Company morale can be a rollercoaster ride. What goes up usually comes down. The trick is to soften the blow and to get back to a “high morale” as quickly as possible. People are expected to cope under today’s stresses and fast pace living. While businesses face a world pandemic of employee burnout, everyone, in most, if not all industries are talking about creating a ‘healthy workplace’ and buzz phrases like: ‘workplace wellness’; being ‘mindful in the workplace’; looking out for your employees so that they don’t suffer from ‘corporate burnout’ and the list goes on and on.
Beautiful and interesting workplaces improve employee morale as well as increase their productivity. Lighting, colour and creative use of the office space should be used together to create an inspiring work environment. To have areas where teams can collaborate and have easy and readily accessible private meeting rooms all contribute to a better workflow and work mind-set.
So what can be done to improve office morale? Sometimes it is as simple as changing your view. A different office layout especially in an open plan office can do the trick. Think about it. People work in the same office every day. It will get boring so try the following ideas to liven up and breathe new life into your employees:
Open plan offices lack privacy.
Try to think of creative ideas like bringing office plants in or moving furniture in a way to create more privacy. Funky workspace-partitions will not only look creative, but will make employees feel like they have a space of their own.
Move the office and workstations around regularly.
They say change is as good as a holiday. To move office furniture around enables a new perspective and a fresh outlook for the staff. It makes the office feel revamped and people feel rejuvenated. It’s like coming back to work after a holiday and you look at your office with fresh eyes and a new sense of ‘let’s do this’.
Big moves are not always necessary.
When spending hours on end at the same desk or workspace, even the smallest feature like moving your computer to a different spot, rearranging your desk, shelves or stationery, etc. can do good. Some call it a ‘desk-spring-clean’ where you pack everything on your desk on the floor, clean the desk and rearrange it all to fit into new spaces. Try it, and you will feel motivated again.
Stimulate the senses.
Getting all the senses hyped will not only keep employees awake but will assist with their daily work tasks.
- ·Something like natural light or even a well-lit workspace can affect your well-being and mood.
- ·Some might struggle to concentrate in open plan offices. Consider earphones and soft gentle classical music to improve concentration.
- ·Temperature can also have an effect on moral and productivity. However this is a trial and error exercise as different people experience different temperatures. It’s advisable to test the various temperatures and see what works for the staff in general.
- ·A fresh desk plant or flowers to smell and beautiful images or a desktop background that inspires your daily routine.
Attention to detail.
Personalise your desk and office. Make it feel like home. A comfy chair, novel stationery, a cool coffee mug and even a photo of your family might make you feel more at home and at ease.
Don’t underestimate the influence your surroundings have on you and your employees. If time and effort goes into improving workplace morale the staff will reward the business with improved productivity and progress, high level of performance and goal targeted results.