Office Colors Affect Performance

Give Your Office a Color Boost to Refresh Employee Morale

 By Stephanie Faris

For years, we’ve heard how color can impact mood. “Green rooms” backstage at TV talk shows are green for a reason, they say. The color promotes peace and relaxation. Giving your office space a complete makeover can re-energize your workers and impress visitors.

“The research on color and mood has been well-established over the past 30 years,” said Chris Ring, vice president of operations and training for ProTect Painters. “However, many business owners are unaware that they have the power to drive sales and increase employee retention just with a strategic use of paint.”

ProTect has come up with a few color schemes that could energize your office.

• Blue–While this area is generally avoided in restaurants and break areas, due to its alleged ability to zap a person’s appetite (blue plates can help one lose weight according to some nutritionists BBL) ProTect says blue is a great color for productivity. The color blue is said to increase a person’s confidence, as well as instill feelings of tranquility. For this reason, blue is often used in office space.
• Red–This might make a good accent color, but red walls are to be avoided. Red incites anger in a person, which can definitely be an unwanted emotion in an office environment. However, in areas where accuracy is important, ProTect points out that the color can help those employees be more exact. ProTect advices using the color sparingly.
• Black–This accent color can be used as a symbol of power and elegance.
• White–Usually spotted somewhere in an office’s decor, whether in the walls or trim. White is popular because it is neutral, but it also lets in large amounts of light. This gives employees an overall feeling of well-being, but be careful. Using too much white can actually make workers less productive.
• Beige or off-white–Most office walls fall in this category. Many buildings choose this because it is neutral while not being overpowering. Both colors fall in the “brown” family, which makes them the colors of security and comfort. These, as you can imagine, are good feelings for workers to have in an office environment.

According to ProTect, there are a couple of colors to avoid, especially in work areas.

• Green–While the green room mentioned earlier is popular backstage at talk shows, feelings of tranquility and peace can be a bad thing in an office environment. While you don’t want your employees yelling at each other and fist-fighting, you also want them to stay awake. Green may be a possibility in common areas or lobbies, but it should be avoided in conference rooms and cubicles–basically, anywhere an employee might feel compelled to doze off.
• Yellow–ProTect states that workers are most likely to lose their tempers in a room this color. While it does increase concentration and boost metabolism, it might be best to save it for break rooms and restrooms.
• Pink–Pink is another peaceful color. If you have a reason to encourage relaxation in your employees, this might be the best color. According to ProTect, pink is the color many sports teams use for visiting team locker rooms because it zaps energy, so in many cases, it isn’t a wise color to use in your offices.

In general, painting your offices can give your workers a sense of excitement about coming to work. Just be careful that you choose the right colors, both for your walls and for trim and accents.

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You can take advantage of all the color studies used to produce this information for ProTect in your own color choices for your home.