Whatever kind of business you’re running, it’s vital that you create the right environment for your employees. Such an environment should be conducive to the mental and physical well-being of those employees. This will not only help to drive up productivity directly, but it will also help to drive down absenteeism and staff turnover.
So, exactly what changes are worth making?
Make your space inviting
If a place of work feels safe and inviting, then workers will feel more comfortable using it. This might mean allowing workers a degree of freedom when it comes to customising their desks and workflow. But the biggest difference, arguably, is to be made in communal areas, where colleagues can work together on problems, and decompress during their allotted downtime. A few sofas, the right lighting, a garden space, and access to a quality coffee machine can all make a difference.
Promote well-being
Well-being is a term that’s increasingly central to workspace design. If the environment supports healthy decisions, then it will ultimately support the health of the worker who uses it. This might mean installing changing rooms so that workers can freshen up after jogging to work. It might mean installing an on-site gym or hosting yoga sessions during lunch. Talk to your employees, gather feedback, and determine which measures will make the biggest difference to them. This process alone can help to foster trust.
Team Collaboration
Being able to effectively talk to one another is essential, especially if workforces are split into separate locations. Effective communication often takes many forms, including traditional electronic ones like email. Collaboration software like Trello and Slack can help users obtain a quick overview of what work needs to be done, but having a good space for face-to-face contact can be valuable, too.
Promote Inclusivity
If a company is insufficiently diverse, then it might suffer from tunnel vision. If everyone comes from the same background and thinks in the same way, then they might be blind to possibilities, as well as potential disasters lurking on the road ahead. Have a policy that sets out your approach to diversity, whatever it might be – and ensure that everyone who enters your business feels that their contribution is valued.
It’s worth noting that all businesses in the UK have not just a moral, but a legal responsibility to fight discrimination when it comes to hiring. Under the Equality Act, discriminatory practices can bring legal risk, even if you aren’t aware that discrimination is taking place. One effective strategy might be a blind approach to recruitment so that CVs are selected without the candidate’s age, gender, or name being revealed until they come in for an interview.