Do you love your office space, or loathe it? Maybe you haven’t given it much thought until now. Regardless of how you feel about your work environment, two truths cannot be avoided. The first is that you spend a LOT of your time in this place. The second is that your workspace can have a significant influence on the way that you feel at work. So, it makes sense to make the best of this place that you call home for seven hours plus each day.
In 2015, Public Health England published a report on ‘The Impact of Physical Environments on Employee Wellbeing.’ The report found that employee wellbeing was impacted by office layout, lighting, furniture, temperature, and amount of control that employees had over the work environment. The report highlighted the importance of each of these factors to ensure wellbeing, engagement, and productivity in the workplace.
So, if you want your employees (and yourself, of course) to have a positive sense of wellbeing at work, to be engaged and productive, then it’s time to start examining your work environment and how it can be improved.
Start Small
Don’t panic; improving your workspace doesn’t mean calling in a team of interior designers and paying extortionate amounts of money to transform your office beyond recognition (unless you have the budget). Start by thinking about the things in the office that bug you, that you have never got around to sorting. Removing these daily annoyances can help get you started on the right track.
Clutter is often a major bugbear in the office, and it’s not just annoying, it can also be a health and safety hazard if someone trips over it. If you have endless stacks of paperwork that you no longer need, but aren’t sure what to do with it all, it’s time to get rid of it. Get on the phone and call a company that can provide you with a secure shredding service. This will get rid of all that surplus paperwork in no time at all.
Brighten it Up
Peeling paint and tatty walls aren’t entirely conducive to bringing clients to your office for meetings. Freshen the place up with a lick of paint, let some natural light in, and you will be surprised at how much lighter and brighter your office becomes. Place some inspiring artwork on the walls, and you will have created a place of work that you can be proud of.
Go with the Flow
Does your workspace flow? Or is it characterised by randomly placed office furniture that you have never found a better position for? If it’s the latter, it’s time to make it flow, and make the space work for you and how you use it. Changing your desk to a new position can be surprisingly satisfying and literally give you a whole new outlook.
Ultimately, your work environment should be a place that helps you and your team to work at your best and enriches your life at work.
