We tend to think of our offices as simply places where we put some desks and chairs, and get down to work. But that’s an overly simplistic view. If we’re going to get the most out of our staff, not to mention ourselves, then it’s important that we’re taking steps to create a productive and engaging work space. While this might be a secondary concern for most business owners, the truth is that the workspace does have a big impact on how well your staff can work! Below, we take a look at a few useful tips that you can incorporate into your workspace to make it better for everyone connected with your company.
Bright Spaces
Don’t underestimate the power of bright and airy spaces! They do make a difference. Imagine working in a dark and dingy office, and then everything clearing away, and it all of a sudden becoming bright and spacious. The difference would be palpable. While you can’t make the sun shine, there are things you can that’ll ensure it can find its way into your office when it does. You may also want to look at taking a page out of the minimalist handbook and keeping things as spacious as possible. This will let more light in, and also just make your office more pleasant, too.
Set the Vibe
You can’t just leave your office to its own devices, and hope that it naturally becomes productive and engaging. That’s just not going to happen! You need to take a proactive approach, and help to create the atmosphere that you want. For example, if you want to have a professional and productive office, then taking the time to incorporate these elements will be imperative. Is your office clean and tidy? Does it give off a pleasant vibe when you walk in? If not, then make some changes.
Adding Plants
One excellent way to improve your workplace is to look at adding plants. These additions are vastly underrated! They can really make a difference. They help to brighten up the place, for starters, but that’s not all — they also help to improve the overall ambience. There’s something about plants that help to give our mood a boost. Fill your office with them, and you’ll naturally find that things are soon improved. If you want your staff to become engaged with your office, you could even put them in charge of looking after the plants (only if they want to help out, of course).
Limiting Distractions
It’s all good and well doing things that help to make your office a more enjoyable place to be, but if you’re not taking steps to reduce the distractions, then you’re not going to get as many benefits as possible. Office distractions are perhaps the number one cause of lost productivity in the workplace, but the good news is that they’re not something you just have to accept. There are things you can do to limit the distractions. One smart way is to look at getting soundproofing ceiling tiles from a site such as rockfon.co.uk. They will help to absorb the sound in your office, so that it’s not reverberating around your office and distracting your employees.
Relaxing Zones
We’re beginning to understand more about the best ways to work. It turns out, for example, that it’s not possible for humans to work for multiple hours in a row to a high standard. After a while, our brains begin to slow down. While we think that we’re working well, we’re not. As such, it’s important that you’re helping your employees to get the rest they need throughout the day. If they’re able to unwind for a few minutes, they can return to their desk feeling refreshed and ready to go. One way to do this is to set up a relaxing zone somewhere in your office. It’ll be a place that’s filled with comfortable seating, soft lighting, and absolutely nothing to do with work. There, they can just relax for a little while, calm their mind, and switch off.
Touches of Colour
When you look around your workplace, are you inspired, or are you inspired? If it’s the latter, then it’s time to make some changes. One easy way to make your office more inspiring for your employees is to look at adding touches of colour to the wall. Works of art, for example, can be a good idea. They’re much better than having just a bare wall, after all! You can also ask your employees to decorate their desk areas with whatever they want. So long as it inspires joy, then it’ll be fine.
Colleagues As Friends
Studies have shown that we work much better with people that we like as opposed to working with people that we don’t. If you want to promote your employees to become friends with one another, then you’ll need to give them the space to do so! Look at organising afterwork drinks as a company, and taking trips. It’s best to do this as part of work hours — you can’t expect employees to stick around with people they don’t know. Could you down tools a little early on Friday, open beers or wine bottles, and spend some informal time with each other? Surely.
Modern and High-Tech
If you’re going to have a productive and engaging workplace, then it’s important that you have the best tools for the job. You might have a team of motivated employees, but if they don’t have the tech needed to do their work, then there’ll only be so much that they can do.
Freedom to Be
Finally, take a look at your overall company culture. Is it one that permits the employee to be all that they can be when they’re at work? If not, then a cultural shift could be in order. A liberated workplace is one that makes the most of the employee’s talents, and ultimately that’s going to benefit the business. Let your staff be free!
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