Company culture has seen a shift. Increasingly as millennials have taken to the workforce, more has become expected of employers concerning how they care for their staff (and rightly so). An internet-savvy work-force now regularly air their grievances about everything from employers to office spaces anonymously on websites such as Glassdoor. And as a ‘job-for-life’ becomes a thing of the past, there is mounting pressure to retain employees belonging to a generation less inclined to stay with one company for their entire careers, but rather hop from job to job.
So, what can employers do?
Well, they can start by waking up to the fact that taking care of things internally, produces a happy work force who are proud to work hard for their company. Businesses are beginning to understand now exactly how the working environment can enhance productivity amongst their staff. There’s a reason why innovative companies are filling their office spaces with ping-pong tables, bean bags, and ‘brainstorm-areas’. An office that people are proud to enter everyday boosts their output, but it starts with just that – how they enter it.
What’s the first thing you notice when you enter an office? The art on the wall? The CEO’s handshake? Nope, actually for most people it’s, as they say, the signage, stupid! Much like your website acts as a virtual gateway to your business, signage provides the physical one. Whilst your branding may begin with a flashy new website, it is vital that it extends through to every part of your company. This includes right to the very moment someone walks through the door. More than that, this is the moment it should start with!
On entrance your brand identity should be immediately apparent. As your wayfinding signage directs people around the building it needs to be modern, clean, and clear. The space needs to be appealing and inviting, and it is vital that the signage enhances rather than masks this. For your branding to really be on point, the details are everything. A company that understands the importance of every element working together, is the kind of company whose competitors spend every day trying to catch up with them.
Now of course I’m not suggesting that implementing a new signage system will immediately result in a happy, productive workforce and clients who are bowled over the second they walk through the door. But what it will mean, is that you stand out as an employer who takes care of the detail. It means clients will see a slick operation with every aspect considered. It means your brand identity will be espoused the second a visitor enters the building.
Strong and bold signs at the door tell a client that this is a company that means business, it tells staff to feel proud that they operate in a progressive work place, and it tells interviewees to bring their A-Game.
And if you do decide to cut corners, leave your old confusing signage system in place that frequently sends people walking the wrong way around the building, well, let’s just say it will be telling of the kind of operation you run. And in today’s world, a shoddy operation gets outed online in no time. Is it really worth the risk?