The Trends Shaping up Positive Work Environments and Increasing Productivity
With all of the newest trends in office work environments and the way SME’s do business, there seems to be one thing that every new trend has in common, productivity. The goal of many of today’s office trends is to increase productivity and to have a more positive workforce. Obviously, productivity is a good thing, but how many of these new trends actually help you become more productive and how many more are designed to keep you positive?
There is a link between employee positivity and employee productivity. The more positive a worker is, the more work they will get done. So how can we, as managers and business owners, create a more productive, and positive, work environment using the best of today’s workplace trends?
The answer is simple, just choose the best trends that your needs and the needs of your employees. Not every idea is right for everybody and that is where we can make a difference in creating productive work environments for our employees.
Let’s take a look at some of the best trends in workplace productivity and see which ones will work for you:
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Comfortable, ergonomic desks and seating
Uncomfortable seating and difficult to use desks can make our jobs miserable and it can lead to less productivity as we are always trying to find ways to be more comfortable. Choosing ergonomic desks, adjustable chairs and other office furnishings will enable your team to be much more positive and get a lot more work done.
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Clutter Free Zones
A messy desk will make it difficult to remain productive throughout the day as the clutter in front of you can cause stress and it can make finding important papers difficult, if not impossible. Designate your desk as a clutter free zone and encourage others to do so as well. A clutter free desk will make you more productive and it could lead to a more positive outlook on your day.
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Add a natural touch
Some office spaces are dreary looking and lack any kind of life. Employees come into work every day and begin to focus only on getting to their desk without taking a look around because there really isn’t anything to look at. Adding some plants, small indoor trees and shrubs, even an aquarium, can bring in some nature to your work environment. Studies show that adding a natural touch to your work environment can actually increase productivity and cognitive attention.
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Change your lighting
The amount, colour and type of lighting that we use in the workplace can have an effect on productivity as well as creativity. Natural lighting is ideal but adding a skylight can be expensive so many business owners are turning to specialised LED lighting that offers and indirect light source that can be adjusted for brightness and warmth.
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No Open Floor Plan
There was a recent trend where many modern work environments ditched the cubicles in place of an open floor plan where employees could engage with one another and possibly increase their creativity which would lead to them becoming more productive. This didn’t work very well as it caused many employees to become more social and less work oriented. You don’t have to switch back to cubicles, by getting rid of the open floor plan will help your team focus and become more productive at the same time.
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