Creating a healthy work environment requires getting to know the people in the office extremely well so that it’s easy to recognize what they like and dislike. Building a healthy environment also means creating the best environment for productivity, and that requires a business to work in an environment that caters to both physical and mental well-being. Luckily, promoting a healthier work environment generally takes very little effort, but the impact it has on productivity levels is significant. Here’s what you need to know.
Prioritize Personal Space
People generally get uncomfortable when they have other people sitting less than a meter away from them. Hearing and seeing their every single move can be rather distracting as well. Cramped up offices generally tend to be much less productive due to the constant feeling of discomfort that employees experience. Offices that prioritize giving their employees some valuable space so that they don’t constantly feel intruded are always healthier and more productive. Spreading out the desks instead of having them cramped up next to each other can help make the workplace a little healthier.
Get To Know One Another
Employees usually feel a lot less comfortable when discussing their ideas with colleagues and superiors who barely know them. Changing that fact by simply asking more questions about their lives, hobbies, likes, and dislikes can make an employee feel a lot more comfortable in participating. Opening up a meeting by asking a few employees about what they regularly do during their free time will help them feel more confident in their work environment.
Incentivize Success
It’s difficult for employees to find any motivation to work harder without having a clear goal in mind. Clarifying what employees can achieve by working hard to create a competitive workplace that exudes a sense of purpose. Failing to incentivize a workplace creates a dull, unproductive environment that no employee wants to be a part of. Distinguishing goals for every employee is necessary to keep them interested and engaged in their position in the workplace.
Encourage & Challenge New Ideas
Having a workplace that’s open to new ideas helps make the environment feel a lot friendlier for the employees, as they’ll feel like their input is useful and desired. Challenging these ideas is a delicate process that needs to occur constructively; otherwise, it will just feel demoralizing. Challenging ideas in the right way also helps refine any concepts that need a little bit of work, while it simultaneously helps employees to think more critically the next time they give an idea.
Offer facilities
When a business helps its employees adopt a healthier lifestyle, it greatly improves their mental health and their attitude towards the workplace. A business can do this by either offering discounts to local gyms, or even offering facilities in the office that help get healthier. Offering facilities like a standing desk can make a huge difference in the life of a 9-5 employee, and if you visit this site, you’ll see that even regular desks can be converted into standing desks with the help of some simple accessories. Standing desks help improve blood circulation greatly and if any of your employees suffer from heart-related issues, they’ll be very grateful to have a standing desk. Providing employees with the tools to achieve a healthier lifestyle is guaranteed to reward a business for its efforts through higher productivity levels in the workplace.
Sprinkle Some Greenery Around
Filling empty corners of an office with some plants tends to have a calming effect on the workforce. Having just the right amount of plants will also improve the air quality of the office without making it feel like a jungle. Plants also light up the office with their color as they seem to pop out and create a more elegant look, which in turn makes the people in the office feel like they’re in a more sophisticated space.
Find Time For One-on-One Conversations
A manager needs to know his/her employees well, and there’s no better way to find out who they are other than to simply ask them. Having a conversation with an employee over lunch or inviting them out for dinner can be a great way to find out who they are, rather than who they appear to be on company ground. Doing this positively affects both the manager and the employee as they both end up establishing a bond that helps them mutually trust one another. This also helps a manager provide detailed feedback towards their employees, which guides them towards the right path to take to improve.
Help People Learn
People will inevitably make mistakes at work, and getting scolded over a small mistake doesn’t help as much as helping the person learn from it. Not holding a mistake over an employee and letting them move past it after having learned from it helps create a much healthier workplace. This will also help other employees feel safer and more confident in their ability to make decisions.
Give Credit Where Credit Is Due
Showing some gratitude towards the workforce can greatly improve everyone’s mood in the office, as they’ll feel appreciated. This can be done by treating the team to some coffee, treating them to some of their favorite local food joints, or simply acknowledging their good work and thanking them for their efforts. These little things light a fire in the hearts of the employees, and they help them work harder and feel closer to everyone else in the office.
Ask For Suggestions
There’s no better way to improve a workplace than asking the people working on it for suggestions on how it can improve. Employees that work in an office know that office better than anyone, and they’ll know what it needs to improve. Asking employees to submit their suggestions for the workplace will help them feel valued and heard, which will result in them feeling better about their time at work.
There are many different ways to make a work environment healthier, but it all comes down to the people at the office. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all method of making a workplace environment healthier so tailoring some ideas to fit a specific workplace is a manager’s best shot at implementing some tips and tricks they stumble on to.