Although many companies continue to transition to long-term work-from-home arrangements, yours may be a company that wants the culture of your business to be in your office. However, many businesses have reported that forcing their employees to go back to work has increased the churn rate and has made it difficult to hold onto employees. This is likely because many other companies are hiring for similar jobs and are offering the stay-at-home work that they want. If you want your employees to come into the office, it’s important to offer good incentives to make them want to stay. That way it is their choice to come back to the office and they will be happier and more productive than if you forced them to come back to the office. Before you get your office back to full capacity, there are some upgrades you should consider that can help your employees enjoy their time at the office more.
Better Lighting
Good lighting can transform a space from mediocre to inviting. Don’t make your employees feel like they’re working in a prison with no hope of escape. Instead, update your lighting to warmer tones to reduce eye strain and improve moods. If you can, try to bring in light from outside, as well, so that employees feel more connected to the world around them. While working at home, most employees have a place next to a window that provides ample daylight and makes the passage of time more obvious when considering the location of the sun. Since it’s unlikely that you can provide a window for every employee, improving the lighting to make it brighter can help not only improve their mood but also their productivity. If you are restricted with what lights you can install in the ceilings of your office due to your lease agreement, consider getting modern floor lamps that can be placed throughout your office to provide the light you are wanting. If you want to take this a step further, you could even include smart lighting that indicates the time of day based on the hue of color that it shines. Additionally, you can use smart lighting to automatically turn off when the office hours are over and you want people to go home.
Comfortable Chairs
If your employees sit while they work, comfortable chairs are an absolute must. To keep people enticed to come back to the office, you’ll want them to be more comfortable working at the office than they would be working at home. Comfortable chairs can go a long way in ensuring this. By purchasing wholesale office furniture, you can find great deals on high-end chairs that provide good support and help prevent a slew of health problems. Companies like National Office Wholesale, for example, provide office furniture and is a place that you can get started with for your search. In addition to the chairs that they sit in while staring at the computer screen all day, you can also add furniture to the breakroom that encourages sitting and chatting with coworkers. Furniture like a couch, for example, can encourage employees to sit together. When it comes to encouraging employees to come to the office instead of working from home, creating a community of employees is a great way to do that and furniture can help create that community.
Plenty To Do
It is difficult for the human mind to focus on a single task for several hours at a time. To help keep your employees’ minds fresh, make sure that there are plenty of leisure activities for your employees to enjoy while they’re at work. Whether it’s a pool table, a snack machine with healthy options, or a large television, there’s no end to the activities you can offer to help your employees focus more when they’re actively working. Some companies even encourage breaks for teams to get together and play games together. Activities like playing on the Wii or throwing darts not only break up the monotony of their daily tasks, it can also improve the community building of your employees, which further increases their desire to come to the office instead of staying at home.
Natural Elements
One problem with many office environments is that they’re devoid of any type of natural elements. Something as simple as adding a few indoor plants can greatly improve employee morale while also improving indoor air quality. You can also add water elements so that employees can enjoy some relaxation as they listen to the sounds of moving water. The key is to make sure that any indoor plants stay fresh and vibrant so that you communicate that you care about the appearance of your office. Most cities have some company that provides services for office plants and hiring someone to care for the plants is a great way to ensure that the plants stay healthy and provide that sense of life many employees crave.
Seek Feedback
If you’re looking to improve the office environment for your employees, it makes sense to actually talk to your employees. Before you make any changes, seek feedback from the individuals who will benefit from these changes to see if you’re spending your money wisely. This will help prevent you from wasting money making changes that won’t have a big impact. For example, you may think that providing a cereal bar at your office will make a big impact when the reality might be that your employees want weekly pizza provided instead.