Whether you’re dealing with wall-to-wall cubicles, an open layout, or a combination of both, here are four ways to help boost office morale and improve employee productivity.
1. Keep meetings to a minimum
One of the biggest traps most workplaces fall into is the habit of scheduling too many meetings a week. To help solve this issue, some offices have started designating specific timeframes for meetings (say, between 10 AM and noon), while others simply schedule one meeting a week and cover as many topics as they can. A weekly office gathering can often help cover most of the upcoming issues in one setting, as well as offer a little insight into what everyone has planned for the week.
2. Let employees know its OK to take a walk
As Jack Nicholson famously said, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Workplaces that are too regimented and too hectic often lead to higher stress levels, which in turn leads to lower employee productivity. One of the main keys to keeping your workplace productive is making sure your employees aren’t working themselves dry.
Encourage them to set aside time for occasional breaks; taking a walk around the area, going out for a coffee and getting a few snacks every now and then should not only be encouraged, it should be mandatory.
Humans weren’t built to function at optimum levels for eight hours straight, so it makes sense to break their day up into a few hour-long segments. Designing a rockin’ break room never hurt, and ping pong and pool tables are always a sure hit among employees.
3. Treat your office more like a library (and less like a frat house)
On the flip side of encouraging more frequent breaks, you should also work to set higher standards in and around the office. A workplace that is overly loud or rowdy can easily lead to lower overall productivity, as the noise level alone is enough to drive workers mad.
Some office managers have even started giving out noise-canceling headphones and setting up quiet spaces for employees to work, while others have gone a step further and modeled their office after low-key public spaces.
Basecamp CEO Jason Fried is one of the many budding business owners who has started modeling their office spaces after libraries. According to Fried, “Libraries are really open-plan offices. Everybody knows how to behave in a library. They’re reading, studying, and thinking. We treat the office like a library, making quite the norm.”
4. Keep the lines of communication open
Finally, the single biggest way to bolster office productivity is to listen to your employees and make a solid effort to meet their needs. As with any workspace, communication is crucial. Make sure your employees know that they can openly come to you with questions, comments, and concerns and help foster this relationship by rewarding their positive behavior.
In addition to opening the lines of communication, it’s equally as important that you practice transparency. Make an effort to ensure all of your employees (regardless of their particular department) are aware of what everyone else is doing. With everyone on the same page, it becomes infinitely easier to help encourage and foster a more productive workplace.
Still looking for more productivity tips? Reach out to StellaPop today! We’ve run the gamut when it comes to office efficiency and have the skills needed to help boost your workplace’s productivity today.
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