Looking to boost employee retention, morale, and productivity? Then it’s time to rethink the office.
At their best, a well-thought-out office can be a game changer for a business, helping to redefine the employee’s experience while also making a positive impression on visitors. And it’s no exaggeration to say that a poorly planned or chaotic office can have the opposite effect. Remember: while it’s the content of their work that’s most important to employees, where they work isn’t too far behind.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some relatively straightforward tips for ensuring that your employees genuinely enjoy being at the office.
Mix Up The Seating Options
The traditional office, one that is filled with desks and chairs, has been replaced by dynamic spaces that offer greater versatility. While some of your employees will like the classic desk and chair combination, there will be others who thrive within other environments, at least part of the time. Putting together a relaxed area where employees can take care of routine tasks on a couch, small rooms for focused work, and open spaces for greater collaboration. Most workers have different needs from their office throughout the day; giving them the option to work somewhere other than a fixed desk space will ensure they can always take care of business in an environment that works for them.
Keep it Clutter Free — And Spotless
Studies have shown cluttered, dirty spaces can have a negative impact on employee morale and productivity, but you don’t need a study to understand that. Cluttered, dirty workspaces are a distraction that makes it difficult to focus.
Taking a considered approach to keeping the office as minimalist as possible, along with hiring commercial cleaners to maintain cleanliness, is paramount for keeping morale high. After all, there’s nothing that’ll dampen an employee’s enthusiasm for going to work than an unkempt workplace that subtly raises stress levels. If you find that you can’t get rid of items that are cluttering up the office, then consider renting a nearby storage unit.
Put Together a Social Area
It’s much more fun to go to work when you have friends in the office. In fact, one study found that workers who have a good friend in the office were up to twice as likely to be engaged at work. In other words, a workplace full of best pals can be a serious boost to productivity and help reduce employee turnover.
While you can’t force your employees to be friends with one another, you can at least open up the possibility of it happening. Creating a social hangout space where employees can take breaks will greatly improve the chances of connections forming.
Looking to take things even further? Look at putting the social area to good use by hosting after work drinks and other get-togethers.
Add Some Colour
Think of a classic British office, and you’ll probably imagine grey tables, grey walls, grey everything. After all, that seemed to have been the standard issue office for decades.
In fact, it’s probably all that grey that resulted in the historically lowly reputation of the ‘office.’
The solution to grayscale offices is to inject a little bit of colour (or even a lot!). A few plants can make a world of difference. You might also consider painting the walls in your brand’s colours (hopefully it’s not grey), which can be an effective way to give the office a healthy dose of branding.
Finally, don’t forget the power of natural light. It really can make a big difference to an employee’s happiness levels. While you can’t make the sun shine, you can at least ensure that the windows are large enough and clean enough to let it in on sunny days.
Make It Pet-Friendly
Allowing employees to bring their pets (well, probably just dogs) to the office is a great — and easy — way to boost morale. For one thing, the pet’s owner will be happy that they don’t have to race home to give their dog attention. Having a dog in the office can also elevate the happiness levels of other workers, too, and helps to create a cosy, homey atmosphere. Just be sure to put together a policy about which types of pets can come to the office — a chicken will probably hurt morale more than it’ll help.
Provide Snacks
Finally, don’t forget the power of free snacks and drinks. It’s an extremely small, low-budget strategy for boosting employee happiness. After all, it’s much more fun to make the commute to work when you know that there’ll be gourmet coffee, pastries, and snacks waiting for you when you arrive.
