How I Helped The Wellbeing Of My Staff To Increase Productivity

I find that working in an office space, there are plenty of challenges to keep my staff motivated. They can be sitting there for hours with plenty of work to do and I can see it in them that they’re slowly becoming restless or ‘clock-counting’ until hometime. I know that as part of the hiring process,  they should be motivated to do the job anyway, but I should also have some responsibility in making sure that my staff are enjoying their work and there’s a general happy in mood in the office. Nowadays, staff are getting younger and there’s a higher demand for staff that are creative and innovative and the working environment should reflect this too. Where to start is through the workspace which allows staff to engage their thoughts and express their creativity. Here are some useful tips I implemented into my office work environment to help engage staff and increase their work levels.

Let The Light In

I found that in the office, there wasn’t a projection of light in the room. We constantly had the lights on in the building and natural light wasn’t visible enough. It always made the place seem gloomy and dark. I read somewhere that by having dull surroundings it can really affect the mood of individuals, but by them seeing the natural light they feel more productive and energised at work. So, I had roller blinds fitted instead of having mini and micro blinds. This way lighter could come through. It made the place seem larger and refreshing which was fantastic.

Switch Up The Colour

When I first bought the property, it wasn’t exactly the best-looking place. The walls were painted grey and it had a feeling of corporate about it. Considering the business is more creative it definitely needed a spot of colour. It just took me a while to get stuff sorted as we had just moved in and wanted to get the ball rolling with the business. I realised over time though that as more workers were being hired and the office was coming larger, I really needed to start changing things up. It’s incredible how much colour reflects the mood. I read somewhere that yellow is a great colour to get creative with, so I added it into our brainstorming room for when the teams get together to think of new ideas for clients.

Feed Them

I’m always a big believer in having a wholesome meal before starting your day properly. I can’t seem to function without breakfast! We have the privilege of having a kitchen and I recently set up a partnership with one of the bakery's down the road. Essentially, I pay them every month to supply the staff with fresh fruit, pastries, muffins etc. and they drop it off every morning fresh from the bakery. That way, if any of my staff had a rushed morning they can easily grab something from the kitchen.

Improve the Air Quality

Air quality inside is just as important as the air quality outside. Circulating fresh air in and around the office means that there’s less chance of my staff becoming sick, so there’s more staff available throughout the year to get the work done. Being in an office space this can be resolved fairly quickly and I simply added some greenery and encouraged the staff to open the windows to let some air circulate around the office. This means it saved me from buying that large industrial stuff like stainless steel ductwork or large ventilation systems.

I found a considerable difference in my staff when I started to make changes to the working environment. Although as a business I’m looking to make as much business as possible, I always feel it’s worth the time investing in your staff to make it happen. Do it and you’ll reap in benefits for the future.