18 Feb Improve the Appearance and Efficiency of Your Workspace
Improve the Appearance and Efficiency of Your Workspace
No matter how big or successful a company is, there is always room for improvement when it comes to employee engagement and efficiency.
Promote productivity with an efficient workplace layout. Gone are the days when productivity meant keeping your head down and working until the day was over. Now, productivity means keeping employees engaged, finding creative solutions to problems, and brainstorming new ideas.
Update Your Office
To increase productivity in the workplace, take a look around your office and think about what needs updating. Invite all employees to have a say by getting their feedback on the current workplace environment.
The first factor to look at is the state of the office equipment. Updating your office technology with the most efficient software and hardware is absolutely crucial to increase employee productivity.
Another central factor to take into account is the office furniture. Are the chairs pleasant to sit on? There’s nothing worse than sitting on an uncomfortable chair all day long. It can leave workers feeling irritable and distracted, which does no good for workplace productivity.
After you look at furniture, consider the overall layout of your workplace. Maximize productivity with a few layout ideas:
- Encourage employee interaction but provide spaces for privacy
- Make meeting rooms more open and more flexible
- Light your office more naturally
- Take advantage of color, light, and space
- Make use of plants and windows
Incentivize Employees
One of the best ways to encourage employees to be more efficient is to actually give them a reason to do so. Recognizing your workers for a job well done will make them feel appreciated and encourage them to continue increasing their productivity.
Embrace Feedback
One of the best ways to improve efficiency in the workplace is to give each other feedback regularly. In order for employees to become more efficient, they need to know exactly where their performance is lacking and where they excel. There is no hope of increasing employee efficiency if they don’t know they’re being inefficient in the first place. This is why performance reviews are essential – measure your employees’ performance, then hold individual meetings to let them know where they are excelling, and what areas they need to work on.
Let employees speak to each other. What is the harm if they discuss their problems with their fellow workers? After all, we are mature enough to understand that there are certain things which are confidential and should not be discussed at any cost.
Embrace Telecommuting
Allowing your employees to work from home might seem inefficient – after all, how can you guarantee that they will still be productive if no one is watching them? However, the reality is quite the opposite (in fact, studies show that people who work from home are 13% more productive than office employees). Letting your employees telecommute will allow them to save time that would otherwise be wasted completely.
Offer Flexibility
Many organizations in today’s workforce are offering employees greater flexibility in how they choose to work. This flexibility is a valuable asset for workers who desire a greater work-life balance. A healthier work-life balance can help reduce stress and fatigue in your employees, which will likely make them more engaged in their work.
Promote Good Health and Well Being
Consider implementing a workplace wellness program to cut down on the number of sick days and reduce your company’s overall health insurance spend.
Get moving! Exercise is not only important for the body, it is almost as important for your mental wellbeing. According to this article from Brain HQ, exercising has been shown to reduce stress hormones while also increasing growth factors in the brain necessary for new neuronal connections.
Stand more. Feeling a little sleepy around 3 pm? Stand up! Is your posture starting to wane? Do you notice that your team is having trouble staying focused in meetings? Stand up!
Is that meeting really necessary?
Have you ever walked out of a business meeting and realized that it was a complete waste of time? You’d be lying if you said no. HR consultant Sharlyn Lauby of HR Bartender agrees:“…Organizations need to give employees the tools to run effective and productive meetings.”
Make sure there is a set agenda and goal for each meeting. No agenda and goal, no meeting. Also, respect participants’ time! A one-hour meeting should only take one hour. If you end early, that’s cool. But don’t run late.
Sources:
https://blog.proofhub.com/5-quick-ways-to-make-your-workplace-more-efficient-9ccf2d6a09cf
https://www.zenefits.com/blog/top-10-ways-to-improve-employee-efficiency/
https://www.managementstudyguide.com/tips-to-increase-efficiency.htm
https://www.snacknation.com/blog/increase-productivity-at-work/
https://environmentsdenver.com/promoting-productivity-with-an-efficient-workplace-layout/
https://99u.adobe.com/articles/17437/the-perfect-workplace-according-to-science
