Suite Space, Sweet Place

BY NIKKI G. MAPLES

People seek out desirable situations and environments, including work environments. Let’s be honest, we’re all looking for ways to satisfy our basic human needs. Personally, I need and want to feel good in the physical spaces where I spend the most time—home and office.

Environmental psychology is the study of the relationship between people and their surroundings, which fits squarely with an individual and their work environment.

The trend of space design from isolation to collaboration and its relationship to psychology goes back to the publication of Psychological Types in 1921 by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who focused on four universal human cognitions:

• Thinking abilities, logical processing, and progression

• Emotional drives, response, and integration

• Intuitive introspection, such as achieving belief and trust

• Senses and their influence on interpreting the environment

The workplace has a responsibility to deliver results that accentuate the behavioral needs of people. In our case, the people we are serving are our clients— and they all have needs! So, back up the equation and start with your very own behavioral needs and those of your team members. Once a commitment is made to ensure that all firm members’ needs are met, then there will be freedom and bandwidth to manage the demands made by our clients. (Sound familiar? Put your oxygen mask on before helping the next person.)

Workspaces should be designed to motivate and inspire productivity. In a perfect world, we could even design our workspace to create positivity—I mean, it’s not outside the realm of possibility, is it? At some point in our lives, we’ve all experienced the happy euphoria of a physical place—a spa, beach, new car, hotel, or even just standing in the beaming sun. While we can’t (or shouldn’t) deliver mounds of sand to our office to create a beach-like setting, we can certainly tap into certain elements of the beach experience to trigger our happy senses. The beach is typically light, bright, and airy, so use this as a starting point. Let as much light into your workspace as possible. If you can change a dark wall color, revert to simplicity—any shade of white or light grey will make a space feel larger, cleaner, and crisper. If you are someone who needs color to trigger a creative or positive sense, then throw in some color with decor by finding those colors or patterns in pillows or art.

Workspaces should be designed to motivate and inspire productivity. In a perfect world, we could even design our workspace to create positivity.

Give your office a face lift —redecorate. I’m not talking about a new picture frame; I’m suggesting an entirely new you! Change out your furniture, select a color scheme that will keep you visually excited and invite you to live your best life during work hours. Does this come at a cost? You bet! If you don’t take the time to invest resources to stimulate you to make rain, then the fruits of your labor could be underwhelming.

In addition to jazzing up your space and feeling a little happier and sharper, a sweet office space will undoubtedly leave an impression on your clientele. We don’t need to be subtle on this point. If someone needs a lawyer or legal team, they want to enter an office that sends the message: “We’ve got you.” Litigants are navigating through uncertainty, and they are relying on their legal team to have their back and to advocate for their best interest. So, walk the walk and spruce up the reception area of your office.

Eliminate or discard messy piles of paper, random tchotchke items and trinkets. Assess whether the art or wall decorations are visually appealing and decide whether they should be changed. Also, consider whether the receptionist’s office furniture sends a message: “We value our team members.” If the reception area furniture is more than a decade old and beat up, then it’s time to invest in some new items.

In the end, follow the theme of “if you build it....” Loving the space that you are in will have a positive effect on how you feel, think, and act; whereas a work environment that feels dreary or boring will likely leave you dreaming of quitting your job and transitioning your career to selling friendship bracelets and coconut drinks on a remote beach somewhere (a career change that I would fully support).

Oh…plants! Bring a little life into your office and help enhance the air quality. Also, nature just simply does a body good. AL

References

A Little Bird, The Psychology of Workplace Design and Productivity (https://alittle-bird. com/the-psychology-of-workplace-designand-productivity/).

Work Design Magazine, 4 Factors to Designing Workspaces for People’s Behaviors. (https://www.workdesign. com/2012/06/4-factors-to-designingworkspaces-for-peoples-behaviors/).

Nikki G. Maples is a partner at Maples Jones, PLLC. She practices family law exclusively in Austin with a focus on divorces involving high net worth and complex property division. Nikki also shares a love and a passion for health and wellness within the legal profession and among her community.