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Creating the perfect working environment for your small business

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Creating the perfect working environment for your small business

Having a small business can be incredibly gratifying. Handling a workforce and having total control over your day-to-day activities allows you the freedom to achieve success on your own terms.

In order to reap the rewards of reaching your goals, you will need a dedicated, hardworking and loyal staff base to get your business where it needs to be.

Keeping your staff happy is imperative to a successful business, and creating a harmonious working environment is one way to ensure employees reach their full potential.

There are many ways to make the office a much more pleasant place to work and they don’t have to break the bank or be overly complicated.

Here are some great ways to create a fantastic workplace vibe:

Lighting

You’d be surprised how much a bright and airy area can boost a working environment and improve the general mood.

Studies have shown that improved lighting in an office can increase employee morale and prevent eyestrain which is notorious as one of the biggest workplace hazards. Bad lighting is also among one of the most common complaints of workers.

Working with computers in a dimly lit office can make your eyes work harder to focus on the screen while the contrasting brightness of a monitor against a darker room can cause even more problems.

Furthermore, filling a room with natural light can also help to prevent sleepiness in the workplace, so try and let the sunshine in wherever possible!

Coffee Machine

Of course, if sleepiness is an issue for workers they may well turn straight towards a cup of coffee. Many will opt to stop off on their way to work and spend half an hour’s wage on a morning perk-up. This could become an hour’s wage if they top up their coffee buzz at lunchtime.

Having an office coffee machine can be a real people pleaser and is sure to keep your employees happy and alert.

However, you want to make sure the coffee available can rival that from the store across the road. For example, stocking the cupboards with a range of Tassimo coffee pods is one way you can get all the great tastes found at any popular coffee shop in the convenience of an office kitchen.

If it’s not coffee that helps workers stay chirpy through the day, they could also try one of the other possible pods, including hot chocolate and specialty teas.

So why not turn the water cooler moment into a coffee machine moment? You know it will be about 20 times as delicious!

Plants

Adding a little bit of greenery to an office can go a long way. It is believed that office plants not only enhance the image of a business, but also aid productivity and improve the air quality of a room.

The University of Technology Sydney has conducted research that demonstrates the myriad of benefits resulting from having plants in the office.

It discovered that staff with plants in the office experienced reduced levels of stress and negative feelings of magnitude ranging from 30-50%. Those with no plants saw stress and negativity increase by as much as 40%.

Furthermore, the study revealed that the presence of greenery could help to reduce absenteeism by as much as 60%. The benefits also stretch to improved concentration levels and productivity.

However, make sure they get watered! There are few things sadder in an office than the sight of wilting leaves.

Open plan office

The days of the office cubicle are long gone, with businesses favouring open plan spaces to improve communication between co-workers and to help with the formulation of ideas and business plans.

Having an open plan office will help to minimise the feeling of isolation and will improve the spread of light through the room.

It also makes it easier to transfer phone calls to other desks if necessary, without having to look over a cubicle wall.

Comfortable desks and chairs

The physical place where staff conduct daily work is vitally important to the improvement of workplace happiness. Having drawers and plentiful desk space for personal belongings and office equipment can be a simple way to keep staff in a positive frame of mind.

You should also consider how comfortable the office chairs are. Back-problems are a common complaint among office workers, often caused by leaning over a keyboard for hours on end.Ergonomic office chairs help to support the spine and improve posture, ensuring workers are comfortable when performing to their best.

Following this simple guide will help keep your small business employees happy, healthy and performing at their prime!

I am the founder of Startup Today. I am the main writer and have put in many hours of work into creating this blog. If you want to find out more about me then lets get in contact.

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Creating the perfect working environment for your small business

Having a small business can be incredibly gratifying. Handling a workforce and having total control over your day-to-day activities allows...

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