Effective Ways to Improve the Workplace for Increased Productivity

Workplace productivity is essential for an efficient office and happy employees. There are things that you can do as a manager to make your workplace a dynamic place to be. Here are six top tips.

Provide Lunch Breaks

In today’s fast-paced world, all of us are tempted to work longer hours to meet those deadlines. For some, the “sad desk lunch” – a hastily prepared meal that’s eaten at the desk – has become a daily necessity. Give your employees the opportunity to take a real lunch break if they need one. Set an example by stepping away from your own desk, even if it’s just for a few moments. Everyone can benefit from a different change of scenery before returning for the afternoon grind.

Encourage Vacation Time

People may feel that they can’t, or shouldn’t, take time off. But, like a lunch break, some dedicated vacation time is a physical and mental reset button. Encourage employees to take some vacation time to prevent two Bs: burnout and boredom. Instruct them on how to recognize the signs of burnout, like irritation, fatigue, and distraction, and encourage your employees to take preventative action.

Provide Sit-Stand Desks

Standing desks are getting a lot of buzz these days, and for good reason. Sitting too much has been linked to weight gain and obesity. A standing desk converter can be a cost-effective way to introduce standing desks into your office. It can turn a regular desk into a standing desk so people can sit when they want to but stand more. Standing desks can reduce back pain (a common complaint among office workers) and increase alertness. Those are two great reasons to introduce standing desks to your office. In addition to standing desks, wearing shoe insoles like the ones from Protalus.com is a great way to reduce back pain and maintain a healthy posture.

Let in the Light

Shed some light on a good idea: better lighting can lead to happier and more productive employees. Poor lighting can increase drowsiness and lack of focus, while harsh lighting can cause headaches. The right lighting can be a mood stabilizer and prevent these two extremes. Large, bright windows that let in natural light is one solution; another is well-distributed diffuse lighting that reduces glare. Another side benefit of rethinking your office’s lighting? It can help your company save money on energy bills.

Improve Work-Life Balance

We all have hobbies, friends, and family outside of work. The key is striking a balance between time at the office and time outside it. You can encourage better work-life balance by making your office pet-friendly or introducing days where parents can bring their babies to work. Support nursing mothers by offering dedicated and discrete nursing stations. Your employees may feel less strained if they feel less of a divide between their home lives and their work lives.

Introduce Plant Life

Keep it growing: like natural light, plants also have a positive impact. You might introduce real or fake plants depending on the allergies or personal preferences of your workforce, but they will definitely like seeing a bit of green at work.

Do you feel ready to introduce a positive change at work? Some of these changes, like replacing outdated lighting, may take time. But you’ll soon start to see a difference in how your employees feel, and that can be a big payoff in the long run.