It is true that the foundation of the most successful businesses is a team of happy employees who love and are passionate about their role. A lot of companies, at first, assume that the most effective way of motivating and inspiring their staff means giving them a constant supply of bonuses and pay rises to reward hard work. Although this will be greatly appreciated, you will find that this is not the only way that you can encourage a boost in morale and improve productivity.
Making your overall office environment a place in which employees enjoy and feel comfortable spending their time in will hugely contribute towards a more harmonious workplace. Here we are going to discuss ten tips on how to improve your office.
How To Improve Your Office
There are both physical and intangible changes you can make to your office which prove incredibly effective in improving company ethos. Most large offices adopt an open plan layout, which while it does make communication simpler, can become increasingly noisy as the business grows. This alone can have a negative impact on staff engagement and concentration. Many business owners fail to acknowledge how small disruptions can begin to build up. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to improve your workplace and help employees enjoy coming to work that little bit more.
1. Natural Light
We are consistently reminded of the plethora of different physical and mental health benefits that natural light can have on the body; it is a free, organic resource that we shouldn’t brush under the rug and claim it’s an old wives tale.
Utilising natural light to your advantage can benefit not only your team but also your business. Fitting large windows that fill the circumference of your office can dramatically reduce energy bills. Rather than always relying on artificial lighting, open the blinds, let the sunshine in and cut down on your energy costs.
Natural sunlight also has a direct link to whether your employees receive enough sleep and retain enough energy throughout the day. It is thought that those who were exposed to natural lighting all day while at work can sleep around 46 minutes longer than those who rely on interior lights.
One of the most common health drawbacks of working in an office environment, is bad eye health due to eyestrain. Although you cannot avoid having to use a backlit laptop or PC while at work, you can prevent the extent of strain by cutting out sitting under fluorescent lighting. Being able to look out of a window into natural light will also help to give your eyes a rest from the screen and promote better short-range and long-range vision.
2. Creative Rooms
Providing your employees with an allocated space whereby they can be as creative as possible will improve workflow. It allows employees to pitch a variety of thoughts on things they would like to implement; it has been proven that bouncing a range of ideas across a team will mean you get the best out of them.
Audio visual systems are a great way of increasing efficiency for staff meetings. It can sometimes be a pain taking your employees out of their working day to attend meetings that can simply be done over the phone or via a videoing service. An audio visual system not only saves you time but will also save your business a vast amount of money as employees are no longer claiming expenses. This will also improve their efficiency and will improve communications across the business.
3. Quiet Rooms
The business processes that you implement and streamline will depend on the type of communication that your team members or different departments require. Many companies rely on these customised processes to guarantee that their workload is completed on time and to allow employees to interact with each other effectively.
If you have a heavy workload that requires strict processes to keep on track, you may want to think about having quiet zones or rooms, where employees can retreat if they need a minute of quiet or no interruptions when completing a task. Many employees have noticed that when they take time out of their day to sit in a quiet room, their mood and productivity can improve. It avoids the stress of constant distractions as work can be done quickly.
4. An Open Door Policy
Having an open door policy is something we believe every business should adopt. Often employees feel they are more valued in a business and enjoy coming to work more if they are listened to and appreciated. Managers are there to manage but also to coach their employees. In some cases, where employees have been tended to regularly and kept in the loop of general business updates, they are more involved in teamwork and are normally more willing to take a more significant workload on.
5. Wifi
Wifi has now become a necessity for most businesses, not only can it improve your workplace, but it can also help employees and clients. Allowing your employees to link to the wifi using multiple devices enhances productivity and innovation. It is also a great way of impressing clients, as if you have someone waiting patiently in a waiting room, what is the first thing they are going to do? Most will either take their phone or smart device out to link to your wifi.
6. Efficient Work Space
Creating the best workspace can improve employee performance. You will need to ensure everything is within reach and monitors are within eye line as you are meant to keep your neck and back straight when sitting for hours at a computer. We recommend taking a look at the Ergo-Tek mesh manager chair at Office Furniture Online; they provide essential back support you may need. You also need to make sure your desk has enough space for you to fit everything as well as additional storage for any filling you may need to keep. Check out Chair Office for a range of under-desk storage solutions, this way you can make the most out of your desk space.
7. Interactive Whiteboards
An interactive whiteboard is an excellent way to visualise thoughts and creations, allowing you to fire out ideas in a split second while they are still fresh in your mind. They are also a great way of remaining on track of tasks, you can create daily to do’s for your teams and can update and send information via the whiteboards. It allows you to become more organised and in control of your workload.
8. Promote Healthy Lifestyle Changes
The average person spends 40 hours of their month at work, which means that the workplace heavily impacts lifestyle choices. There are tonnes of different ways that you can help to promote health and well-being in the office, resulting in happier and healthier employees.
It is easy to get into the routine of snacking while sitting at your desk and opting for quick and easy lunch options, so you can make the most out of relaxing during your lunch break. Although it may prove to be an initial additional cost, it is a great idea to supply staff with healthy snacking options such as a fruit bowl, small packets of nuts and dried fruit along with fresh juice and a water dispenser in the office.
Many organisations also provide initiatives for those who are eager to participate in more exercise, such as covering the cost of bicycles for those who would like to cycle to work instead of driving or taking public transport.
For more great ways to encourage better employee help, take a look at the 6Q Blog.
9. A Balanced Temperature
Feeling too hot or too cold will have an impact on how productive you are. However, working in a crowded office with many other team members means that there will be an ongoing debate on what is the perfect temperature. There will always be someone who is too hot and others that are too cold.
Opting to fit an air conditioning heating unit will mean that you are able to maintain a balance between temperatures. Many allow you to set a stable room temperature which will remain throughout the day.
10. Encourage Teamwork
A successful business is built on teamwork, a group of people who will be happy to support each other and communicate to complete effective problem-solving. In many cases, teamwork doesn’t happen overnight, and you may need to consider planning activities that will help each individual to loosen their guard and feel comfortable with others.
There are many different team building activities available designed specifically for corporate teams who aim to create a more positive, friendly atmosphere. Some team building activities are quick and easy, such as games and quizzes, making them simple to set up and carry out at the workplace. Others, such as a scavenger hunt or escape room will require extra planning and taking a day out of work, but can also be used as a fun day out to reward staff for their hard work.
Improve Your Office Morale Today!
In order to get the best out of your employees, it is essential to make your workplace visually stimulating. Employees tend to be a lot more productive and efficient when they enjoy where they work. You will want to minimise the amount of time they spend going to and from meetings, and an audio-visual system is an excellent way of doing so. Quiet rooms and natural light have been proven to improve the mental health of your employees promoting good sleep and enhanced energy. By improving energy and sleep, all team members arrive to work feeling motivated and ready to get started on their tasks.
We hope that our article has helped to give some inspiration on how to improve your office atmosphere. If so, why not share on social media?
