Look, if you’re going to spend a considerable amount of your day at the office, then it stands to reason that it should be a nice place. No more rows of desks and drab off-white walls surrounding you—it’s time for a change. Obviously, productivity and results come first, but who’s to say that productivity and a nice office don’t go hand in hand?
In fact, studies have shown that a worthwhile workplace environment can actually help with those things. Keep reading below for a couple of ideas that you can implement in your own office.
Destination planning and purposeful movement. No, we’re not talking about planning your vacation to the Bahamas. We’re talking about planning your office space strategically. College campuses have been doing it for years, essentially setting up classrooms, dorms, and offices apart, making students and teachers get up and move to get from place to place. Implement something like this into your workspace by setting up conference rooms, desks, and social areas apart from each other. This will get your employees out of their seats and moving around, helping productivity and promoting healthy movement.
Just have fun. Whether it’s a couple Nintendo 64s and copies of GoldenEye in your broom closet, or if it’s a full game room with darts, billiards, and skeeball, give your employees a way to step away from the desk and have some fun. Being competitive in a non-threatening atmosphere is a great way to relieve stress so you can come back to your task with a clear head and an open mind.
Make use of natural lighting. This one might be a bit difficult if you’ve already committed to office space, but if you’re still looking for a place to rent try to find somewhere that offers excess natural light. Studies have shown that increased exposure to natural light promotes healthier sleeping habits, and in turn, increased productivity.
If you’re already committed to an office space with poor natural lighting, look outside of your office building and find excuses to meet your employees outside. Is there a place suitable to hold small meetings that is quiet? A park, perhaps?
Make it easy for everyone to communicate with everyone else. Employees don’t have to like each other to be productive, but it sure helps. Look into implementing a server-side group chat into your company’s workflow. Something like Slack can be used that allows for group chat amongst your employees. Set up channels for work, obviously, but don’t forget the laid-back channels that allow for employees to joke around and even make plans for happy hour meetups after work.
And everyone loves sharing gifs with each other.
These are just four things that you can do to help make your office a better place. Don’t forget about the obvious ones, like brightly colored walls and communal lunches, either. The key to making your office a more enjoyable place to be is really just making it your own. Add your own unique touches and ask your employees what they would like to see; they’re going to be in the office space just as much as you, so they should have a say.
Don’t forget the office dog.
