How to Make your Office More Comfortable
Whether you have employees, or you’re a one-man (or woman) shop, you and your staff probably spend hours at the office every day. Making sure that the office is more comfortable will increase productivity and make work a happier place for everyone- meaning less staff turnover, increased output, and happier customers.
Here are some ways you can make your office more comfortable:
Keep it cool
There’s nothing worse than sweltering away in a hot suit in the middle of summer. Keeping the office cool will ensure that staff can concentrate and do their jobs without having to stop to mop up the sweat off their foreheads.
If your conditioner happens to break down, get it fixed quickly with commercial air conditioning repairs, so you and your staff can quickly get back to work and you won’t lose hours to inaction (or have to deal with grumpy staff).
Keep moving
Did you know that six hours of sitting every day can mean that you need to exercise for an hour every single day to negate the health risks? And sitting at an office desk continually can lead to heart disease, obesity, cancer, and take 7 years off of your life?
If you want fewer sick days in the office and to take care of your employee’s health, consider implementing some healthy changes. Installing a shower and some lockers will mean that employees can bike to work and change at the office, while office yoga is also becoming popular.
Letting your employees know that it’s important to get up and move around the office at least once per hour is important, and will lead to a happier and more productive office for everyone.
Allow Individuality
Whether your employees have desks, cubicles or offices, encouraging them to express their individuality is important. Maybe they want to hang a vision board with their goals above their desk, photos of their kids, or snaps from their last holiday. Allowing them to express their hopes, dreams and memories will make work a nicer place for them, leading to a greater sense of satisfaction at work.
Get Involved
It’s unlikely that everyone in your office knows each other’s names, and if you do have a small team, often they won’t know much more than that. Encourage sharing, and once a week order some food for a shared lunch so everyone can get to know each other.
Some offices have running or rowing teams, while others have other activities that employees can sign up for and do in their free time with their workmates. A competitive spirit can also go a long way towards improving relationships in your office, so having team targets and competing against other teams for a prize can make everyone bond together and help them get to know each other.
When we feel happy, connected and comfortable at work, we’re more likely to do our best work, be productive, and stay in our positions.