Are you looking to make positive changes in your workplace so that it is a modern and productive environment? There are so many benefits to doing this, so just thinking about it means you are already on the right track. However, to ensure you get the outcome you desire, keep reading. With these four basic pointers, a CEO or line manager can begin to turn their workplace from a drab and dreary office into a vibrant and motivating area for their employees.
- Comfort
First things first: a comfortable workforce is a happier workforce. Without having aches and pains associated with sitting for long periods at a desk, workers can improve both their health and their productivity. Ergonomic advice and guidelines show that management should be proactive in their introduction of comfort to the workplace, providing employees with training on how to sit at their desks. To bring your company’s workplace up to modern-day standards, identifying how to improve its comfort and health and safety levels is of paramount importance.
- Work from home
With even official government websites advocating for work-from-home practices, facilitated by telecommuting apps like Facebook Workplace and Bluejeans, it is difficult to see how modern companies can avoid embracing the benefits of home working. Giving your employees the option of working at home either permanently or on a hybrid basis will give them more control over childcare, homecare, pet care, medical appointments, and more, making them much happier and healthier workers. They could be better motivated and improve time management in the knowledge that they are only in the office two or three days a week, and without constant commuting, they may look forward to the time they do spend on your premises more.
- Benefits
Offices where staff members arrive, complete their eight hours of work, drive home and repeat it all exactly the same the next day are a thing of the past. Employees are more and more interested in how the workplace culture improves their lives and enhances their time at work, including what benefits are included in their working day. Be proactive and use effective HR planning to ensure your employees aren’t left wanting for workplace treats like carryout days, dress-down Fridays, comfortable relaxing areas, or even some entertainment such as a table tennis table.
It may also be useful, if you do not have one already, to treat your staff to a communal space in your office. Small, closed-off compartments for each team or even each department are outdated and are not as collaboratively or socially beneficial for staff as open spaces.
- Speak to employees
Finally, to truly know what your employees require of their workplace, you should be in constant constructive communication with them. While you may be the decision maker at your company, it is essential that you listen to employee needs and design your work environment to match their productivity needs. Take a participatory approach to adapt or renovate your office by forming focus groups and surveys to help define clear modernization and productivity goals.
Don’t forget that the modernizing of your office may not look the same for every department – tailor your workplace to the needs of each team in terms of its size, work practices, location, and purpose. This way, you will ensure that you make all the necessary changes across the board to make your teams happier, more comfortable, and more productive.