How To Create A Happy Office Environment
With more offices reopening for business, staff returning to the office, and new staff joining the workforce, as a business it is vital to make sure that you create a happy office environment for staff. Employees who enjoy going to work, and feel looked after by their employer are more likely to be engaged with the team, hard working, dedicated and loyal. This can only benefit your business, so it’s in your interests to create a positive working environment.
Why Is A Happy Office Environment Important?
For your business, a happy office is important because it directly affects the work staff produce, and therefore the success of your business. Unmotivated employees won’t deliver or be as committed, so the likelihood of a high staff turnover, disruption in the workplace and problems in the office is much higher. Many factors can affect how happy your employees are, and the office environment you create is something you can directly influence, so it is important that you do this well.
How Can You Create A Happy Office Environment?
Particularly after the pandemic, people are looking for roles and a work environment that goes beyond the basics. A competitive salary, the usual perks and standard annual leave are no longer enough. Neither are the office basics like a desk and equipment to simply do the job at hand. Businesses are applying new measures to ensure a happy workforce both in and out of the office, and in order to retain staff and attract high quality candidates when recruiting, it is vital that your business does the same.
With these suggestions, you’re likely to not only create, but maintain an ongoing happy office environment where employees enjoy working.
| Make The Office A Comfortable Place To Work | The physical surroundings for each employee’s workspace is one of the key areas to focus on, as it’s where they will spend most of their time and therefore needs to be comfortable. Desks should be big enough to allow plenty of workspace, storage options should be provided to keep the area tidy, and office chairs should be comfortable and adjustable to suit the employee. If required, additional accessories should be provided such as foot stools, adjustable monitors and cable trays to keep the place both tidy and safe.It goes without saying that any equipment an employee requires should be of high quality, working and safe. |
| Consider Your Office Lighting | Where possible, utilising as much natural light as possible will always benefit your employees, but if this isn’t always doable, making sure your office is well lit with modern LED ‘daylight’ light fittings.Inadequate lighting can cause damage to the health and wellbeing of employees, especially if they’re staring at computer screens all day, so making sure you have considered this will save you problems, and therefore time and money in the long run.If natural light isn’t easy to come by in the office itself, encourage regular breaks to go outside. |
| Create Breakout Spaces & Social Areas | Every office will have some communal areas that need to be carefully planned, whether these are meeting rooms, breakout work areas, a canteen or specifically designated areas for socialising. Make sure you provide comfortable furniture, an accessible layout, and quality decor and lighting to allow for a range of group activities. If your office space allows it, incorporate social areas to encourage staff to spend time together. This can only benefit the team and office culture as a whole, reinforcing the happy office environment with staff who enjoy being there. Regularly hold team lunches or social events, so employees feel like it’s a fun place to be once the work is done. |
| Allow For Flexible Working Options | Accommodating flexible working within your office is vital now post pandemic, and it is important to remember that even by creating a perfect office environment for workers, they may not always want to be present in the office. Allowing employees the flexibility and freedom to manage their working day and where they spend it will only enhance their positivity and wellbeing when they are in the office. Maintaining a strong work-life balance will also contribute significantly to the happy office environment you are striving to create. |
| Engage With Your Team & Encourage Communication | Nobody likes a leader they never see, so be involved with your team and frequently get them engaging with each other. Encouraging open and honest feedback amongst themselves and to you will develop a healthy office culture, and this should be done in the right office environment. Provide breakout areas where people can go to discuss projects or hold meetings away from the rest of the team, or in case an employee requires a quieter more private area with fewer distractions. Encouraging strong and frequent communication amongst employees themselves, and the team as a whole will only benefit their working relationships. A team that can communicate effectively and efficiently will only strengthen your business as a whole, whilst simultaneously creating a happier working environment for the staff themselves.Consider the context of any meeting or gathering of people within the office. For formal meetings such as interviews or appraisals, make sure you have the correct environment to match the meeting. |
To find out more about improving your office atmosphere, read some of the following blogs:
Office Options’ Services
The team at Office Options can take care of every aspect of your office design and layout. Whether you are considering a new build fit-out, an existing office upgrade and refurbishment, or dilapidation works to vacated premises we are here to help you. Contact the team if you would like to discuss any of our services.