In analyzing their success, business owners often find that it’s their employees’ happiness that stands right there at the top of the list. Undoubtedly, comfort in the work environment directly correlates with employees doing their best work. The key is to strike the right balance between ‘comfy and productive’, and once you find it, everyone should just go with the flow. Employers should rearrange office furniture, fine-tune the lighting and add additional features that help to ensure that profit rises along with the levels of satisfaction.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the improvements that employers might want to consider in boosting the company’s productivity.
Office Furniture
A person’s first impression when entering an office is crucial for business, whether it is by an employee or by a potential business partner. When it comes to the overall appeal, good quality and well-fitted furniture can add much-needed vigor to the ambiance. In this case, the standards of comfort need to be in sync with the appeal, but always put productivity first. This often begins with comfortable chairs and appropriately positioned desks. A chair that is not easily adjustable is frustrating for everyone. In contrast, ergonomically designed furniture is a great investment as it allows employees to tailor to their comfort. If your business involves a sedentary lifestyle, make sure the desks and computers can also be adjusted, since the height of the working area defines posture, and distance from the computer screen is crucial for healthy eyesight.
Moving Increases Productivity
Good conversation with clients and among colleagues is crucial to productivity. Creating a space where everyone can take a break from their primary workstation will definitely be very welcome. If possible, equip your break room with chairs positioned at friendly angles to encourage communication. This is also a place where one can have lunch, a snack, or that much-needed cup of joe. An increasing number of businesses are introducing a coffee area into their working environment, since many employees really need their caffeine fix at some point of the day, to focus and reduce that feeling of drowsiness. By investing in coffee makers for the office you will add a modern look to the overall ambiance and give your employees something to look forward to when they hit that midday slump.
A Color Scheme That Works
A workday can be intense and stressful. Dealing with customers, meeting deadlines and staying on top of things can be overwhelming, to say the least. A soothing color scheme helps reduce anxiety and, in turn, improve efficiency and focus. Low-wavelength colors such as blues and greens are known for their calming quality, and if you wish to induce creativity, recent research advises you go for shades of yellow. However, this doesn’t mean you have to leave your walls bare. Your workspace may become a gallery of stimulating pieces of art that can induce fresh ideas. Choose a statement you find inspiring and let the colors and unique office artwork motivate you and your team.
The Importance of Lighting
Do not underestimate the power that natural light has in your office. Try not to mount lockers close to windows, avoid thick sheers and dark-colored furniture. Otherwise, you risk dulling the overall bright mood you want your workspace to cultivate. When the sun goes down, artificial light should be implemented with care. Although fluorescent tubes have long been a very popular choice, they do tend to flicker, buzz and weaken in strength as time goes by, proving to be less than ideal for an office setting. LED lighting, on the other hand, is much more energy-efficient and will save you money in the long run. Lighting control systems are an excellent investment, since they enable you to get the most out of natural daylight and save money by regulating the intensity of light in different office areas.
Soothing Greenery
Your busy work schedule might preclude you from dedicating much time and energy to your office plants, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bring a little life into your working environment. Apart from improving the ambiance, office plants help minimize stress, can reduce absentee rates and noise levels, boost creativity and make the workspace more attractive to potential job applicants. A number of low-maintenance varieties exist and can be seamlessly incorporated into the space, since they are able to thrive in lower light and bounce right back even if you missed watering them for a couple of days. They add color and warmth without adding an abundance of stress to your already overtaxed workload.
Room Temperatures and Scents
Most offices will keep their temperatures around 65 degrees F, but as it turns out, this might not be adequate. Higher temperatures, i.e. warmer rooms, actually may help make employees more productive. Unfortunately, heat is not easily regulated, especially in company offices, so you might want to include a space heater, blankets and encourage your staff to bring sweaters to work as appropriate.
Similar to color, our sense of smell can also powerfully affect our mindset. Certain scents (without being obtrusive) will bring about much-needed focus and add to the overall appeal. Consider pine and cinnamon to increase alertness, lavender to relax, and peppermint and citrus to lift the overall mood.
Where you work will pretty much define how you work. A pleasant working environment with suitable colors, scents, appealing and comfortable furniture along with appropriate lighting will improve productivity. Happy employees, who genuinely like spending their time at the office are far more likely to put their best foot forward.
