How To Improve The Work Environment In Your Office

The workspace plays a big part in the identity of the company, and the wellbeing of the team.

The most productive work environment should skillfully combine the atmosphere of a comfortable home space with a professional environment and thus offer employees a balanced space for daily work.

Let’s look at how you can make your current office more appealing to the modern workforce.

Why is work environment important?

The atmosphere of any working environment can influence your employees’ productivity and morale. Those who work in a positive workspace tend to feel more motivated, resulting in the production of high-quality work.

Maintaining a good work environment also helps to retain talent and can help improve mental health. Everyone wants to come to a nice place to spend their day.

What makes a great office space?

A few things are particularly important to Millennials, and can be used as a guideline to every Millennial office space:

1. Provide a range of breakout rooms and social spaces

Having a few options aside from the usual desk – such as comfy seats and sofas where your team can hang out, will make a huge difference to the whole working vibe.

Socialising at work is important, allowing room for creative ideas to be thrown around as well as enforcing collaborative working.

Having break rooms means that your staff can have a break from their desks and recharge their brains. In the breakroom, you could have a coffee machine, comfy seats, and a snack corner.

Entertainment facilities such as table tennis and dartboards are a great way to let off some steam during lunch or breaks. It gives your staff the option to partake in something other than work, encouraging them to have a bit of fun during the working day.

Having a dedicated space to take some time away from the desk is crucial and will certainly benefit your employees, reducing the likelihood of burnout.

Millennials take great pride in their sense of self and their own personal development. They want (and hopefully deserve) to feel respected, and giving them a choice as to how they go about their daily work in the office shows that you understand this.

Having a highly functional office is convenient and stress-less. It starts from simple things like installing doors with kick plates for easy opening, which are only accessible with a staff pass to reinforce a secure workplace.

2. Set up soundproof pods

It might be tough to maintain a certain level of privacy in a tiny workplace, but partitioning your space into zones can assist manage both your work and your staff.

Many big companies who work in open plan office, opt for soundproof office pods which are perfect for “quiet zones” and individual work.

Individual zones may be used by employees who want to work in peace on their laptops and only want a modest amount of deskspace to place their laptops.

These office pods can also double up as meeting rooms when required.

3. Free snacks and coffee in the kitchen

A well-equipped kitchen is important. Provide fresh fruit, healthy snacks and coffee throughout the day.

Being able to make free tea and coffee throughout the day can help motivate your staff to get through the working day.

Bringing in a surprise pack of doughnuts or a lunch can literally sweeten up your employees’ day. During stressful work periods, snacks could help to provide the morale boost that your employees need.

No wonder free breakfasts, lunches, and healthy snacks are the top perks offered by the companies.

Catering lunches give employees freedom from worrying about what they are going to eat every day and having to pack a lunch.

4. Make the most of the natural light

One of the simplest decisions – but possibly the most effective – is to ensure your working environment includes a good amount of daylight.

Natural light has all kinds of benefits, not least that it helps us focus, increases our productivity, and can also save money on energy bills associated with heating and lighting.

First and foremost, however, is the fact that bright and sunlit office space is simply more appealing. If you’re choosing an office space, always opt for one with plenty of windows, and bear in mind the positioning of workstations to ensure that no one is (literally) kept in the dark.

NB! Avoid fluorescent lighting, as this can cause headaches and eye strain. 

5. Choose your interior colours carefully

Millennials don’t want to feel like a cog in a branch of a soulless machine, they want to feel like a part of a unique organisation with its own identity and character. The design of your office can make all the difference in this respect.

Pastel shades create a calming atmosphere, which is great if your work environment is particularly stressful. 

The colours around you are super important for your mood, and therefore for your productivity levels.