Working in an office, Monday to Friday, nine to five may become a bit dull. This makes staff unhappy and less enthusiastic to work. It is therefore important to keep office morale high to increase happiness amongst staff. But making the office a happy place doesn’t have to be a tough job. The smallest things could really transform how your staff view their office space. Here are seven tips on how to make the office a better place for your employees.
Encourage chatter – your staff aren’t robots who can work for eight hours without a bit of human contact. Chatting for a few minutes with colleagues about things unrelated to work will uplift their mood. It helps build a happier atmosphere and increases positivity.
Great interior – working in an office with boring white walls with no personality doesn’t help enhance creativity. Adding a splash of colour, images on walls and comfy chairs could help ignite your employees’ creativity. Furthermore you should allow staff to decorate their desk to make them more comfortable. This could be with stationery, pictures of their kids or a flowerpot.
Good music – working in silence could drive anyone crazy. Pop the radio on or put on a playlist, which has variety and caters to everyone’s musical interest. Chill out music can be used for stressful moments and on quieter days. Fast music could be used to motivate staff when lacking enthusiasm. Cheesy music could be used to help put staff in a good working mood. (To lift the mood at Recruitment Genius we tend to put ‘Mysterious Girl’ by Peter Andre on!)
Pop the kettle on – a lot of disputes amongst employees can come from the kitchen. Either people don’t clean up after themselves, pinch stuff from the fridge or don’t make their fair share of tea. Encourage staff to make teas and coffees for each other and to clean up after using the facilities. Tell them it isn’t one person’s responsibility and set a list of kitchen rules too. When everyone abides, it makes the office happier and friendlier.
Sharing sweets – every once in a while you could bring in a box of sweets for staff to indulge in. Passing the sweets around the office for staff is a cheap way to treat employees. It is a great way to really lift the mood in the office. Once the mood is lifted, productivity is increased. And what better way for staff to thank you than to be more productive?
Don’t ban Facebook – many organisations ban employees from using Facebook at work, as they believe it is distracting. However, if you allow staff to check in on their accounts for a few minutes it can improve their mood and productivity. Doing this helps your staff refocus themselves after hours of working. Set expectations so your workers don’t overdo it, breaks of ten minutes could be enough to help workers whilst ensuring your business doesn’t suffer.
Have an office dog – at Recruitment Genius we have an office dog called Winston. Staff absolutely love it when he comes in for the day. His presence makes everyone happier, especially when Winston chooses a lap to sit on. Office dogs are a mood lifter and can help develop relationships among workers.
Working in an office doesn’t have to be boring. These tips could really help improve the mood and atmosphere of your employees. Making the office environment a fun and attractive place that staff want to work in will do wonders for your business.
How do you make the office a happier place for staff to work in? Please leave your comment below:
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