Ideas To Improve Your Workplace
How do you get your employees excited about coming in to work every day? You set up a functional and productive workplace that people actually want to be in! Here are some of our best tips and ideas for improving your workplace, from fostering better communication to designing a space that feels like a second home. For many people, the workplace is can be their second home.
Design and layout ideas for productivity
The way your work area is set up can have a huge effect on the way that your workers feel when they clock in every day. So start by setting up an office that’s designed for both productivity and comfort. Below are a few workplace improvement ideas.
Install individual phone booths.
One of the first things you should consider when setting up your office is how you’re going to make the area a place where everybody on the team can be productive. Open office environments are really popular right now since they can give workers the chance to collaborate with each other and communicate face-to-face with their peers. It’s also a great way to develop a sense of teamwork and camaraderie among colleagues.
But it’s important to note that not everyone on your team is going to like this set-up: many people do their best work when they have a quiet and peaceful place to retreat to, especially when they really need to buckle down and focus.
Give them that option by installing a phone booth or two like Pillar Booth in your office! These small pods are specifically designed to give individuals a soundproofed, distraction-free area to work that is removed from the rest of the busy office environment So whether they need to take a private call or work without dealing with the chatter and conversations around them, these easy-to-install booths are the perfect solution.
See the following phone booths for sale.
The best phone booths and meeting pods for your office.
Set up designated spaces for collaborative work.
Need small breakroom ideas? You should also create areas in your office that are specifically designed for people to work together as a team, bounce ideas off of each other, and collaborate without interrupting their other coworkers. Create an area for a soundproofed conference room, but make sure to decorate it to match the ambiance of the rest of the office and keep your workers productive and motivated. You can also set up little comfy lounge areas in a remote area of the office for workers to do their best brainstorming and creative processes.
Consider the lighting.
Few things can dim your employee’s shine like having to work in a poorly lit, uninspiring workspace. Ditch the harsh fluorescent lighting and invite some natural lighting in the office by opening a window. You can also install nice light fixtures throughout the office that’ll help keep your workers awake and focused throughout the day.
Decorate the space based on your company’s identity.
Finally, it’s always a good idea to create an office that feels welcoming and aesthetically pleasing. This can help keep your workers' spirits up when they come to the office and make it feel more like a place they actually want to be in for eight or more hours a day. Keep your office’s culture and mission statement in mind as you come up with a color scheme and decor ideas, focusing on making it a pleasant but distraction-free work zone.
Foster a sense of teamwork and community
In addition to the physical aspects of your office, it’s also important to improve the community of your workspace by making sure that your employees feel heard, safe, and welcomed.
Encourage open communication.
Good communication is the backbone of any business, so it pays to spend some extra time here. Make sure that all of your important communications are being effectively conveyed to everyone on the team by using the channels that work best for your needs (think emails, texts, face-to-face meetings, memos, or all of the above). Set up procedures that ensure that all important information is properly passed around to everyone who needs to know.
In addition, you should also make sure that your employees feel safe and heard when it comes to in-person communication. Make sure all management-level employees are well-trained in active listening and how to properly hear and address concerns.
Throw events and host team-building activities.
Some fun ways to improve communication in the workplace is by throwing team building activities and events. Because your team is going to have to work closely together on a variety of tasks, it’s important that they understand their coworkers and how they best communicate. So it’s also a good idea to host a variety of events and meetings that are designed to foster that teamwork.
For example, having a monthly problem-solving meeting helps employees know how best to tackle issues and projects with their peers. In addition, hosting just-for-fun gatherings and events can let your workers get to know each other on a more personal level, which can also help improve communication and community during the regular workday.
Give props where they are due.
Nobody likes feeling like they’re being taken advantage of and not appreciated for their hard work, and it can eventually make a good worker feel really demotivated, really quickly. So as an employer and/or upper-level manager, you should always make sure to recognize people when they’re doing a great job and reward them appropriately for it. It helps to build a sense of company loyalty and improves their satisfaction in their role, plus it encourages people to continue achieving and making a difference in the workplace.
Take care of your employees
Finally, improving your workplace can also mean making sure that your employees are being properly taken care of!
Incorporate health and wellness into the office.
Office work is notoriously bad for your health: all that sitting around at a desk can encourage sedentariness, and it’s not always great for your mental health either. So encourage your workers to move whenever they can: push for hourly breaks to stretch and get some movement in. If your space allows for it, it might even be a good idea to set up a little fitness room for stretching, light workouts, and even meditation.
Encourage a healthy work-life balance.
The daily grind can be very mentally draining, so you should find ways to encourage your workers to have a healthy work-life balance. Encourage your employees to take regular breaks and respect their personal time outside of the workday as their own.
In addition, some employers have found that offering flexible schedules (ie: working from home some days or giving their workers the option to come in at different times) can help break the monotony of the traditional 9-5 schedule without compromising on productivity.
Provide snacks and goodies.
Another great way to improve morale and keep people energized is to make sure that they have access to healthy snacks! Fill up your breakroom with tasty treats and beverages to help everyone stay healthily fueled during those long work sessions.
Consider more ergonomic work area options.
Finally, it’s also important to make sure that your work area itself is adequately designed to make your workers comfortable. Desk jobs can be notoriously bad for your posture, and poorly designed desks and chairs can ultimately lead to back pain.
Make sure that the chairs you choose for your office are comfortable and supportive, ideally with lumbar support to protect their lower backs. Look for desks that allow your employees to work without slouching or straining. Finally, consider using alternative work spaces like standing desks, walking pads, and/or stability ball chairs to encourage movement during the workday.
The bottom line
Work isn’t always fun, but the people in your company shouldn’t have to dread making the trek out to your office every single day. So the best way to keep your workers happy is to start with making your office feel like a place that they actually want to be! By taking the time to improve your workplace’s design, functionality, and sense of community, you can make your office a place that people look forward to coming into no matter how stressful the day ahead may be.
Photo by fauxels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-sitting-while-discussing-3182827/