If your office is a bit on the dull side and employees seem frustrated or tired, you may want to try and take matters into your own hands by making the office more visually appealing and organized. Employee morale can be directly related to the condition of their working environments, and your office is no different. There are a few things that you can do to make your office a more pleasant place to work in.
Make sure the lighting is adequate. If your office is dull and dark, people may have a hard time concentrating. They may be straining their eyes to see paperwork and other things, and no one can focus for very long in conditions like this. Give your employees proper lighting in all work areas. Make sure it is appropriate for the tasks that they are doing. Your employees will boost their productivity when they can see better, and their moods may improve too.
Paint the office bright colors. Your office may be lacking a clean and bright look. Painting the office a shade brighter, such as a shade of white or yellow, can improve the appearance of the office and make things a lot brighter. These colors can also help to reflect light, which can increase your lighting efficiency in the office. Your employees will welcome a lighter color and feel more revitalized in the office.
Organize the office to make everything easily accessible. Almost nothing is more frustrating than not being able to find something right away or having a hard time accessing it. These problems will decrease productivity and increase frustration. Make sure your employees are not having to reach overhead or walk very far to get to the most commonly used items and equipment. Make sure everything is clearly marked and put back in its place.
Keep the office safe. Make sure all cords are pulled back and out of the way so no one trips and falls. Install safety items to reduce accidents of all kinds. Train your employees to know what to do in an emergency. Make sure all emergency exits are clearly marked and in good working order. Regularly inspect all areas to make sure they are safe, and take employee’s comments about safety issues seriously.
Make sure your employees are comfortable. It can be very hard to sit at a desk all day if the chairs in the office are old and uncomfortable. Make sure your employees workspaces are comfortable, within reason, and that they have easy access to restroom facilities and lunchrooms to keep them comfortable. Certain flooring may also keep your workers more comfortable if they have to spend a lot of time on their feet.
Try to minimize distractions in the office. Limit traffic in certain parts of the office and use blinds on the windows to keep your employees from being distracted about what is going on outside if you are in a busy area. Encourage employees to turn off their personal mobile devices and to refrain from visiting inappropriate websites during company work hours. You may have to place website blocks on computers in order to enforce this rule.
Allow your employees to personalize their spaces a little. Employees may feel more at ease when they have a little of their personal effects with them. Allow them to place appropriate pictures of their children or a few appropriate and tasteful decorations in their cubicles or on their desks. Individuality is important to many people and can boost morale. The employees will be happy that they can still express themselves within reason in their work areas.