Many everyday stress factors can affect the productivity of your employees. These include work stresses, tight deadlines, information overload, and conflicts in the workplace. Fortunately, creating an employee-friendly environment is not as expensive as you might think. It can be as simple as changing a few things here and there. Below are some fixes which, if appropriately implemented, will have your employees performing to their best abilities
1. Add Color Into the Workspace
Colors can dictate the mood of the occupants of a room. Make sure that you use colors wisely throughout the workspace. Different colors have other stimulation effects on the human mind. For example, yellow is very stimulating and helps improve creativity, while blue and green sharpen the human brain’s ability to focus. Most office complexes may not allow you to repaint the walls due to different landlord policies. This can be sorted out by including a piece of art on a dull wall to brighten it up.
2. Make Your Office Comfortable
Comfortable workplaces create a positive and vibrant attitude in employees. The first step into ensuring comfort is by replacing uncomfortable furniture pieces with ergonomic furniture. Uncomfortable or worn-out furniture may cause physical stress, which affects productivity. Therefore, you should consider investing in quality metal industrial desks and ergonomic chairs for your employees. Ensure the office furniture is stable or well fixed to avoid unnecessary rocking.
3. Illuminate the Work Area Sufficiently
Poorly lit office spaces tend to affect an employee’s productivity and affect their mood. Incorporating energy-efficient lighting solutions will make the workplace a safe place to work while keeping lighting expenses low. You can also include LED lighting, which looks more like natural light to boost employee energy and productivity. They are also a good choice in workspaces such as basements where it is hard to get natural light by just opening a curtain.
4. Incorporate Scents in the Office Space
Natural light may be a critical addition to improving your employees’ moods, and so are natural scents. Natural scents such as lemon and lavender are known to increase brain activity, thus increasing productivity. The lemon scent is also known to reduce the chances of errors such as typos. Creating a smell in your workspace doesn’t necessarily mean purchasing expensive air fresheners. It can be as simple as planting scented indoor flowers or mixing specific essential oils in water and placing them in the office. When incorporating scents into the office space, remember not to overdo, since a lot of smell can be irritating and could increase stress.
5. Have Indoor Plants
Introducing some greenery in specific parts of the office is a sure way to liven up the place. The good thing with plants is that only a few plants can make a massive difference in the office environment. The first positive is that the plants help clean the clean air and get rid of contaminants. Low maintenance potted plants are also known to increase productivity, reduce stress levels, and create a sense of belonging and well-being in employees.
6. Declutter the Workspace
When employees walk into an office full of stacked files, the brain tends to get tired and reduces your abilities. A cluttered office also could lead to physical fatigue when someone decides to search for a specific file. The easiest way to declutter your office is by incorporating a file management system, which reduces the amount of paperwork littered on tables. This will help reduce stress in employees, increase concentration, and saves time when working on different files.
A working environment has a direct impact on our moods, performance, and mental health. If your employees are working in a hostile environment, it becomes hard to achieve organizational goals since they don’t work to the best of their abilities. These tips are meant to improve the condition of your workspace and improve productivity.
