Contributed Post
The workplace isn’t a part of business that tends to get enough love from business owners. Yet it could the source of all their productivity woes. It can also make your workforce more motivated, engaged, and even more respectful. When you consider the effect that a person’s environment has on their psychology, it shouldn’t be all that surprising. Below, we’ll go into some details about what you should consider changing about your office.
Consider what you need from a space
You want to look at what you need in an office. Before you do that, however, you should consider if you even need one. Studies are showing that businesses see more productivity than they expect from remote employees. A smaller business could benefit from the cut costs of using a co-working space, as well. For small startups, the access to that environment, where everyone is focusing on their work, can be just the space they need. Think about whether or not you really need workspace in the first place.
Thinking logistics
If you do need a workspace, the placement of it matters. It can be as great as you like inside, but if it isn’t practical for employees, it isn’t a good space. For example, how close are the premises to means of public commuting? Is it close to any stores employees could use for lunch? What about access to the office itself? If your business doesn’t have good road access or enough parking spaces, you may need to consider getting extra road design done. Accessibility of the employees is a must that some businesses forget to consider.
First impressions matter
Curb appeal is an idea that is usually reserved for spaces where you’re expecting to appeal to consumers. That doesn’t necessarily have to be the case, however. A lot of how employees think about their job and their place of work is affected by how much care is put into it. Creating a visually appealing workplace helps your office build a look of professionalism. It also helps to define its brand in a very physical way that any visitors or even those walking past the place will take with them. This doesn’t just end with getting the place looking professional when you first open, it needs to be maintained in order to keep giving a positive impression. One of the most common ways this is done is through partnership with a reputable company offering cleaning services in Chiswick (or indeed elsewhere) to keep your office looking both tidy and sanitised. Having sparkling clean floors and germ free surfaces for a client to experience first hand says a lot about how you value even the small details of your business.
The reception you need
Of course, if curb appeal is important then it only makes sense that reception area can have vital use to the business. Think of how many people come to your office, whether they’re making deliveries or have appointments. Having a proper lobby helps you ensure that their wait isn’t too bothersome and builds the prestige of the business to anyone visiting. Even the choice of art you put in the reception can have a big effect. For example, choosing art from local contemporary artists shows that you have a connection to your local area.
The safety of comfort
But let’s get back to thinking about your employees, again. Offices are not, by most accounts, the most dangerous workplaces to spend time in. However, they do bring with them a certain risk of long-term health conditions. Conditions that can really cause discomfort and even long-term injury. We’re talking mostly about the risks associated with sitting at a desk for hours on end every day. Picking furniture that is appropriate for long-hours of sitting down without causing health problems is vital for your employee’s wellbeing and productivity. Taking a look at desk options from office monster, like these metal desks for the office, will help you make a decision on what’s right for your staff. Repetitive strain injury and back pain are far from uncommon problems in office environments. So when you’re choosing furniture, it can be a better long-term investment to choose ergonomic furniture. Of course, letting them up from their desks, every once in awhile, is important too.
The motivation of place
The mental state matters in work just as much as the physical state. You can do a lot of work to influence that with the right choice of place. For instance, giving employees as much space as you can even in their private spaces. Combine that with allowing more light in the office. Natural light benefits people’s’ moods and space fights the claustrophobic feeling of cubicle crush. These factors working together can result in a happier, more motivated workforce.
The psychology of color
You can take that mood-affecting quality of the office even further. Take into account, for instance, color psychology. Lots of studies have been done on how colors affect people. Whether it’s biological or cultural, there are real changes in how we perceive a space and operate in it depending on color. This is just one of the reason that many choose to put plants in their offices. A touch of green gives a more natural air to the office that helps people relax. Whereas bright colors like yellow and orange are associated with energy and brightness. These are used often for creative spaces.
Giving up control
There’s one mistake that a lot more of the ‘straight laced’ businesses tend to make. They disallow their employees from bringing personal effects into work with them. Not only does this seem just a tad controlling. It also has a real knock-on effect on both the motivation and engagement of employees. People will not engage emotionally with a business that seems to have no room for their lives. Those personal effects can help people relax into the kind of mindset that allows them to do work without being burdened by too much pressure, too.
Making your mark
Giving employees the room for some personal touches is important. But so is making a real mark of your own on the office. Or rather, making a mark for the business. Branding the office is something that a lot of businesses do for a very specific reason. It’s a constant reminder of where employees are, of the shared identity that the whole team shares. It reinforces brand loyalty inside the office. This helps people think of their jobs as more than an occupation, but as a role in something larger than just themselves.
Diversifying your spaces
How you control the space also does a lot more than just impact the mood of the employees. You need to think about how they fit their very practical needs in working. People tend to fit a series of different roles in their jobs. They may need privacy to make calls or work on an important task without interruption one moment. The next, they may need a communal space where they can share ideas and collaborate. Yes, your office can have it all. It’s all about separating the office space into different ‘zones’. Consider the different kinds of work needed and how zoning your office can help you fulfill them.
Make room for more work
If you’re busy rearranging and zoning the office, there’s another way to look at it. We’re talking about taking a workflow overview throughout the office. Consider the layout and how it genuinely helps work pass from one stage to the next. Is communication and foot traffic easy to deal with? Do people have the access and proximity to supplies and tools that they need? If you get rid of physical obstructions to the passage of workflow, you can make a much more efficient team through office design alone.
Make room for no work
At the same time, you need to make sure you’re meeting the employee’s’ need for space away from their work. Working at the desk shows that people have less of a break in their lunch breaks. It also tends to affect the productivity of the worker after lunch. They need a different space so they can more easily shift into a different gear. Consider setting space aside to make a comfortable, no-pressure environment. Create a break room. It’s not just good for individual employee productivity. It also helps people socialize and build bonds that are important for a work environment.
Think of the office as an asset
The office can potentially do a lot more for your employees than offering them a break space. It can also be your way of giving them benefits that make their jobs all the more attractive. The right benefits can help a company retain employees even when it doesn’t have the resources to give a raise. For example, hiring a catering company to take up space in the office. Others even go further, giving a daycare space that their employees can use at no expense. These benefits are expensive but can make an incredibly loyal workforce.
Take care of it
As we have said, people tend to think about not only the office but the company they work for differently based on environment. A lot of that is reflected in how much care is taken of the workspace. You shouldn’t only rely on hired cleaners to keep the office tidy. Drill the importance of a clean, organized environment to your employees as well. The more they care for their surroundings, the more they will respect them. Meaning they’re showing more respect towards the business as well. That’s even without considering all the safety implications of a cluttered, dirty space.
Making sure people have space and comfort, even the parking space, they need is important. The more you value the workplace, the more your staff will value working there. Think about changes you can make to see that happen.
