The most successful companies tend to be the ones with the happiest employees. Employees typically spend long hours in the office whereby they have become extremely accustomed to the office surroundings in which they encounter on a day-to-day basis. As the saying loosely goes, it’s not about the number of hours you put into work, it’s the amount of work you put into those hours.
With this thought in mind, as an employer, it is important to ensure that the productivity levels within the workplace are as high as they can be as this is vital in keeping your company alive and thriving. Whether you are working from home or in the office, here are some easy steps you can follow to increase productivity in the workplace.
Improve Lighting
It may not be an obvious step to take but lighting actually plays a crucial role in a workers day to day performance and attitude. Not only does natural lighting look better, but there is actually a strong correlation between natural light and employees quality of work, energy and sleep. Greater exposure to natural light improves the mood and energy of workers which has a positive impact on focus and productivity.
Studies show that people who work in offices with lots of window space sleep an extra 46 minutes every night meaning they are better rested and in a better frame of mind for work.
Unfortunately, most workplaces have little to no natural light resulting in the performance of employees being compromised. If incorporating natural light into the workplace isn’t possible then there are was to overcome this hurdle without too causing any hassle. Investing in so blue-enriched light bulbs is said to be a great way of reducing fatigue and increasing energy levels. Warm toned lighting promotes calmness and relaxation which is a great feature to have in meeting and break rooms.
Create a Clean and Comfortable Space
Whether you realise it or not, your eyes are constantly scanning your environment and sending signals to your brain whether they be positive signals or negative signals. These signals have significant impact on your overall mood and state of mind. If your environment is visually cluttered and unclean, this causes your brain to take in an overload of negative information causing you to feel stressed and demotivated.
If your area is attractive, comfortable and pleasant then you will naturally feel better. This applies to your home and your workplace. Replacing old or damaged furniture for contemporary furniture as well as investing in some office plants and updated equipment will be highly appreciated by your employees and increase their levels of motivation and productivity.
Research shows that decorating an office with aesthetically pleasing features such as plants can increase productivity by up to 15 percent. Spider plants remove carbon monoxide from the air which creates more oxygen, a method to have been proven to reduce stress and anxiety levels therefore energizing the brain enabling it to stay more focused.
You can also jazz up your office space with pictures, candles, flowers or anything else that you know will put a smile on your face.
Communication
Being consistent with your interaction and communication with your employees is key when it comes to their motivation and performance. A great way ensure that you do this is by offering employees regular feedback on how their work is making an impact into the broader business objectives.
Incentives and rewards are also a good idea to encourage employees by giving them something to work towards and giving them the opportunity to work harder if needs be without demotivating or giving destructive criticism.
Stay Hydrated
It should come as no surprise that staying hydrated is an essential part of living. Providing your workplace with a bottled water cooler is a healthy and productive mini break for your employees.
Taking regular breaks is proven to increase productivity levels and so having a bottled water cooler gives employees a good excuse to have a walk around, take their eyes off the screen and stay hydrated. It is also scientifically proven that the hydrogen and oxygen molecules that make up water improves brain activity.