The office is where we spend a good portion of our day. Whether we’re at the home office or the cubicle in an open-concept workspace, and whether we love it or hate it, there are ways to make it better.
This is a contributed post and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meet The Harris Family.
Everyone needs a break from time to time. When we don’t get that break and when we’re bogged down by stressors such as uncomfortable chairs and loud co-workers, our job performance starts to suffer. And if we’re not given opportunities for advancement, you can bet that morale won’t be too high either. A good office environment means fewer sick days and happier employees who don’t dread going into work each day.
There are lots of tips and tricks for setting up a great office environment, but you won’t need many. All it takes is the right equipment, proper lighting, and making sure that you’re following laws that pertain to your specific business. The goal is to find the balance between comfort and productivity so that employees can be successful without sacrificing their mental health or physical well-being.
We may not be able to change everything about our workspace, but we can change some things to make it more comfortable and efficient. A little color here, a few plants there, some posters over there, and we’ve got ourselves an office space that doesn’t look as boring as we thought it would!
To help you get started on this task of creating the best office environment possible, we’ve come up with a few tips. Check them out:
Buy Good Furniture
Start with the right furniture. If you’ve just moved into a new space or if it’s time to replace your office equipment, then this is one area where you shouldn’t skimp on quality. The more comfortable your workers are when they sit in their chairs and use their desktops, the better they’ll feel about coming to work each day. Buy what you need so that all of your employees can be productive without feeling like they’re stuck in jail cells with low ceilings and dirty floors.
The cheapest route is always the crappiest route in this case, and if you choose to take it, well then don’t complain when employees start calling out sick because their back hurts, or they got a repetitive stress injury from typing at their desk all day. If you can afford ergonomic chairs and desks with adjustable heights, do it!
When you’re choosing furniture (or any other equipment for that matter), make sure that it suits your company culture too. Being trendy doesn’t mean anything if no one wants to look like everyone else in the office! There’s nothing wrong with adding personality into an otherwise boring space but just make sure that what you’re doing fits in with everything else already there.
Good Lighting
Lighting comes next on our list. Good lighting reduces eyestrain which means fewer headaches for workers after long hours spent staring at computer monitors. It also improves productivity because workers can see what they’re doing instead of clumsily bumping
Lighting makes a big difference in the overall feel of the office. Add in some lamps with dimmers or, even better, some fancy LED lights that can be adjusted via remote control, and employees will love their workspace even more!
Hire cleaning services
Whether we like it or not, we spend most of our lives indoors and that means that we’re constantly surrounded by germs and bacteria. This is especially true in the workplace where food is consumed and office gossip and dirty office supplies (and toilet seats) are abundant.
Getting professional cleaners to come in now and then will make employees feel better about coming to work each day. If you can’t afford a full-blown cleaning crew, at least make sure you’ve got some disinfecting wipes as well as an industrial vacuum cleaner. People don’t care too much about how clean their house is; they only get worried when their workspace isn’t kept tidy!
And if your employees are really important to you, perhaps consider getting yourself a new water cooler. It’s amazing how much more people love coming to work when they have access to fresh, clean, cold drinking water!
Make it A Comfortable Environment
The next step in setting up a great workspace is making sure that employees enjoy what they do at the office – even if that means going outside of your typical office borders. If you’re running a business from home then make sure you’ve got cozy chairs and soft lighting in every room where employees will be talking or working on projects with clients. If you want your workers to get out of the house now and then, consider renting some conference rooms with big tables and copious amounts of snacks for everyone involved.
And if your company atmosphere tends toward the more relaxed side of the spectrum, then consider buying some pillows and blankets which will turn your office into a relaxation zone during break time.
Add Indoor Plants
Don’t forget to add some plants. If you don’t have a green thumb then hire someone who does. You’ll not only brighten up your office but you’ll also help out the environment at the same time. Just make sure that they’re fake if you’re concerned about them being an eyesore… none of us want to see dead leaves lying around on our desks!
Decorate Walls
Decorate your walls with posters or prints that inspire or motivate people to do their best work. Inspiring quotes are another good idea because they serve as constant reminders of the kind of person we aspire to be and what we can accomplish if we put our minds and hearts to it.
It doesn’t matter how much effort you put into your office environment because employees will always find something to nitpick about! But by following these tips, you should be well on your way to creating a great place where people want to come in each day and work their butts off for you.
