dogs, to work. Pet-friendly offices can have a number of benefits — they can act as an icebreaker, helping to increase communication among employees and break down barriers between staff members that wouldn’t usually speak to one another.

If you’re thinking of taking this approach in your office, you’ll need to tailor your workspace to your pets’ needs. Some things you might consider are:

Installing partitions, glass cubicles or gates to keep your furry friends in their intended areas.
Opting for larger office desks to provide space for pet crates or beds underneath.
Natural colours and textures to avoid exciting the animals and deter them from chewing any furniture.
Flooring that resists smells and stains.

Designing Your Office Reception Area

It takes just seven seconds for you and your business to make a first impression, so make it count! If your new office is going to include a reception area, think about branding, interior decoration, clear signage, comfortable furniture, lighting and space.

Remember, whether your clients and employees are going to be in your reception area for thirty seconds or ten minutes, making them feel comfortable and relaxed could make all the difference in their mood.

Office Furniture To Improve Employee Wellbeing

When choosing your office furniture, it’s not all about looks, it’s about functionality and comfort too. Office workers are reported to sit for almost nine hours every day and 75% of their waking hours seated. Not to mention that those with musculoskeletal disorders lose an average of 18.4 days of work per year.

The right chair in the correct position paired with the perfect desk can make all the difference when it comes to improving employee wellbeing and productivity. You might look at giving your employees options for their work areas with both seated and standing desks and comfortable armchairs and sofas for teamwork and relaxation.

Comfy booth in office

Creating Great Conference Rooms

The average worker is reported to spend over four hours in meetings every week so when designing your new office, your meeting rooms shouldn’t be forgotten off our office design checklist.

Some employees will thrive on social interaction so a good meeting space can be really useful for your business. Space for collaboration is important to allow colleagues to discuss and generate ideas and learn from one another.

Treat your meeting space the same way you would your office – enhance natural lighting wherever possible, incorporate plants into your plans and depending on the space you have available, think about including a variety of comfortable and functional furniture.

Don’t forget about whiteboards and television screens for demonstrations and creative planning.

Designing Social Spaces For Your Staff

We’ve touched on the topic of employee wellbeing and mental health in this blog and staff areas are a part of this. Another essential element on our office design checklist is social areas and kitchens. They are an important part of your workspace as they give your team space to relax, socialise and take breaks from their screens.

These areas can be multi-functional to help meet other needs as they arise. For example, they can be a great place to hold an impromptu meeting if other meeting spaces are unavailable.

Next Steps

We specialise in office fit-outs as well as laboratory design and much more service offerings. If you’re looking for inspiration for your office, you can take a look at our previous work, read our Ultimate Guide To Moving Offices or get in touch with one of our friendly team today. Call us on 01275 464 220 or get in touch online.

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