How to Create a Productive Office Space
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One of the main challenges that business owners and office managers face is how to keep their staff motivated and productive. Productivity is a main contributing factor to the success of a business, but it also has a direct correlation to the happiness and job satisfaction of employees. Creating a productive space within your business will have a knock-on effect on your staff, which in turn can boost your output and finances. But how do you make sure you’ve a productive office? The team at Airway are going to give you all the tips you need.
Natural Light
Let’s start with light sources. Obviously, your office needs to be well-lit, but we don’t just mean installing bright lights for the room. Exposure to natural light has been shown to improve moods and health, as well as alertness and metabolism. Opening the blinds will let the sunlight in (sometimes), which will provide a boost to your staff and make the room look brighter and more welcoming. Happy staff means hard working staff, and hard work means productivity!
Plants
There is, believe it or not, a link between plants and productivity in the workplace. A study by The University of Exeter showed that productivity increased by 15% when plants were introduced to workspaces that didn’t have any. It comes down to the plants engaging employees’ brains just through their mere presence, which helps them perform better and improves their memory retention.
Realistic expectations
Don’t overburden your staff with goals that are too hard to reach. Every person is different, and what might be attainable for one person might be out of the reach of another. Challenging your employees can be healthy, but don’t overdo it – setting goals that can’t be met will only lead to low morale in the long run.
Climate control
Nobody wants to be too hot or too cold whilst at work, and an effective, fully-functioning air conditioning system will ensure that staff are comfortable during their shifts. Find a temperature that is agreeable – of course, everyone will have their own preferences, and some feel the cold or heat more than others, but once a temperature has been agreed upon, everyone can feel comfortable. It is thought that the optimum temperature for a workplace is between 21 and 23°c. VRV air conditioning is a popular choice for large office spaces, as it allows you to set and alter the temperatures for individual rooms and floors, which caters for the different environments that might exist on various levels.
Healthy food
If you operate a workplace that has its own canteen, then try to serve healthy options wherever possible. Eating a greasy burger at lunch is certainly appealing and enjoyable, but a post-lunch slowdown is almost inevitable if you’ve consumed a big, unhealthy meal. If you have vending machines on site, too, you can choose to stock them with healthier snacks to give staff an energy boost that doesn’t come with the slowdown that more sugary foods carry.
Above are just five ways that you can help create a productive, healthy working atmosphere in your office. Without a comfortable working temperature, though, employees will get distracted and irritated, which will directly affect their productivity. If you’re in need of air conditioning improvements, or you feel your office needs a complete overhaul of its HVAC systems, get in touch with the experts at Airway Air Conditioning today and we’ll be more than happy to help.