Increasing workplace productivity doesn’t always mean taking on more responsibilities and staying late at the office. These things may boost performance levels, but productivity and performance are two different things.
Whether you‘re a seasoned manager or a new hire, your goal should be to work smarter and get the most of out of your workday without increasing stress and hurting your work-life balance.
This is where simple things like smart office design and professional maintenance can make a huge difference. Check out the following design and maintenance tips that can help you increase productivity and feel more satisfied at work.
Keep It Clean
The connection between cleanliness and productivity is well-documented: a clean and tidy workspace improves employees’ focus by removing distractions, saves them from wasting time rummaging through piles of clutter to find one document, and promotes cooperation and discipline.
Not only does a messy office space negatively affect productivity and employee morale, but it’s also a breeding ground for bacteria. A dirty office full of germ hotspots such as keyboards, door handles, printers, desk phones, and break room utensils can increase the incidence of sickness absenteeism and have major long-term effects on business.
This is why it’s essential to keep your workspace clean and organized at all times with the help of a professional cleaning service. Workplace hygiene is not something that should be taken lightly and you need to make sure your office is maintained to the highest standard of cleanliness. As the professionals from Nice and Clean office cleaning put it, “wherever you are, you need to be healthy and happy” – and this includes your place of work.
Use Natural Light
Natural light is one of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspects of a well-designed office. A lack of exposure to natural light can alter our natural circadian rhythm and lead to a number of sleep disorders, including insomnia, fatigue, and excessive daytime sleepiness. This, in turn, can lead to low productivity levels, low quality of work, and missed deadlines.
The benefits of maximizing natural light in your workspace include greater employee well-being, higher levels of alertness, and better stress management. Research shows that moving employees’ desks closer to a window optimized for natural light can reduce the symptoms of computer vision syndrome, such as eyestrain, blurred vision, headaches, neck and shoulder pain.
You can introduce more natural light into your office by installing glass doors or walls, adding transom windows to existing door frames, and using lighter colors for walls and decoration that will reflect rather than absorb natural light. Another clever way to allow more natural light into your workspace is by placing a large mirror on a wall opposite the largest window in the room. The mirror will reflect the sunlight and make the office appear bigger and brighter.
Personalize Your Workspace
Did you know that over the course of a lifetime, an average person will spend over 13 years at work? That’s simply way too much time to be spent in a bland, generic workspace. Personalizing your office is a great way to regain a sense of control at work and put more enthusiasm into your job.
Once you’ve cleaned up and de-cluttered your workspace, you can start adding things that will make your office feel like a second home. It can be anything from family photos or your children’s artwork to an indoor plant or quirky stationery.
Adding a personal touch to your workspace will give you that added boost of motivation to survive super busy days and help you manage a heavy workload with less stress and anxiety.
While hiring a professional office cleaning service, redesigning your office to let in more natural light, and personalizing your workspace may not sound like things that can make a big impact on productivity levels, these simple tricks can actually dramatically change your attitude toward work and make fall in love with your job all over again.
