When your employees step into the workplace, you become their responsibility. Of course, your employees have a responsibility to look after themselves but as an employer, you have a duty of care to all your staff.
Improving the quality of the workplace environment should be something you proactively try to do. The better your workplace environment is, the happier your staff are likely to be as a result. With that in mind, here are several tips to help improve the quality of your workplace environment.
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Look to clear up clutter regularly
Clutter can be a hazard and within the workplace, it’s common for accidents to happen from stuff that’s been left about. This causes tripping hazards and generally brings down workplace satisfaction. Mood is an important factor in your employee’s well-being, rather than just physical health and safety.
Consider cleaning up the space as and when possible. It might be worth talking to the operations team within your business to put a schedule in place where routine declutters of the workplace are conducted. That way, your workforce in general, will all play a role in improving the appearance of clutter in the office.
The more you can remove from the floor, the better. So, if it doesn’t have a home, then make one or get rid of those items if they no longer serve a purpose. Work with your workforce to identify the areas in which clutter has started to become a problem and fix this with the help of staff who are perhaps contributing to that clutter.
Improve air quality
Air quality is something to be mindful of when it comes to the health of your employees. For a lot of businesses, workers come into the office every day and are therefore breathing in the air that’s in the atmosphere.
It’s the company’s responsibility to ensure air is flowing and ventilating accordingly. The last thing you want to be dealing with is mold or dampness. That doesn’t bode well for health and safety, or for the building premises in general.
With that in mind, think about introducing some air monitoring services that can take a closer look at your indoor air quality. This type of service is priceless when it comes to keeping your staff fit and healthy. Not only that but it’s important when it comes to various times of the year, that the air quality and temperature don’t waiver in performance.
The more you improve the air quality, the better it will be for all your staff who are coming into the workplace every day.
Incorporate some greenery
Plants and nature in general, is something that’s essential to help improve the air quality and general environment. Indoor plants are known to have mood-boosting properties, while also helping keep the air clean.
It’s important that all of us make the effort to be more mindful when it comes to our mental well-being. It’s surprising what a few plants spaced out around the office, can do for the happiness of your workforce.
Of course, indoor plants need maintenance and faux plants are not quite as effective as the real deal. Make sure that whatever plants are purchased, can be looked after properly so they don’t wilt and die. There are some pretty unkillable plants that are worth seeking out if you don’t want indoor plants that are too fussy.
Stamp down on any toxic employee behavior
There are some things within the workplace that are simply not acceptable and toxic employee behavior is one of them. It’s therefore essential that you’re stamping down on any evidence of such.
Whether that’s bullying in the workplace or allegations of sexual misconduct, it’s important to set an example and act on this behavior as soon as possible. To be seen to not do anything at all isn’t going to bode well for the company’s reputation. Remember to follow through with official procedures where needed and put in place policies that aren’t in existence or require an update.
Toxic employee behavior is something to always be on the lookout for when it comes to the workplace.
Consider color when it comes to decoration
Color is another mood-impacting feature that you can add to the space. There are a variety of colors that you can choose from when it comes to decorating your workplace. While adhering to your branding is important, it’s also useful to choose colors that positively influence your workforce’s mood.
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Some colors are more effective than others, so it’s good to do your research when it comes to picking from the color wheel. Some great colors that are positive and popular to use within the workplace are; blue, green, yellow, purple, and white.
Add more comfort to your spaces
Your spaces should be a comfortable environment for everyone and that means adapting the space accordingly. The furniture in the space is something to make use of, especially to keep your staff and guests happy as they go about their day.
With that being said, look at the current quality of your furniture and what might be lacking. Some furniture might be outdated or even damaged to the point that it’s become dangerous.
It’s always a good idea to communicate with your staff to understand what’s missing and what you might be able to change to help benefit your staff.
Install the right type of lighting for ambiance and safety
Finally, in order to improve the quality and safety of your workplace, consider lighting carefully. While you might want ambient lighting in most spaces, you also want lighting that helps your staff navigate the space without causing injury.
Take a look at what current lighting you have and take advantage of natural light where possible. Beyond that, get creative with the type of lighting you use. From floor lighting to wall lighting, there’s plenty of scope to experiment with lighting types.
All of these tips will definitely help improve the quality of your workplace environment for the better this year.
