Improving your office environment not only increases productivity within the company but also improves relationships among employees. The fact that employees feel more positive when in a supportive environment plays an important role in expanding the company's profit volume and increasing market performance.
Considering that most employees spend at least 8 hours a day in the office, making the office optimized for comfort and convenience creates a positive effect both for the employer and the employee. In addition, such updates to the environment meet the provision of working rights and promote health and safety.
How to Improve the Office Working Environment
Improving the corporate environment does not necessarily mean a big and expensive renovation, there is plenty that can be done to improve the space by taking some simple measures. Here are 4 ways to improve your work environment.
1. Keep Team Spirit At The Highest Level
Employees who are comfortable at work always complete the job in the shortest time and achieve the highest quality.
If your employees are working with outdated hardware, uncomfortable office chairs and degraded desks, they will treat their work to the same standard. Also if they are suffering from back or neck pain from poorly designed office furniture, then they will quickly fall in and out of concentration, making the work harder and slower to complete.
This scenario erodes team spirit. Teams that work in poor conditions are often demotivated, which brings down the general mood of the rest of the team which can spread to other departments.
An open, clean office space with thoughtful furniture that is designed for the comfort of workers is an office to be proud of. Your team will be energized as they go about their day and company pride will increase.
2. Renew the Lighting in Your Workplace
Lighting is one of the most vital points in a workplace. Employees exposed to natural daylight are more active and have higher performance throughout the day. It is known that natural sunlight helps the brain to work more efficiently and actively in daylight compared to darker environments.
Besides, who wouldn't want to work in an office with the sun coming through its windows? Some employers worry that large windows will promote procrastination as staff will spend the day looking outside, daydreaming of free time.
Yes, that does occur, but such behaviour promotes creative and abstract thinking, which is needed regardless of your business type.
If your workplace cannot be illuminated with natural lighting, instead, use bulbs enriched with blue tones, which are very effective in reducing fatigue, and natural light bulbs keep people more alert.
However, it is important to consider that big bright lights may not always be appropriate. While lights with slightly higher volts are used in the meeting rooms to keep the team energized and thinking on their feet, too much can result in mental fatigue. Offer your employees some relief by installing dimmer lights in staff or game rooms.
3. Update Your Office Supplies
Seated desks, standing desks, adjustable desks, office chairs, computers, copiers, work phones and other electronic devices are necessary for the modern office to function. Keeping these up-to-date is essential for employee performance.
Thanks to the rapid acceleration of technology every year, electronic devices are renewed regularly and offer new and innovative ways for your team to work.
While isn't necessary to update these items every year - you should consider renewing them at least every 5 years - depending on the item. Hard drives and operating systems quickly fall out of date and become less and less compatible with newer systems. And general wear and tear on furniture is unavoidable.
When it comes to physical furniture, only ergonomic items will do. Office chairs that offer back and neck support are a must, as well as adjustable desks that are a better fit for each individual team member.
While these items do not need to be replaced as frequently as electronic devices, it is essential that they are kept clean and in good condition. If you have a chair or desk that is falling into ruin, replace it immediately, do not let it hang around to clutter the office - or worse - cause an accident or injury.
4. Importance Of Sound Isolation
A quiet environment increases focus, but at the same time, it helps employees to retain concertation for longer periods of time.
While some companies let their employees work while listening to music or other distractions, creating a peaceful working environment helps all employees work together and communicate in a more effective way.
This situation actually varies according to the type of work and sector. Some working environments are noisier than others for one reason or another, but taking steps to reduce noise such as soundproofing, or offering noise-cancelling headphones, will make the workday much more comfortable for your employees and protect their hearing.
However you choose to address it, the working environment should be sound-isolated against unwanted noises coming from outside and external sounds caused by the positioning of the office.
Final Thoughts
The people who work in your office are more than employees, they are a part of your team. Giving your team the best tools to do the job increases company performance, and decreases staff turnover as your employees will feel that they are working for a company that invests in their health and well-being.
Making sure your office equipment is up to date is the first step towards creating a productive work environment. It also boosts morale as your team will feel that they are being given the best opportunity to do a good job, with minimal obstacles in their way.
Managing the lighting levels can help you to influence employee attitudes and alertness. Bright lights are great when you need your team up and ready for action, but give them a break with dimmer lights in the communal break rooms.
Keeping distractions, such as unwanted sounds, at a minimum, is key for concentration, and combining all of these aspects into your modern office design will help to keep Team Spirit at the highest possible level.
