Paint Color Affects Workplace Productivity

Anyone who sets their alarm for a hard day’s work wants to walk into a welcoming, vibrant environment. The most productive workers are those who feel incentivized to turn up for work and do a great job. What many employers fail to realize is, color is a great motivator.

The average employee spends at least 8 hours away from his or her family, five days a week. As an employer, it is, therefore, your job to create a working environment that is not only conducive to productivity but to positivity. Paint color has a significant impact on mood, so, whether you are running a production line or sales office, it is important to get your color scheme right.

Color Psychology

Every employer should have at least a basic understanding of color psychology. Human perception is greatly influenced by color to the point that it can affect the information we receive from our common senses. For instance, color perception is widely used in the production of pharmaceutical drugs, where soothing colors are used for depressants and fierier colors are used for stimulants.

The same principle applies to affect the mood of employees in the workplace. If you want your employees to take a calm approach to their work, use colors that are tranquil, such as icy blue or neutral greens. Strong, bright colors, on the other hand, work as stimulants and are perfect for production or sales floors.

High-Stress Work

High-stress working environments benefit from either calm or neutral color tones. Duck egg blue is perfect for work that requires precision over urgency. It creates a relaxed environment where employees can conduct their work without any undue stress. For jobs that require proficiency without the added stress factor, neutral colors, such as grays or soft greens, are the better choice.

The important thing is that your employees feel comfortable in their surroundings. Choose colors that you would feel comfortable doing the same job in and ask for feedback from those who are doing the job day in and day out. You can go the extra mile by painting break areas in calming tones so that your employees have a relaxing place to unwind during downtime.

Avoid Uniformity

Uniform colors may become claustrophobic – never paint the entire workplace in the same color. Creating distinct color schemes for different areas in the workplace helps employees unwind. Restrooms, break rooms, offices, and entry rooms should all have their own color scheme. Drab colors throughout a building are not a great way to promote productivity or employee morale.

For larger floor spaces, mix up your color scheme to create distinct areas. If space is smaller, avoid using dark colors as they tend to make a room feel smaller. The main thing to remember is that uniformity is not generally a good idea in a space with lots of different people trying to work together. Striking a balance is an essential step towards ensuring employee unity and workplace satisfaction.

Maintaining Focus

While calming colors are great for relieving stress, they can lead to a lack of focus in jobs where focus is essential. Soft blue colors may not suit the working environment if your employees need to pay constant attention to detailed work. Neutral greens have been proven to promote both calm and focus, which means that these colors are ideal for stressful workplaces where there is an emphasis on efficiency.

Darker tones, however, can have the opposite effect. Employees may become frustrated or even depressed in their work. When you paint a workspace, it is important to consider lighting and how it will affect the overall ambiance of the room. If your employees are taking sick days solely because of the atmosphere in their workspace, it may be time to reconsider your color schemes.

Welcome Areas

The first place that your customers or clients see is your welcome areas. The word “welcome” should provide you with a clue as to which colors you should choose. Bright, vibrant colors are best for welcome areas and entrances for a number of reasons. When someone enters your business, you want them to feel instantly relaxed, comfortable and warm, regardless of the types of products and services that you offer.

If your entrance leads to a production floor, make sure that the color schemes in both areas lead naturally to each other. Leading the eye with color is a tried and tested promotional tool that applies to a physical building as much as it does to print and media. For more color scheme ideas for your business, contact the Arizona Painting Company. We are your experts in colors that will bring your business premises alive.