It’s easy to cut corners and “trim the fat” when it comes to expenses at a business, especially when trying to meet budget targets. However, too much skimping can negatively affect productivity in the office. If you’ve been feeling a dip in employee output, some of the tips below might just help you get everything back to tip-top shape in no time.
1. Manage Your Hires Well
One of the best ways to keep productivity high at your company is by keeping attitudes and morale good within the work environment. You can do this by hiring great people and, where possible, letting the poisonous and toxic ones go. Doing this can be easier said than done, of course, since hiring and letting employees go can be more complex at times.
Hiring team players who are professional, work well with others and display a good attitude can make a massive difference to the morale at the workplace. Bad moods may happen, but when people with toxic attitudes are allowed free reign, it can also turn others toxic.
2. Improve Lighting
Natural lighting can help a lot. A well-lit room can boost energy, mood, and mental health. A significant lack of proper lighting can lead to depression, much like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
If you can’t improve the natural lighting any further, you can do some of the things below instead:
- You can add strategically placed mirrors to help reflect more light into the rooms.
- Choosing your lighting wisely can help improve the ambiance around the workplace.
- Daylight bulbs can help simulate natural lighting and are perfect to use just about everywhere.
- Cooler, blue-toned bulbs are great for helping to reduce fatigue, increase mood, and boost focus, making them perfect for the working areas and rooms where brainstorming often happens.
- Warmer light can promote relaxation and calmness and is better for break rooms and conference rooms.
3. Comfort is Important
Employees are happier when they’re comfortable at work. You can help increase their comfort levels in a few ways.
Choosing comfortable furniture and ergonomically designed accessories and peripherals can go a long way toward improving employee satisfaction. Provide comfortable seating in common areas or break rooms for people who want to unwind. You can even look into providing some standing desks or desk cycles for people who want a break from hours of sitting down.
Alternatively, you can allow people the freedom to choose their chairs or work equipment (within reason). You can reimburse all or part of the costs of their furnishings or allow for a subsidy to help them furnish how they prefer.
4. Watch the Noise and Sound Levels
If it’s far too noisy in the workplace, people may get too distracted and become less productive. Allowing enough distance between every workstation can help keep the sound at manageable levels.
5. Improve Communication
Communication is incredibly important in the workplace. It allows for fewer misunderstandings, better management of expectations, and clearer instructions, which can help your company run like a well-oiled machine.
You can improve communication by providing modern communication channels like Slack and Zoom. Additionally, it’s a good idea to provide constructive criticism and reinforcement to help make employees (and even management) feel valued, thereby boosting morale.
6. Provide Good Amenities
Many offices will skimp on things like the break room and the bathroom supplies. Be sure to provide good amenities to your employees, so they feel valued and supported. Keep the bathrooms clean and stocked with supplies. Make sure break rooms have decent coffee and tea selections, as well as a supply of drinking water. You can even provide small healthy snacks and other beverage choices.
7. A Way to Unwind
A break room is often good enough for many companies to help their employees unwind. However, you can also consider offering a game room where people can work off frustration or excess energy. For example, you can put in a ping pong table, which is affordable and easy to maintain yet provides great benefits to your employees’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
8. Nap Zone
Naps aren’t an easy sell at a workplace, but providing a small space where employees can take a catnap can help boost their productivity overall.
