For many, although they may actually enjoy their chosen career, the work environment does little to motivate. Studies have shown that badly designed offices can have a negative effect on workers’ mental state. Similarly, companies who do nothing to enhance employees’ wellbeing in the workplace find that productivity remains below average and have a higher staff turnover.
A few simple and relatively inexpensive changes should mean greater employee satisfaction, higher motivation and increased productivity – incorporating the cloud along the way.
Visual
What do your employees see around them? Blank walls are hardly exciting, whereas some aesthetically pleasing works of art or panoramic photographs of nature can raise mood levels. Even photos from the last office party can create happy memories and raise a smile. These can be rotated periodically, so that they don’t become ‘white noise’. Avoid posters with memes, as they are clichés and can irritate.
Another important thing that impacts visual is lighting. The ambiance of the room impacts employees mood, so you need to mix-and-match. The easiest thing to do this is by using smart lighting that’s controlled via the cloud. By letting your lighting “learns” your desired pattern throughout the day, you can easily setup the ambiance in every room of your office – it saves much energy, too!
If you’re replacing furniture and your budget allows, opt for wooden pieces, rather than metal or laminate, as they add warmth. There are companies on-line that specialise in second-hand office furniture. And don’t be afraid to mix and match, as employees are individuals, so can’t their work stations be different?
Music
While research is somewhat contradictory, the general consensus is that the right music improves productivity. A study on surgeons showed that they were more accurate while operating to music, whether their most or least favourite, rather than when no music was playing. Introducing music may not please everyone, as it does require a level of multi-tasking, so the best option might be to provide ear phones with a limited volume. These could be used with a company music channel on your network, providing a selection deemed appropriate (no death metal, please), streamed via the cloud.
Chill Space
It’s important to provide an area with lounging furniture and refreshment station, so that employees can have some comfortable down time during their breaks. Open-plan offices can make staff feel exposed and vulnerable, so allowing them some quiet time in a cosier space can help counteract the negative aspects. If appropriate to the work environment, you could include some devices for watching TV or browsing the internet.
Thoughts & Goals
Regardless of whether you’re a director or clerk typist, your opinions should count. It can be intimidating approaching a manager to discuss ideas, so it’s important to have a facility where everyone can anonymously suggest improvements. Rather than a private box, put a large notice board in the break room or other secluded area. Staff can write their comments on sticky notes. This way everyone can see the posts, which will encourage discussion and interaction. It makes employees feel more valued and part of the team.
Another idea would be to have a white board mounted in a prominent area and every day one or more members of staff could write one of their work-oriented goals for the day. A final idea would be to email everyone a ‘joke of the day’, to help them start the day with a smile (or groan). Even corny puns can have the desired effect.
If you want to, you can take those digitally through cloud-based collaboration tools like Celoxis and Bitrix24 in which employees can communicate about work and everything else in between, sending messages to one another and posting work-related stuffs or simply funny cat videos – not too much, though!
Creating a pleasant work environment isn’t difficult or costly, yet it can reap dividends in productivity and staff attitudes.
