Creating A Great Office Culture
When it comes to keeping your staff happy, a vital component is a culture that you cultivate in the office. A great office environment doesn’t just happen by itself though, it is something that needs to be worked at and improved on over time.
They say that when a company reaches 20 employees, the culture is cemented and much more challenging to change. However, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to implement the tips below and see good results.
All In
Your entire team will need to be on board with the feel of the office. Job satisfaction is directly linked to having a sense of purpose within the company. And you should always remember that happy employees are more productive.
Take some time to talk to all the team members and find out what they are looking for in the office and in their work. You should clearly communicate your own business goals so that they know what you are aiming towards, and that will become a common goal.
When there is a goal, people will make that their focus and, as such, will come up with ideas that will drive the whole team in that direction.
Collection and Individual
There is no I in team. But there should be individual goals as well as common ones. If everyone is busy working on their own thing, and they know that other people are working on something else, you’ll lessen the likelihood of getting jealousy arising. Keeping transparency about who is working on what, and which team member is responsible for specific tasks means everyone will be happy.
But how do you keep that transparency?
You have tools that everyone can access. Training the team to be able to use tools like Asana, Trello, Evernote, or a simple Google spreadsheet will give accountability and transparency.
Regular conversations. Goal setting meetings in order to discuss where things are mean that people will be able to give input and evaluate their own performance and everyone will be up to date about the progress.
Welcome feedback from all areas – and make sure that you act on it where required.
Space
Having your staff sit in one spot all day long, with no other areas for them to break out, will mean they soon feel the impact of being bored and lack of inspiration. Team members who are able to stroll from one area to another will be able to get those productivity juices flowing and come up with much more creative ideas that they initially thought possible.
So how do you offer changes in scenery that will help your staff become more productive?
Within your office space, you can create little nooks that can be used for people to grab a cold drink, coffee, and talk things through. Often adding desk space that is unassigned by windows can give people a new perspective. The standing desk has been implemented to significant effect in many offices too.
Safety
You should make safety one of your top priorities. This isn’t simply about trips and falls. Your staff needs to be sure that you are looking after their best interest as people. You should take a proactive approach to things like discrimination, wage issues, harassment, and more. This will ensure that your workers know that they are supported and looked after, and also that you are on the wrong end of top employment discrimination lawyers.
Subconscious Productivity Cues
When you can talk the talk, you have to walk the walk too. Making sure that the surroundings are entirely committed to creating the most productive environment. The right music of ambient sounds can keep people in a creative mental space, and particularly when the sound is at around 70 decibels. Which is just around the same noise level as a regular conversation. There are a number of apps you can use, like Coffitivity or Noisli – or you can create a playlist of your own using any streaming service (so long as you have the right license to do so).
There is a reason that any offices now have a range of plants in them. Not only do they clean the air, but they also have a positive impact on mental health. Here are some stats:
- 44% decreased hostility and anger
- 38% reduction in fatigue
- 37% reduction in tension
All of those percentages are noteworthy and worth acting on.
The colours you choose to use will also have an impact. Bright colors, while they might look nice, actually make people feel more anxious. Using muted colors, and in particular green, you can stimulate a relaxed state.
Collaboration
Although the team will all have specific goals, and there will be projects that require those talents to work as one. There should be the space and opportunity for people to work together, or create projects in order for people to share skills. This is particularly great because it means those team members that don’t typically get to work together will have the chance to interact.
In order to foster that here are some things you can do:
Thought showers. When your company is pitching for new business, or creating new products, get everyone involved with the process. A team that is typically client-facing or marketing might have a different thought process that can help create something out of the box. That new perspective can bring a lot to the table. To enable this further, you can create a collaborative sheet in google docs too.
Another critical thing to consider is that your team feels appreciated. This could be that once a month you all go for a meal, or you arrange special training that everyone can take part in. Things that take care of them as individuals and their careers as they move forward. Their personal development and your team’s development is all in your hands. So take care to ensure your office has a great culture, and when you come to hire people – make sure they will complement it.