By Every office has a unique feel to it and research tells us that the immediate environment is connected to efficiency and productivity. As a business owner, you obviously want your employees to feel good about the workplace and in this short article. We offer a few ideas on how to transform your office ambience.
11 Innovative Ways To Improve Your Office Ambience
Go open plan
If you have yet to knock down interior walls and replace them with full and half partitions. Now is a good time to make your office a place where dialogue takes place. Just because the layout is an open plan that doesn’t mean people lose their personal space. Workstations, when correctly designed, offer a level of privacy and seclusion. Carefully place a few drinking fountains and create a communal area where staff can sit down. Enjoy a tea or coffee, and relax a little. Companies are moving away from the traditional 4-wall office set up, realising the benefits that open plan office design brings.
Motivational wall art
Choose slogans with real impact and fill those expanses of bare wall and employees will be uplifted when they glance at these positive messages. Start with a Google search to find Australian suppliers of wall art. Then search for business quotes and choose what you think your staff will connect with.
Indoor plants
Wherever you are in Australia, you are never far from a florist and an office package involves regular change and upkeep. Exotic plants add a touch of nature to the office; whether real or artificial, there is a lot to be gained from bringing a touch of green natural beauty into the environment. Click here for tips on marketing for 2024.
Create a relaxation zone
Commandeer one corner of the main office, put a meeting table, a whiteboard, a fridge and sink, where people can make snacks and connect on a social level. Make it a place where staff can relax and forget about work for a while and rather than go out for lunch, they can prepare their own food in this area.
Workstation personalisation
You should encourage people to bring family photos and knick-knacks and adorn their workstation for a homely feel. The more at home a person feels at work, the better they perform and making the workstation a personal haven should always be encouraged. We all feel better when our place of work has images of family and favourite items, so do encourage employees to personalise their workstation.
Background music
Why not bring this topic into a staff meeting? Some people prefer soft music in the background, while others find it distracting. Let your staff decide, which promotes ownership and inclusivity. If you have a reception area, this would be ideal; a couple of small Bluetooth speakers is all it takes. Create a playlist of instrumental tracks and the receptionist can control via a mobile app.
Brainstorm with office employees
Why not throw the topic into a monthly meeting? Ask for ideas on ways to improve office ambience and don’t be surprised if some great ideas emerge. It makes total sense to involve the occupants of the office when looking at ways to improve the decor and ambience.
Natural Light Makes Workplace More Productive
Any place with natural light encourages positivity and looks better. Similarly, if your workplace has more natural lighting this will help increase energy in your employees and help them sleep better. Better sleep results in increased productivity at work which helps work flow smoothly.
Northwestern University researchers on neurology found that people who work in offices with natural light sleep 46 minutes more than people who work in closed offices. Offices that have large windows that allow natural light to penetrate the office floor receive 173 percent white light more than closed space offices.
When workers or employees are better rested they are in a better space of mind to work properly. This 173 percent natural light, thus helps increase productivity.
Open-door Policy At Workplace Encourages Transparency
Employees have reported that open-door policy in their office has led to better interactions with the management higher-ups. This policy has also increased transparency between employee and employer. Conflicts between employees working in the same space are common. Solving these conflicts within an organisation with the help of the management makes a company stronger.
Open-door policy also encourages employees to share their grievances, concerns and queries with the management. This helps increase productivity among employees and they are more likely to stay employed in that company when their concerns are listened to and solved. Employees do not feel that they are just mere labourers of a company and offer their input in the growth of the company through open-door policy.
An open door helps encourage a friendly communication between people working in an organisation and people managing the organisation.
Out-of-the-box Benefits For Employees
Organisations that offer unusual benefits to its employees are more likely to sustain its workforce for a longer amount of time . For example the popular entertainment service provider Netflix offers its employees unlimited amount of leave which is an out-of-the-box benefit for the company.
This allows the employees to complete their work before applying for their leave. This unlimited days leave allows Netflix employees to balance their personal life and professional life. Researchers have found that people who have access to unlimited days leave usually spend more time at work than those employees who have a very limited amount of leave days.
Wellness Initiative
Health plays a major role in increasing work quality and productivity. When an organisation takes active initiative to check their employees health free of cost through health camps, retreats and sessions. These sessions can be on different illnesses like cardiovascular, cancer, neurological problems and mental health issues. This helps the employees take more initiative to get themselves checked yearly or twice a year.
Most employees ignores health while running behind targets and paying bill and in this day an age professional stress leading to record numbers of suicides. Wellness programs in organisations can overall increase work productivity in the long run.
Conclusion
If you spend time and a little money on improving the office ambience, it will be a wise long-term investment; your employees’ health & well-being are important and by taking steps to improve the workplace, your staff will feel that you care.
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