How to create an inspiring workspace to keep employees happy

Your workforce is your business’s greatest asset; therefore, it’s essential to provide the best conditions so that your employees can perform at their fullest potential. Moreover, they should also feel comfortable and happy because that’s how they manage to stay productive. Business owners should do their best to create a work environment conducive to productivity. Fortunately, there are several ways to achieve this goal. Everything influences your employees’ well-being, from the workspace’s design to the noise levels.

Cultivating a positive work environment yields several benefits, like boosting productivity and creativity, reducing employee turnover, and boosting the company’s revenue. When both employees and employers are satisfied, your business runs smoothly and stays at the top for as long as possible. Read on to learn how to create an inspiring workspace that will help you keep your employees happy.

Focus on the workspace’s layout

The workspace’s layout impacts employees’ productivity significantly. Therefore, an efficient and clean desk setup is a critical factor in determining the success of your business. While some say a messy desk illustrates that a mind is creative, the reality is quite different. Cluttered workspaces are likely to create problems rather than innovative ideas, so staying tidy is essential for productivity. Employees should maintain an uncluttered and organized desk and office. You can help them achieve this goal by stocking the office with the necessary materials like desks with shelves and drawers and organizing trays and file cabinets. You shouldn’t forget about gadgets either. Tech devices like tablets and smartphones lead to wasted time, affecting daily productivity. In fact, surveys have shown that office workers spend more than half of their time at work doing irrelevant tasks. The best way to avoid this is to put the gadgets in a separate area and create gadget-free time for group projects and meetings to encourage employees to disconnect from their devices.

The number of your employees and the needs of your business will likely dictate your workspace’s setup. However, since many companies focus on being as human-centric as possible, they do their best to accommodate employees’ personal preferences. Since people spend a third of their lives at work, companies must create an inspiring work environment if they want to retain top talent. While open plans can be a good idea, employees often feel the need to have more privacy for phone calls and meetings or individual work. Therefore, it’s essential to consider their needs to ensure they feel motivated to work as efficiently as possible. You can use demountable walls to create an enclosed environment and give employees the privacy they crave. That way, they can focus on a significant project or collaborate with other team members without disturbing others. Installing a demountable wall in your workspace also allows you to integrate technology at your company. Plus, you adopt a sustainable solution because demountable walls are reusable.

Pay attention to lighting and acoustics

You may not think that lighting and acoustics play a role in employee satisfaction, but they actually make a huge difference. These two elements impact productivity and mood more than you can imagine. Experts recommend bringing as much daylight into the workspace as possible, as it helps you promote an energy-efficient and healthier space. Lightning is paramount for functional areas and affects several aspects of work-life, including mental health, workplace safety and productivity. Natural light boosts vitamin D and enhances your mood while supporting the body’s circadian rhythm. In fact, daylight decreases eye strain, blurred vision and headaches. When natural light is limited, organizations should consider using different types of lighting, like task lighting, to provide the adequate light needed for the task at hand.

Acoustics is also imperative when it comes to the functionality of a workspace. A room that is too quiet or too loud is problematic and doesn’t allow employees to focus as much as they should. The solution is to soundproof your walls and ceilings so that ambient noises like phone calls or murmuring don’t disturb employees any longer. Maars Living Walls provide solutions for this and can help you transform your working environment into a silent one where team members can feel satisfied.

Consider air quality and plants

Every time you step outside to get some fresh air, you feel rejuvenated. Humans naturally need to connect with nature, so you can make them feel more comfortable in the workspace by filling it with indoor plants and ensuring good air quality. Plants add value to an office in different ways: they reduce stress and boost creativity, increasing employees’ well-being and productivity. Therefore, consider increasing the greenery in your office to make employees feel connected to their workspace. Besides adding plants to the workspace, you can also consider designing office space with desks facing a window so they can see outside. However, if this isn’t an option, you can decorate the office with photos or paintings of natural landscapes.

Having fresh air in the air also increases productivity. Employees can be much more productive when working in a healthy environment instead of a polluted one. Poor air quality damages employees’ health and makes them sick and inefficient. To avoid this, you can reduce clutter in the office and invest in an air filtration system. Also, you should ensure there is no use of heavy chemicals or smoking that can pollute the air. Doing this shows you prioritize employees’ health and well-being, which is critical in making them feel valued at work. Employees are likely to stay at your company for a long time when they feel safe at work. After all, no one wants to work in a place where they are constantly stressed or risk getting sick.

The bottom line

Creating an inspiring workspace has a profound impact on how employees behave. When you provide a comfortable and healthy work environment, you ensure employees stay happy, healthy, and productive. This positively impacts your business because employee retention is a determining factor when it comes to your company’s success. Therefore, it’s imperative to incorporate elements in the design that help build a healthy work environment, such as adding more greenery, an air filtration system and adequate lighting.