Did you know the average person spends 90,000 hours at work over their life time? Yet, research has shown 85% of employees are dissatisfied with their workplace.
Without employees, a business isn’t able to function. Therefore, it is vital that they are satisfied with their workplace to ensure good wellbeing and maximum productivity. The good news is, there are some really easy steps a business can take to improve its employees day-to-day happiness and in turn, the overall success of the business.
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Encourage flexible working
Flexible working is no longer a special condition for some people in work. It is growing in popularity and other than making your workplace more enjoyable, there are a number of reasons why all employers should look into it. As Anna Whitehouse of Mother Pukka’s Flex Appeal campaign explained, “Flexible working doesn’t mean working less or slacking off, it means finding hours that suit your life and how you best work. It’s one of the few issues that both the unionists of the TUC and the employers at the CBI agree on: flexible working is better for staff, and it’s better for profits.” - A win, win for all!
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If flexible working is something that your organisation doesn’t offer, ask yourself and superiors why. It can do wonders for the productivity and overall happiness of employees in the workplace.
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Improve lighting
The lighting in a workplace can have a significant impact on performance and attitude. A recent study by scientist Mirjam Muench looked into the difference between having daylight or artificial light in the workplace. The outcome was as follows:
“Compared to the afternoon, people who had DL (Daylight) were significantly more alert
at the beginning of the evening, and subjects who were exposed to AL (Artificial light)
were significantly sleepier at the end of the evening.”
He later went onto explain that not only does it affect our ‘sleepiness’ but it causes us to be more stressed and have less ability to stabilise our energy levels. This is down to the fact that cortisol levels drop down significantly lower when exposed to artificial light.
It is clear that natural lighting is not only better for you but the best way to make your workplace more enjoyable in terms of lighting. However, if this is not possible, there are other options. For example, blue-enriched light bulbs have been shown to make employees feel happier and more alert with less eye strain.
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Avoid micromanaging
Employees want to feel trusted and micromanaging does the opposite. By definition it is a management style whereby a manager closely observes or controls the work of subordinates or employees. The dangers that come with this style of managing include loss of trust, dependant employees, the burn out of the person micromanaging and a high turnover of staff.
To ensure the workplace is an enjoyable place to be, it’s important to give teams the trust and creative freedom they deserve whilst still setting clear expectations and fair boundaries. A popular style of management called Objective and Key Results (OKR) is great for connecting company, team and personal goals to gain measurable results all whilst keeping team members and leaders working together in one, unified direction. You can find out more about OKR here.
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Consider a ‘breakout’ area
If you want to keep your employees motivated, happy and refreshed, you should encourage them to take regular breaks away from their desks. To allow people to do this, an appropriate breakout area can be provided. A breakout area describes any space open to employees that is separate from their usual working area. It can be used for many things such as a place to eat their lunch, relax or have informal meetings.
When providing a breakout area, considering using different types of seating if there is enough space. Canteen chairs around a table can be used as a place to eat lunch or hold informal meetings, where as soft furnishings can be used as a place to make employees feel relaxed and comfortable. You could even take it to the next level and take inspiration from many big worldwide organisations such as Google and Amazon by providing a games area with table and pool tables. If a separate room isn’t available, screening could be used to section off part of an open plan office.
Having a break out area will also encourage staff to interact with each other. Encouraging interaction will improve the working relationships of employees and help them to feel more comfortable in the workplace.
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Add some colour
We spend a huge amount of our time at work, so it’s important to have a workspace that’s attractive but one that doesn’t distract and limit productivity.
There is now scientific evidence showing that colour can influence productivity, creativity and mood in the workplace. Angela Wright, an expert on colour has been researching the impact of colour since the seventies. Some of her findings on colours and where they should be used in an office include:
- Blue is an intellectual colour and should be used in office areas requiring focus and mental effort.
- Red is a physical colour and is great for areas that demand physical exertion.
-Yellow is the emotional colour and should be used in areas that you want to stimulate positivity, creativity and happiness.
- Green provides balance and has been shown to be a great colour for office that require people to work long hours since it is the easiest colour on the eyes.
In addition to colour, adding plants and making sure furniture is comfortable and ergonomic will make your workplace more enjoyable. Keep in mind that your office is a reflection of your brand. Therefore, you should decorate your office in accordance with your brand to help your employees stay in touch with it.
By investing the time in making your workplace an enjoyable place to be, employees will be more motivated. After all, happy employees are loyal employees, and loyal employees are ones that will work hard to deliver on your organisations objectives.
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