The Importance of Creating A Happy Office Space

A successful business is typically one that employs a satisfied, happy team. Employees who are excited to go to work produce more, are more motivated, and offer more creativity overall. These team members will typically go above and beyond what is required of them not out of requirement but rather a desire. Staff who exhibit greater happiness on the job tend to stay with the business, greatly reducing company turnover. It is noted that those who demonstrate dissatisfaction with their work abuse sick time, make more errors, and take more days off resulting in hefty costs for the business. 

How To Create A Better Work Environment

A content office space doesn’t just appear without effort. It is the result of changes that the business implements both physically and intangibly to bring the workplace into harmony. There are steps you can take to create a much more pleasant work environment for your team. Let’s check out the tips.

• Incorporate natural lighting into space. Natural light is not only much more appealing, but there is noted to be a connection between a person’s energy level and quality of sleep by being exposed to natural light at work. Team members who work in spaces with windows are more productive just in having the ability to take in nature while working at their desks.
• An attractive workspace leads to better morale. When you work within an area that is comfortable, clean, and pleasant, there is an automatic mood elevation. This is not only true at work but in the home environment. Implementing a well-being program within the office inclusive of quality snacks and coffee, plants, updated equipment, ergonomic furniture, will energize the staff positively and bring appreciation.
• Offer quiet spaces for the employees are essential. A majority of business layouts are open concept. There should be a few areas set aside where a staff member can linger peacefully if there is a need for more in-depth concentration. This frees them from interruptions and can reduce stress which in turn can increase productivity and elevate mood. Nap rooms are a new concept being introduced for those employees with unusually long hours, those who participate in particularly intricate work, or those who travel for business. Go to https://www.theguardian.com/business-to-business/2017/dec/04/clocking-off-the-companies-introducing-nap-time-to-the-workplace to learn more about naptime at work.
• Offer your employees the open-door policy. An employee who feels they can talk out their issues or bring new ideas feels appreciated and heard. This makes the staff want to stay with a company. It’s important to implement transparency among the managers and the team as there are generally conflicts when the team feels as though they’ve been left out of the mix.
• Bring recreational space into the office. Any way that an employee can indulge in some type of extracurricular or exercise-type of activity will allow them to destress throughout the day. It also encourages bonding among the team members.
• Give honor-system benefits to the staff members. A lot of companies are starting to implement unusual benefit packages that offer things such as unlimited days off. Studies show that when staff is offered an excessive amount of time off, they usually spend more time at work than those who are on a structured plan. The concept is that the work is done, not how many days are being used to do it. Read here to learn about unlimited vacation time policies.

Summary

There is a multitude of ways to make work not seem like work for the average employee. It’s important to be realistic concerning the load that each member of the team can handle. Excessive amounts of work can lead a person to burnout, which is one of the main reasons for turnover. Productivity diminishes greatly when hours exceed fifty in a given week 

If you find a need to load more on to one person, equate that with a raise or a promotion. But the idea is to hire more people if the team is consistently being overworked. It may cost more but the retention and productivity will be worth the expense.

Companies vary so there’s not going to be one simple, universal solution to bring workplace peace and contentment. By employing a positive environment, this will encourage happiness among the employees and the business will reap the rewards through greater team commitment, increased production, and longer retention.