Employees
who are stressed spend time worrying about the ever increasing workload, put in unpaid work and generally lose a good work-life balance. The attitude towards work from the top down sets the tone of the business. If the managers and leaders of a business foster haste and aggression over comfortability and enjoyability in the workplace, there’s a chance productivity will dip.
A good work environment takes in a few factors, not just the general layout of an office, though as we’ll see this does have a part to play. The efforts you can make to create a
thriving office don’t need to be expensive or time-consuming. Below, you’ll find a few areas that can be addressed in order to foster a healthy workplace attitude.
Declutter
“A workplace environment is reflective of the state of mind of its inhabitants,” writes Ayden Wilkins, design blogger at
Essayroo. “If desks are untidy, furniture broken or missing, there’s a good chance that the workers in that office are feeling unappreciated.” You should seek to maintain a good weekly or biweekly regime of tidying up, encouraging your employees and colleagues to ditch anything they no longer need and flag up any shortfalls in resources.
Lighting
Studies have shown that how our areas are lit has a great impact on productivity. A bright fluorescent lamp can be harsh and distracting, especially if it’s not appropriately maintained and has a tendency to flicker. Some research promotes the benefits of natural light on productivity. Indeed, allowing as much natural light into your office as you can will have positive effects on behavior and mood.
Good lighting is especially important for desk jobs. Spending too much time in badly lit rooms in front of a computer can have lasting effects on eyesight. It’s a good idea then to perform an audit of your lighting in any given area of your office and identify the places where you might improve.
Fresh Air and Positive Scents
Increasingly, workplace designers are looking beyond simple room planning and into how to use aromatherapy to promote productivity. The sense of smell is one of the most powerful we possess and can dramatically improve mood if utilized. Decorating your workplace with flowers, for instance, not only adds some much-needed color but can trigger relaxation amongst the staff.
Of course, some staff members may
suffer from hay fever. In this instance, of course, flowers may not be appropriate. But you can continue to foster that feeling of the outside by simply cracking open a window or two.
Celebrate Success
Rejigging and recalibrating of the workplace is all well and good, but it can all be grossly undermined if you don’t promote a
healthy workplace attitude.
“A workplace where staff show up, work through the day and leave without ever really stopping to take stock of what they’ve accomplished can become monotonous,” says William Henderson, business strategy writer at
Boom Essays. “One of the big motivators for staff members is recognition. Whenever someone has done well, take time to celebrate their success.”
You don’t have to make grand gestures - a simple acknowledgment is often all that is required to boost morale.
Encourage Breaks
There is a worrying trend in workplaces that indirectly encourages burnout. The problem many face in the workplace is that there is often too many tasks and too little time. Of course, it is important to complete tasks, but staff should also recognize the importance and usefulness of breaks in productivity. A difficult problem is easier solved when approached with a refreshed mind, so ensure that you have a foolproof system in place that ensures everyone takes their breaks.