Business owners should constantly think about ways to improve the working environment to boost employee satisfaction and increase productivity. Happy workers who feel inspired are far more likely to produce more work consistently than those who are unhappy. This means that you should invest in new ways to enhance your workspace environment. At the end of the day, a business relies on its workers to keep the day-to-day operations running, and if you can find ways to make it more comfortable and more inspiring, why shouldn’t you. Not only will this have a knock-on effect on productivity, but it will also have a knock-on effect on you. It will be less stressful for you when you have motivated staff who want to do a good day’s work. They will come it wanting to succeed rather than needing to be forced. Why not make your life easier and invest in some of the following ideas:
The Company Culture
One of the first things you need to do to create an inspirational working environment is to develop a strong company culture. This encompasses your brand and what the company is about ethically. It needs to incorporate core values, key messages, the company visions that everyone can believe in. It is how you communicate what your staff. It needs to be inclusive so that none of your employees feel out in the cold. They need to understand how their role adds value and helps the company strive towards its overall vision. Also, ensure that they are aware of all the ways that they can progress and move onwards and upwards. Ensure you develop a technique that allows yourself or your managers to nurture talents and give appropriate prospects. It would help if you had team talks and regular briefs and updates. Tell your staff about how things are going to change and request feedback. Open and honest communication is key, and if your employees feel listened to and valued, they will feel more motivated to succeed and achieve more. In a sense, you are creating raving fans of your company from within. The happier your staff, the better this will appear to form the outside. Everyone who knows your team member eternally will get a sense of how proud they are to work for you. So, start at the beginning and develop your brand, your purpose, your visions, and ensure that your staff is on board with it.
The Exterior
How does your workspace look from the outside? Does it make you feel proud to work there? If not, then maybe you need to invest in making the exterior look nicer. There are many ways you can do this, from touching up some of the aesthetics with some paintwork to having a total overhaul with cladding and other attractive features installed. Also, consider the parking and pavements, are they flat and neat? If not, why not use a company like K&E Flatwork to come in and improve those parking conditions. Also, consider a front garden, with flowers, sculptures, and bushes. What about some mood lighting too. Anything that you can do to give the workspace that air of inspiration as your team are on their way into work, the better. They will feel empowered and period to work in space that looks amazing and modern from the outside, which other people will see too. Remember, this aspect may also have the effect of making anyone who walks by interested in your workspace as a place to work themselves or to consume from. Additionally, you will want to have some nice outdoor space for your staff to sit on their lunch break or to have outdoor meetings. A few outdoor workspaces with seating are a great way to get people out of the office for a while and boost their happiness levels. Think flowers, seating, grass, trees, etc. Anything that can enhance their working day, do it. Also, if your business prides itself on sustainability, for example, you will want to introduce as much nature as you can.
Comfort Levels
Focusing on your staff’s comfort is a great way to make them feel more inspired and boost their productivity levels. One of the best ways to do this is to invest in ergonomic seating and adjustable desks. If someone is sitting comfortably with a computer screen at the right level to avoid aunty unnecessary potential injury, then you will benefit from staff being able to sit for longer and therefore being more productive. You should also ensure that computers are first for the purpose, the better the monitors and the power of the computers the happier your staff will be. Being constantly bogged down by slow computers is a drain on your staff. Other things to consider are the state of the toilets. Ir may be an idea to have individual cubicles for more privacy, where the sides and doors go from floor to ceiling. Consider lighting, soaps, air spray, etc. Do not underestimate how a toiler can make your staff feel, especially the ladies. If you do not offer free tea, coffee, milk, and sugar already, you should change this now. Teas and coffees are essentials in keeping your team inspired, happy and alert. Also, you need to think about things such as the canteen and seating areas. The more like a home from home you can make the workplace environment, the higher your staff satisfaction will be.
Natural Light
You should find ways to maximize the amount of natural light you have coming into the workplace environment for many reasons. The first is that it can clearly keep your electricity bills down. Natural light is a mood booster. It increases levels of serotonin in the body, which is the happy hormone, and it helios people stay focused and remain calm. It also helps people in their circadian rhythms, so their sleep-wake cycle is improved. Natural light helps people see better, so there is less eye strain too. There are many ways you can enhance the amount of lighting coming into your workplace environment. You could replace small windows with larger ones. You could ensure that all windows have nothing blocking them, no furniture or posters, etc. Think about installing skylights and fire doors with windows in them. Also, interior walls could have windows too, so they do not block any light. If you are struggling with enhancing the light in the office, think about using mirrors strategically to reflect light, and paint the walls a lighter color. If you have to use internal lighting during the day, use lighting that mimics natural lighting where and when you can.
Plants
Using potted plants or even indoor areas where you can actually plant trees, for example, is a great way to increase the oxygen levels in the workplace and detoxify the air. Moreover, plants actually have a positive effect on your worker’s well-being. They can reduce stress and depression, and they can even enhance productivity levels. So, investing in plants can inspire your workforce and encourage them to work harder too.
Color
If you use color effectively, you can inspire, increase productivity, reduce stress and anxiety, as well as a whole range of other emotions. That is because color can have a huge impact on the way we feel, sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly. You could also think about incorporating artwork and beautiful imagery or wall murals and decals for extra effect. Perhaps you could have relaxing colors in break rooms, artwork in creative rooms designed to inspire, and productivity colors in working environments.