The office environment is often very tense and takes a toll on the mental and physical health of the workers. Studies showed that a bulk of the employees hate their office space.

There are a great number of variables that play a role in the overall environment of the office and that environment affects you and your team.

So for better performance and a healthy environment, you will need to make some changes. An office must be like your home where you can be yourself. It must be a safe house for you. To achieve that you must change everything from behavior to the layout of the building.

Why Do You Need a Better Office Environment?

Studies showed that a pleasant work environment had a positive effect on productivity and morale. Some even estimated this increase of morale and productivity to 20%.

Apart from the business point of view, a better environment has a great influence on the loyalty of the workers with you and the company and they will not hesitate to go the extra mile for you.

It is experienced that the companies with a good office environment have less employee turn around ratio than the one who doesn’t have.

When the effort of the people is acknowledged which is the greatest attribute of a good working environment, then people try to give their best and come on top again for reward. That will increase the overall productivity of the organization.

If you want to have all these benefits then you will have to make the following changes.

1.     Add Rest Area:

Suppose you spent four hours solving a very complex problem and once it is done there is nothing left to do. One thing that you will love is a place away from work where you could relax for some time. If you like it that means your employee will like that as well.

The rest area will provide you that place. It is a place that may look like your TV lounge where you can sit and play some Xbox or watch Netflix.

Adding a workplace will also have some additional benefits. It improves the mood and gives a fresh spirit to go back to work.

For the rest area, you can add furniture, a TV with a PlayStation or Xbox, and some snacks as well.

This technique is being adopted by big companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple, and the results are very encouraging. Even after leaving the company employees wish for an environment like that.

2.     Having Flexible Work Hours:

Now the day’s world is moving forward from daily insults for getting ten minutes late because you missed the bus. Now the companies are going for flexible work hours which means that employees can select their work hours according to their schedule.

If your business does not get affected by people showing up at 12 then you must go for this technique.

It will give a better experience to the workers because some are early birds but others are night owls. When these night owls have to reach the office before nine they don’t have much time to sleep. Which affects their productivity.

Having flexible work hours also allow you to stay open for a longer period than your competitor and allow you to get to your response rate better even after the non-working hours.

3.     Organize Social Events:

Having small events now and then is a very effective strategy to keep everyone happy. It is a very old technique, even used by Roman emperors to get public support by holding gladiator games.

Unfortunately, nowadays we can not organize gladiator games but we can celebrate birthdays together. It helps to get connected and have a sense of family among employees.

Studies showed that having Friday drinks together or visiting a bowling alley improved the relationships among employees and had a positive impact on teamwork.

However, it must not be mandatory for everyone to attend as people may have other plans.

4.     4-Decor:

Putting employees in colorless cubicles is no longer considered the best option. The new trend is to have colorful artistic open office space.

Some office spaces also hire an interior designer to give the best possible look to their offices. It has a positive effect on the behavior of the employee and customers who are visiting you.

You will need the best wallpapers and furniture according to the theme of your business. This will make the people comfortable and won’t let them get bored.

Having open space is a new trend and you can also use it to get better results. Employees must also be encouraged to customize their desks with some plants or posters to make them feel better.

5.     Be Approachable:

No matter what you have achieved and how far you came, never forget that your employee contributed a lot to make you successful. It is observed that when someone climbs up the ladder and assumes more and more responsibilities, he gets disconnected from his employees.

Often this gap becomes so big that the workers cannot even approach you. This lack of connection between the ranks can cause distrust for leadership.

So, no matter how busy you are, take some time to walk around your employee and have a little chat with them. Also, ask if they need or want to say anything.

Appreciate the people for their good work and make them feel valued like this. They will tend to stay with your business longer.

Sometimes words, like thank you and well done, may get the job done but on certain occasions, you must also reward with something

 like Gift cards or airocide promo code to make them feel valued and recognized.

It will make them keep up the work and get better and better every time.

6.     Offer remote Work:

After the pandemic, most of the offices closed but work continued through online mediums.

People continued their work from home with the same productivity. You can continue that for certain scenarios like if someone is not feeling well you must allow them to stay home and work if possible. It will make your employee believe that you care for them. This can be also allowed if someone is not home and can not reach physically he must also be allowed to remotely work.

Like this people can enjoy their vacation and attend any important meeting by taking some time out.

7.     Be Considerate:

Most bosses think that people around them try to run away with an excuse. This might be true sometimes but not always.

Like if you get a call from an employee that he is not feeling well then don’t make assumptions but rather let him rest for a day. By doing this you can create a sense of trust in the organization.

You must put yourself in others’ shoes while making any decision and think in the best interest of the people around you.

Summary:

Giving a good working environment can have a great effect on the productivity of the employees. This is not just a statement but a factual reality proven by many research works. For a better environment, you can take certain steps like adding a resting place in the office building where people can have some rest during the break. Giving the right to select working hours or remote work can also increase productivity and trust in the management. Having beautiful and comfortable offices can have a positive effect on the mood of the people which will also play a great role in better results. Staying connected and being considerate can also increase your respect among the people and they will try to give their best because their efforts will be acknowledged.