If you’re looking to hire talented scientists for your lab this year, you’ll need to invest into making your lab a more inviting place to work in to compete with the rest of their prospects. Creating a design that impresses them and makes them want to come to work every day will be key.
Your design should promote a positive work culture and provide a rewarding experience. Lab furniture, placement, lighting, and other factors will play a key role in attracting talent to your lab.
Create Collaboration Workspaces
In the science and tech lab industry, collaboration is an absolute necessity. Your workers will have to work together and exchange ideas in order to do their best work.
Creating collaboration zones are a great way for scientists and lab techs to get together to discuss problems and solutions. It feels much more professional to have designated spaces set aside for briefings, conferences, trainings, and the like rather than having to hold discussions in the midst of a noisy, busy lab.
These collaboration zones should be inside or adjacent to the labs. We recommend putting lab tables in these areas so your team can work on experiments or perform demonstrations together.
Use Space to Drive Purpose
Their sense of purpose will be the main driving force for your employees. They want to feel like they’re really doing something when they come to work every day. One way to make them feel like they’re accomplishing enough during the day is to provide them with a shared sense of purpose.
Make sure to be intentional about where you put your lab cabinets and other furniture so that workers can get work done as effortlessly and efficiently as possible. After a long day of work, they’ll be amazed by how much they can accomplish when they have the right lab furniture in the right place.
You may also want to consider putting branding in your lab to remind them of the company’s goals and core values, and thus, of the good they’re doing at their jobs.
Invigorate the Lab
Your workers will spend hours each day in the labs, which means it’s important that you create a lab that’s inviting and invigorating. Make sure your furniture placement and decor can inspire them to keep doing their best work.
Coming to work should be a good experience. However, after long hours of doing the same tasks, it can become dull to work in a space with bad lighting that feels like a dungeon. You may want to consider glass windows or doors to let the light shine in or move lab benches closer to them. You may also check our used lab furniture.
Promote Wellness
You don’t need to install a gym in your office to promote wellness (though if you can, it would be good to consider it!). Simple but mindful adjustments are enough to make a huge difference.
For example, when it comes to physical wellness, make sure that your lab tables and furniture are ergonomically designed to promote good posture. Long hours standing or sitting slumped over a workbench can affect your lab technicians’ entire work. You’ll find that, eventually, they become sluggish and may not even want to come in because it physically hurts them to be at their desks.
With tables that can be adjusted for height, you can ensure the safety and physical health of your workers so that they can be more efficient and happy.
Another example is making sure that the lab has access to natural light. Sunlight stimulates chemicals in the body that will help workers stay more alert on the job and make them feel more motivated.
When you walk the walk about prioritizing employee wellness, you’re proving to them that they are valued, which will make them much better at their jobs and more likely to be loyal to your lab.
Add Amenities
Speaking of installing things if you can, amenities make employees’ lives better and can help them make the ultimate decision to work in your lab. Talented employees will be well-sought-after by other labs and workplaces. Amenities can help set your lab apart from the rest of your competition.
Consider thinking outside of the box when it comes to social work environments. You may want to consider a break room that includes games, or rooftop patios that inspire collaboration.
If you can afford it, convert some space into a restaurant, coffee shop, or even a fitness center to enhance the appeal. You can even rent out the space to a small business to generate income for your lab.
Promote Pride
Every employee, no matter where they work, wants to feel a sense of pride in where they work and who they work for. This may even be more important than the state-of-the-art equipment and expensive amenities. The sense of pride and purpose is fundamental to building a workforce that’s made up of the best talent in the industry.
More important than the compensation package is the ability to make your employees happy about their work. The sense of pride they feel after a long day in the lab will be the main reason why they keep coming back day after day.
With these ideas guiding you, it’s important for you to transform your lab to suit the needs of the valuable talent you’re looking for. Your lab environment should attract, motivate, and retain the top talent. The most successful places will have an innovative mindset and promote a strong social community among its workers.
