Having the perfect office environment is quite a challenge, especially since it’s not only about style and function, but about how your employees feel about it since they will be spending a large amount of time in the office and you want them to feel happy, energized and engaged. Companies that are most successful are the ones that have the happiest employees. This is due to the fact that employees who are happy are also motivated, more productive and creative and they will often do extra work because they want to do so and no because they have to.
Creating that perfect workspace for your workers can make quite a difference in your company’s success. Here are four ways to make your office environment a place your employees want to stay even after the working hours:
Bring in the natural light
Bringing in natural light into the office has huge benefits to the workplace. Employees will not be feeling like trapped in a box and cut off from the world, instead, they will feel more energized and content and more productive since studies proved the connection between natural light and quality of sleep and energy of workers. Neurology researchers showed that people who work in offices with lots of natural lighting receive 173 percent more light from the sun during work hours will sleep an extra 46 minutes every night. Your employees will be rested and therefore in a better mood for work. In case the offices do not have any windows, besides providing a good lighting system, adding pictures with nature and open space scenery on the walls will make the office look bigger and with fewer barriers.
If your company has some outdoor space available, you can turn it into an outdoor office and give your employees a working experience they will not be able to find anywhere else with unlimited natural light. You can bring out the desks and chairs, get the necessary power supply and that’s it. Also, make sure to have all the necessary gate accessories so your employees will feel safe while working in the outdoor office.
Make the office environment fun
If your employees are engaged and able to have some fun in their workplace while on a break, they will absolutely become more invested in the organization and have an increase in productivity while achieving their goals. Having a game room, pool table or table tennis area, for example, will not just make your employees want to never leave your company, but it is also a great way for everyday team building. Also, providing space for leisure activities or even fun wall designs can help the team to be more creative when dealing with tasks.
Celebrating your employee’s birthday with a cake, or going for a drink after work once a month, or even organizing a sports event can be very motivating for your staff. Having fun as a reward for good work will make they work even harder.
Moreover, allow your employees to decorate their workstations as they wish. Customizing a workspace will give them a sense of pride that will extend to everything they do during the working hours. Creating an ultimate “Employee experience” consisted of engagement, culture and performance management is the number one task of HR in a new company that want to create a perfect office environment. HR team of modern companies continuously experiment not just with technology provided to employees but also with pulse feedback tools, employee wellness apps and modern communication and productivity tools that will help in developing the employee experience.
Provide efficient and supportive technology
Having all the required equipment in the workplace will reduce the stress of your employees. You need to make your staff feel comfortable and provided them with computers and technical equipment, stationery and office seating will make them able to perform their job well. You also need to think about your employee’s health and well-being, so giving them good seating and desk arrangements will increase their comfort and make them more productive in the workplace.
Using technology is not just about having computers and Internet in the office, it is also important to give them the knowledge of how to use different hardware and software in order to increase the overall productivity of the company. Moreover, give your employees chance to work from home if they feel more comfortable that way. Nowadays, it is not necessary to be in the office to have access to communication and collaboration tools, as well as work-related documents and information, everything can be done and shared via online tools and mobile devices.
Communicate Effectively and Efficiently
A crucial aspect of any business operation is without a doubt open and efficient communication. Without an effective communication in the workplace, achieving goals can be very difficult. Both written and verbal communication with your employees is vital to company’s success and even proper functionality. Open, effective and efficient communication means that all of the workers need to know the hierarchy of the company and who to call regarding their concerns. There are many modern platforms and applications available to make sure the communication channels are functioning right. Having an open and transparent communication in the office is not always easy to accomplish, but it worth the hard work since it will definitely increase productivity and efficiency in the workplace.
There are just some of the ways to create to perfect work environment in order to get the maximum productivity from your employees. Your workers need to feel safe, comfortable, motivated and creative, and in return, you will get a boost of productivity and performance from your staff from day to day. Including some fun, leisure activities will make the team work better together, bringing some natural light in the office or even making an outdoor office will help them feel more energized, office design will inspire them and make them more creative and lastly, having an open and transparent communication will make them more efficient. It’s well worth all the effort considering what you’ll get in return. Incorporating some of these advises if you are starting a company will give you an instant advantage. Your employees will stay loyal and work for you even more than what is requested from them to give back for the perfect office environment you are giving to them. Happy workers are good workers!
Author bio:
Emily is a business psychologist with a passion for marketing. Researching, exploring and writing is her favourite thing to do. She works as a consultant at Portcullis Australia. Besides that, she loves animals, music, and travelling”
