An efficient work environment is not something that happens by accident. It’s the result of a variety of factors, such as leadership styles, company culture, and so forth. A positive office environment ensures your personnel don’t have to leave their emotions at home when they step inside the workplace. It has a direct influence on their on-the-job productivity, efficiency, and mood in the office.
Wondering what changes can you make to create a better office environment? Here are x actionable tips you can immediately implement.
1. Create Recreational Spaces
If possible, set up an indoor ping pong table or make space for an outdoor hoop. Make sure to read the best ping pong table reviews to ensure what you’ll be buying is a high-quality ping pong table. Your staff members will love the idea as well as cherish the opportunity to get some exercise between tasks (not to mention, activities like these are a great way to blow off some steam). In addition, friendly competition between co-workers can result in improved team cohesion and rapport.
2. Provide Healthier Snacks
Do you offer healthy snacks to your employees? Sadly, most conventional companies are still offering low-quality snacks to possibly the most important assets of their business. We’re talking about soda, candy, and similar eatables loaded with chemicals, processed sugar, and unhealthy fat. Sigh! What they might fail to realize is that these food options dampen energy with “energy crashes” and they also can have a negative impact on workers’ health. Hence, rethink your office snack options, and incorporate healthier eatables like rice cakes, dark chocolate, and organic tea.
3. Make It Greener
When it comes to the interior of your office, make sure there’s ample space for plants. Plants can increase the positive vibe and the comfort level of the workplace in various ways. For example, they help improve the quality of the air, which is critical to keeping dryness and stuffiness out of the office. Besides that, plants have a smoothing effect on most individuals, so they’re going to help put your staff in a better mood. The ideal plants for the workplace are the leafy and green ones, rather than prickly variants like cacti. With that said, don’t go overboard with their placement. Keep it to 2-3 plans, such as one near the wall and one in the common area.
4. Analyze Personalities and Delegate Accordingly
Managing a team of employees with contrasting skills can be challenging, and many tasks require some type of team-oriented effort. If the collaboration is ineffective, it can lead to frustration and awkwardness, resulting in the souring of a workplace atmosphere. So, in the face of team management, try taking stock of what each employee can bring to the table and make efforts to ensure every worker is delegated a role that resonates well with their ability. It’s also a good idea to acknowledge that everyone has a different approach to work, and that different coworking and collaboration methods work better for every individual.
5. How About Study Reimbursement?
Companies like Starbucks, BoA, and Apple offer their personnel reimbursement for their studies. Not only is this a sigh of relief for most candidates, but it’s a smart move to invest in the growth and learning of those already wanting to work or your company. By offering reimbursement on expensive tuition fee, you’re offering them an opportunity to enhance their skills which in turn can improve your bottom line.
6. Refresh The Design
It’s worth mentioning that the office should have space for flexibility and personalization. Rather than having your personnel confined in a certain area, provide some coworking places within the office where staff members can work in teams or alone just to take a break from their standard setting. The concept of offering open spaces with other activities is also on the rise. Moreover, give members of your staff autonomy to select their own preferred area and add a touch of personalization to it. Because workforces today contain a multi-generational demographic, newer companies should strive to deliver a “picturesque” office space.
7. Get The Company Culture Right
Your company’s culture is a byproduct of internal communication, organization structure, leadership styles, values, etc. It’s something that needs to be refined continuously and it’s not something that should be seen as a “one-time” job. Creating a productive and healthy company culture requires the involvement of all personnel in various departments of the firm. Managers should display and empower staffers with values that help nurture their growth and encourages them to produce their best. The answer to all of this is a collaborative environment that supports constructive feedback and robust communication (basically, an open-door office environment). The values and norms of the organization can be flexible when they need to be but well-accepted and thoroughly defined at the same time.
8. Permit Personalization of Workstations
Staff members spend a major portion of their day at their desks, so allow them to personalize their workstation using methods that appeals to their hearts. This could mean bringing in an ergonomic keyboard, selecting an adjustable desk, or typing on a computer while sitting on a stability ball. You can also permit them to decorate their cubicle with desk lamps and personal pictures. When employees personalize their space, they feel a lot more satisfied, and that satisfaction can extend to the tasks they perform at work.
9. Be Flexible with Work Schedules
You might not be aware of this, but some people just work better in the evening and would gain from a later work time. Other individuals are busy with families and work extra on some days to leave early on others. So, whenever possible, allow staff members to set their own schedules.
That’s It
While there is no silver bullet solution to creating the perfect office environment, taking the steps above will help your staff members feel happier. Your company, in turn, will enjoy in terms of longer retention and greater profitability.