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October 15, 2025

Colouring the office environment

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According to a study by the University of Texas, colours in our surrounding environment can affect emotions and behaviour. This can therefore have a significant impact on employee productivity.

Selecting the right colours is not as simple as it may seem. The colour that improves productivity depends on the type of work that each person undertakes. For example, neutral colours like grey, beige, and white can often induce feelings of sadness, especially in women.

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  • Grey, beige and white: often induce feelings of sadness, especially in women

  • Purple and orange colours will have a similar impact on men, yet orange can also boost self-esteem and enthusiasm.

  • Blue: is a stable and calming colour. It helps employees focus on the task at hand and is an excellent colour choice to improve productivity.

  • Green: induces feelings of calmness, does not cause eye fatigue and improves efficiency. It is a great colour for people who tend to work longer hours.

  • Yellow: is associated with optimism and encourages creativity and energy. It is a good colour to use in artists' and designers’ workspaces for example.

  • Red: draws attention, increases activity, heart rate and blood flow. It is a good colour if you want your employees to take urgent actions, take notice of something or for employees performing physical tasks. Red can also be seen as alarming and aggressive and should be used in moderation.

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Purple and orange colours will have a similar impact on men, yet orange can also boost self-esteem and enthusiasm. Blue is a stable and calming colour that helps employees focus on the task at hand, making it an excellent choice to improve productivity. Green induces feelings of calmness, does not cause eye fatigue, and improves efficiency, which is great for people who tend to work longer hours. Yellow is associated with optimism and encourages creativity and energy, making it a good colour for artists' and designers’ workspaces.

Red draws attention, increases activity, heart rate, and blood flow. It is a good colour if you want your employees to take urgent actions or notice something important. It's also suitable for employees performing physical tasks.

However, red can also be seen as alarming and aggressive and should be used in moderation. Some great ways to achieve a backdrop of colours that suit your company are through our soft furnishings, breakout furniture, or workstation screens.