How to improve work environment in the office

The type of atmosphere you want to create around the office demonstrates the kind of business you want to run. Are you looking for a very traditional cubicle, water cooler, get-on-with-your-work type office, or, have you been inspired with work hard, play hard culture of the Googles and Facebooks of the world: the startup office culture, as it were.

Whatever your desired atmosphere, choosing the right decor, the right furniture and the little quirks will help in making your office unique to your company. For many customers and potential clients, walking into your office will be the first impression they will have of you, so it pays to stand out and make it memorable.

Knowing your business 

A lot of founders and CEOs may want to be seen as the fun boss, but being the fun boss is not always beneficial for the direction your company needs to travel towards. Knowing and understanding your business will give you an immediate idea of the type of atmosphere you want to create around the office.

If you want your employees to come in, get on with their work, and go home, then the office needs to reflect this. That is there need to be minimal distractions – in the least totalitarian manner possible – and an air of professionalism that will motivate employees to complete their work to the highest standard possible.

Should you want your business to be a place where both work and fun is done, then having a more relaxed environment will allow employees to feel comfortable. That isn’t to say they should be allowed to slack off, but giving them leeway to take a break when needed and unwind should they desire will mean they are energized and ready to get the necessary work done, and then let the fun begin.

Around the office

With the employees in the office, deciding what kind of decor and features you want around can have a massive effect on the atmosphere. One of the essential factors in having a productive office is office furniture. This is frequently overlooked by CEOs when considering how they want the office to look.

Comfortable and easy-to-move-around furniture will help your employees productivity, as they won’t be complaining about stiff necks, as well as having the maneuverability to get around the office or switch things up if they so desire.

Furthermore, the days of boring white walls with quasi-motivational quotes plastered along them are long gone. The secret to office motivation is no longer laborious team-building exercises, but instead it is cultivating an environment in which employees are happy to come to and enjoy being in for forty hours of their week.

This sort of environment can be anything from installing a hanging garden, which will add splashes of green and naturally make the office a more relaxing and fresh place to be. Furthermore, an office mascot, whether it be a pet or something that you and your employees feel represents the kind of business you want to be, can have a positive effect on worker morale. Although, this can lead to too many distractions, because who wouldn’t want to avoid work by spending time with a furry friend?

Taking breaks

For whatever reason, be in manager or coworker pressure, employees are sometimes reluctant to take breaks. This is despite the fact that many places are required by law to provide their employees with designated times to get themselves away from the desk and clear their head.

Too few breaks during a day can lead to the danger of presenteeism and will only hurt your business in the long run through burnout and drops in productivity. Giving your employees a dedicated chill out area or break room is a popular trend in many offices throughout the world.

Adopting such a practice will give your employees a chance to take five minutes away from the

The stress of the job and give them to chance to recharge. The traditional office break room is often a grim and depressing place. Many times, workers don’t want to engage with the same people they see across their desk all week, and so providing them with the option of relaxing in different ways will give them the recharge they need to get back to work when called upon.

There are a whole host of business hacks out there to help make your company be the efficient and well oiled machines you have always dreamed of. Taking the time to consider what you can do better to improve the experience for your employees starts in the office, and by creating an environment where people will enjoy coming to is perhaps the best hack of them all.