3 Design Tips for a More Productive Office Space

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Office Space|3 Design Tips for a More Productive Office SpaceWhen you are the owner of a small business, one of your top priorities is to help your employees be as productive as possible. There are many ways in which this can be accomplished. You might need to adjust your management style to help your workers be more productive throughout the day, or you might need to invest in new equipment and software geared towards increasing productivity.

You can help your employees be more productive that might not have occurred to you is to re-design your office space a bit. The layout, look, and overall feel of an office all play heavily into how productive a person can be when they are at work. An outdated and dingy office space will not be encouraging or functional enough to allow your employees to be as productive as possible.

If you are looking to improve your workers’ productivity and would like to start with the design of your offices, here are a few tips that can go a long way to helping you reach your goals.

1. Make Things Brighter

The first thing you will want to evaluate when you are re-designing your offices for maximum productivity is the amount of light in the space. If you are still working with outdated and depressing fluorescent lighting, then it is probably time for an upgrade.

The best thing that you can do is bring in as much natural light as possible. You will be surprised at the uptick in your employees’ mood when they can experience more natural light throughout the day. More energy, improved attitudes, and more can all be brought about with natural light.

Where traditional windows on walls are not an option, skylights are worth considering. By installing flat roof lights, you can reap all the benefits of natural light.

2. Incorporate Color

If your offices have maintained the same dull shade of white that they always have, it is time to incorporate some color. There are some colors that are proven to improve productivity levels when incorporated in the right way.

Colors that are more on the natural side of things like blues and greens can help you and your workers to feel more focused while on the job. Warmer hues are linked to increased creativity and intensity in the workplace.

3. Bring in a Bit of Nature

One rather simple thing that you can do to create an office design that is geared towards productivity is bringing in some plants. Not only can plants brighten up a space instantly, but there are several that can contribute to an overall improvement in the air quality of your offices, which is known to boost both mood and productivity in general.

Furthermore, when you use the right plants correctly, they can even help reduce noise throughout the office by acting as a natural sound barrier. Any clients or customers that enter your offices will also feel more comfortable in such a space.

Achieving Happiness in the Workplace with these 3 Steps

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Happiness in the Workplace|Achieving Happiness in the Workplace with these 3 StepsHappiness in the workplace might sound like a pipe dream to many, if we are honest, but it does not have to be all doom and gloom, especially if you are just in a rut.

When it comes to work, there are some things that are just not within our control. This includes dealing with difficult clients, staff shortages or disagreements, or sometimes you are just having a bad day.

If you are working in a toxic workplace, then use these steps as best as you can before you can move on, but for those who are just finding things a little boring or lacking at the moment, these steps should help you get into a happier headspace so you can face the day head-on.

What is Happiness in the Workplace?

Happiness in the workplace can be characterized in a few ways, though some factors will, of course, be subjective to each employee.

Ideally, for an employee to be happy, they will need to enjoy the tasks that are assigned to them, especially if they are the main part of their job role. They will need to feel comfortable around the people they are working with, including being respected and valued as the bare minimum. Have the chance to improve skills and gain new skills at work so the job does not become stagnant and they can progress. Have a decent salary or wage that can cover their basic needs and allow them to live comfortably and more stress-free. Finally, they have their hard work and contributions to the role, and the company acknowledged.

Be Mindful and Meditate

You do not have to sit cross-legged on the staff breakroom floor to get a piece of zen – in fact; we actively advise against that unless it has been mopped. Being mindful and meditating is much about finding a quiet or happy space in your head and vacating there for a few minutes to take a few deep breaths. You do not even need to leave your seat if you need a moment’s peace where you are – Just find something small to focus on, such as typing, listening to the sounds, and paying attention to the feel of the keys. This can give your mind a rest.

Rewards Go a Long Way

If you are a business manager reading this piece on a quest to find out how you can help your employees become happier, then not only focus on making the workplace a relaxing and comfortable space but also incorporate some treats and rewards into the mix too, to let your employees know they are valued. This can range from a personal touch to something such as fun office merch. But make sure to choose your products from a quality company such as anthembranding.com.

Value Yourself

It can be particularly easy to forget to value ourselves if we always wait for praise from others. If you work somewhere that is particularly underwhelming when it comes to acknowledgment and praise, do not forget to remind yourself of everything you have done, who you are, and how much you bring to the table.

Why Employee Training is Key to Keeping Your Business Secure

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article | Why Employee Training is Key to Keeping Your Business SecureEmployee training should be central to all operations. Not only does it ensure that people are working to their full capacity and that protocols are followed, but it’s important for safety. And we’re not simply talking about the safety of the employees, but of the business as well. This is why businesses that don’t make this part a priority end up opening themselves up to so many risks. Let’s take a look at why employee training is key to keeping your business secure.

Poorly Trained Employees Make Mistakes

One of the biggest risks of having people who are not properly trained on your floor is that they’re more likely to make mistakes. This could be anything from mishandling a client’s information, or divulging important information to the wrong person. This is especially the case when it comes to IT. All it takes is for one mistake for your whole system to be compromised. The worst part is that most attacks are engineered to target employees and not the network itself.

This is why you will need to consider hiring some outside help to beef up your cybersecurity, update your team, and help you form your employees better. Managed IT services like Data Cube Systems can help you implement security measures. They also have a consulting team that can help you and your employees be more careful when exchanging information.

Poorly Trained Employees Put Themselves and Other Employees at Risk

If your goal is to limit the number of injuries on the floor, one of the best things you can do is invest heavily into training. If your employees have to handle dangerous machinery, you must make sure that they’re properly hired and trained by someone with enough expertise in your company.

Another issue with poorly trained employees is that they can end up injuring others or increasing the risk of accidents occurring. Some may not be aware of safety measures when moving around the shop floor. They might not know of the risks associated with working with certain chemical agents. This is why you need to not only train them, but make sure their formation is always up to date.

Employees Who Are Improperly Trained Could Lead to Violations

Proper training is also very important if you’re in a heavily regulated sector. We can think of sectors such as construction, but also others like the food business. Every year, thousands of restaurants get slapped with health violations, and in many cases, this is because of something an employee did. So, instead of taking unnecessary risks, make sure that you constantly update your employees on current and new regulations. Make sure that managers constantly monitor and remind employees. Also, make sure that they have an easy to access database that they can use if they forget something.

These are just some examples of how having improperly trained employees can be a liability for your business. So, make sure that you make training a focal point in your organization from now on and focus on both your managers and employees.

From Building-Centric to People-Centric Workplaces

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Workplaces|From Building-Centric to People-Centric WorkplacesFor decades, corporations put little thought into employee workspaces. The mindset of “one person, one desk,” left workers imprisoned in a sea of grey cubicles. More recently, organizations have played with open office plans and Google and Facebook-esque spaces that include beanbag chairs and basketball hoops, all in a ploy to attract and retain younger workers.

While the overall look and feel of an office space from an architectural and interior design standpoint can have its appeal, the true crux of the matter is how well the space enables and facilitates work.

Even before the pandemic required most workers to work remotely from their homes, employees were making demands for more flexible work situations and escape from the 20th-century office straitjacket. Agile working, hot-desking and the gig economy were already shifting attitudes away from the limitations of that one desk mindset.

Today, with good connectivity widely available, easy access to the internet and effective file sharing, any space can become a workplace and the pandemic proved that to all the remaining hold outs. At the same time, the pandemic also revealed the advantages and efficiencies of occasionally coming together face-to-face.

In the post-pandemic era, business leaders have an opportunity to shift the office space paradigm and give consideration to how their offices can operate in a way that enables and facilitates work. Specifically, the workplace can become a tool for organizational change. A 2019 Harvard University study revealed that organizations with a more employee-centric approach to office space see a reduction in absenteeism and staff turnover, and experience as much as a 16 percent rise in productivity.

Use these strategies to embrace 21st-century fit-for-purpose workplaces:

  1. Consider user experience. Creating a productive and innovative working environment requires understanding when, where and how people need to interact. Offer diverse work settings for the different functions people perform, along with areas to collaborate with colleagues, socialize or just take time out to think and relax. Ask yourself what behaviors you want to encourage, and then construct a setting that promotes and supports them.
  2. Create a dynamic ecosystem. Old attitudes about the office as a place where people merely put in their time must be replaced by new impressions of the office as a place where employees can up their game, give their best and deliver greater creativity and innovation. The challenge is to create workspaces that enable knowledge and information to be communicated effectively in an open and collaborative environment. This may mean bringing technological infrastructure up to speed and fit for purpose. To deliver 21st-century workplaces, there has to a joining of the dots between property, people and technology.
  3. Design workplaces to support wellbeing. Alongside employee productivity, take a holistic view toward engaging your people. For example, if people make use of the office regularly, they will value having a workspace they can personalized as opposed to relying on hot-seating arrangements that can lead to musical chairs. In a nutshell, a great workplace must be an investment in space and an investment in people in equal parts.
  4. Allow flexibility in where people choose to work. Put people in control of their work-life balance. The extent to which you empower people to make decisions about how they interact within their teams will foster a trusting employer-employee relationship and result in a boost to employee engagement. Further, this leaves you free to concentrate on the constructive management of aspects that contribute to the bottom line.
  5. Make decisions that reflect corporate values. The ubiquitous nature of social media means that society as a whole has its eye on your corporate values. Considerations such as engagement with the surrounding neighborhood, use of sustainable building materials and other socially responsible practices can meaningfully contribute to your brand’s status.

Every organization must now formulate its strategic thinking around turning placemaking into profit-making and creating new, more meaningful solutions for the workforce and the workplace. In order to deliver 21st-century workplaces, there needs to be a convergence of approaches to create workplaces that inspire employee engagement, foster creativity and increase productivity, while also improving a company’s capacity to compete and create value.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor |Chris KaneChris Kane has worked in the Corporate Real Estate sector for over thirty years, having operated as the Vice President of International Corporate Real Estate for The Walt Disney Company, before acting as Head of Corporate Real Estate at the BBC. His new book, Where Is My Office? Reimagining the Workplace for the 21st Century (Bloomsbury Business, Dec. 22, 2020) investigates innovative corporate real estate thinking in the modern workplace. Learn more at www.whereismyoffice.com.

3 Ways You Can Make Employees Feel Comfortable Enough To Return To The Workplace

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article | 3 Ways You Can Make Employees Feel Comfortable Enough To Return To The WorkplaceThe pandemic has altered people’s lives in many ways, including forcing most employees to work from home. In some ways, this has immensely changed the dynamics of company culture, which hasn’t been to every business’ liking.

If you miss having your staff around, or you’re worried that remote working is damaging employee performance and productivity, you’re probably eager to get everyone back to the workplace ASAP. How do you do this, though, without harming people’s safety and ensuring that they all feel comfortable?

These three suggestions ought to help.

Have Consistent And Open Communication

If you want to have a successful business, it’s important to understand why employee communication is essential. The more you talk to your employees and understand their feelings about work, the likelier they are to be honest with you and become dedicated to the business.

Of course, trying to do this in big team meetings isn’t the way to go about things. Instead, you want to focus on one-to-one conversations so that employees can voice concerns without potential judgement from their colleagues. Admittedly, some people may still be nervous about sharing their struggles with you, but they’re more likely to open up this way.

In terms of COVID-19, regular communication can let you know who’s uncomfortable about returning to the workplace and find ways to ease their minds. That way, no-one has to do anything that they’re not comfortable doing.

Make The Workplace Exceptionally Hygienic

One of the biggest concerns that employees are likely to have about returning to the workplace is hygiene. After all, the reason they’ve been stuck at home for so long is that there’s a virus going around.

While you might not be able to give your employees absolute certainty that they won’t get sick, you can still provide them with an exceptional level of hygiene. This can be achieved in several ways, including using a COVID-19 fogging machine.

Capable of killing all but 0.0001% of germs, a disinfectant fogger could help your UK workplace to be as free of contaminants as possible. You’ll find such a solution at Ideal Cleaning, who promise that the process will only keep you away from work for as little as two hours. If you combine their fogging capabilities with social distancing and good employee hygiene, there’s a good chance that COVID-19 will never infiltrate your workplace.

Establish A Detailed Work Plan

If employees are still hesitant after opening communication and cleaning the office, it may be worth presenting them with a return-to-work plan. In this, you can detail exactly how you’ll ensure everyone stays safe, so the risk of the virus spreading is as low as possible.

In this detailed plan, you’ll probably want to include these protocols, as well as outlining how you’ll monitor and respond to employee behaviour. After all, there’s no point telling people to do x, y, and z if you’re not going to check that everyone follows your orders.

Your staff who are reluctant to return to the workplace need to know that you’ll do everything to keep them safe. Otherwise, they’re just going to continue working from home.

If your business is struggling with the remote working setup, then it’s understandable why you’d want everyone back as soon as possible. Just make sure you take all the necessary steps to acknowledge and protect your employees so that this move benefits, rather than hurts, your business.