Your office culture has a direct response on productivity within the workplace. How can it not. It’s obvious to us that Productivity Ninjas who are as happy as can possibly be whilst at work will in turn create better results with regards to the work they submit. Just as with all things in life the happier and healthier you are the more confidence you have to further yourself and push yourself to exceed previous limits you may previously not expected to pass. It is therefore imperative to make sure you have a productive office that creates these results.
Let’s look at the elements needed to come together to form a work space that has the capabilities to make this happen. You could be building an office from scratch with regards to buying furniture etc or you could be re-decorating and working on to improve what you already have. You simply could just be thinking of ways to improve the culture within the office without a budget. No matter which one of these applies to you, you need to implement several key elements into the planning of the future success of the culture within your office.
The first thing is communication. Communication is key in all aspects of the designing or re-designing of your office. For example if there are several of you planning out a budget to buy furniture for the office you all need to communicate to each other opinions and ideas whilst taking into account the views of the employees also as remember it’s them, as well as yourself, that you want to make happy.
Now another way in which communication is applicable is to picture an employer that is about to move the positioning of the current work stations. In doing this not only should you let employees know of a possible change but you could and should ask their options of what they think of the possible moves. Now with regards to money being spent on new items such as furniture for the office you should of course communicate but keep realism in place. What I mean by this is if you were about to re-decorate an office you could ask all employees what they think the only would be most wisely spent on but let them know they have to keep their opinions/requests within budget planning.
What could you do to raise and maintain the morale of your workforce in the office? Comfort is essential especially in an office where a lot of sitting and working under stress will occur. Make sure chairs are comfortable and compatible with workstations and are positioned so that they meet health and safety requirements. Of course the reason you’re there is to work but keeping employees happy will motivate them to work also. Bearing this in mind you could maybe let employees bring in something from home to decorate their workstation, something small like a photo or figurine, something that makes them feel at home and comfortable in a relaxed and happy environment ready to work. Little things like this can make a difference and show you care as an employer that is personable with your staff.
If you have a budget and have plans to make changes and upgrade your place of work here are some investments to consider. To my mind these investments will have an instant return on investment with regards to the building of team morale which in turn turn will trigger of a positive chain of events resulting in a more productive workplace with better end results.
Items to consider would be things that employers could utilize on breaks and intervals where it is healthy for them to let their mind rest before getting ready to recoup and face the challenges standing in front of them for the remainder of the work day. A television, a games console, board games are all things to consider. They all create topic for discussion and will also entertain. On top of that team bonding can be built in ways in which can only occur through relaxing and enjoying your break times thus the positivity of this silting over back into work situations.
Communicate, plan, spend wisely, abide to health and safety and build a better future together with a smile on your face at the same time. Nobody willingly wants to work in a bad working environment whilst everyday would love to work in a great work environment. With this being a fact then you need to do all you possibly can and take matters that you can into your own hands and make these changes with your work mates with you and supportive of you and vice versa. It’s not just an impossibility, it’s a dream you can make happen. It won’t happen by itself so it’s time for you to play your part.
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By Adam Robertson
Adam and his team at Allard Office Furniture are experts when it comes to increasing productivity through office furniture.