Lesson 2 – Topic 4: Workplace Enhancements
Strategy 8 – Ambience at the workplace
No workplace needs to be a 5 star resort but there is no need for it to look daggy and run down either. We can learn though from how the 5 star hotels are decorated. They are designed to make people feel good and appreciated so guests have a great experience. Work should be no different. Aiming to build a great workplace where employees feel good will contribute in a positive way to achieving better business results. So to create a great ambience at work is a good strategy. This applies to both offices and factories.
Photo: Workplaces do not have to look like this. No wonder employees get depressed.
Here are suggestions how to improve the ambience of a workplace:
a. Flowers
Whenever you work in an office or any space really get fresh flowers or plants in that space. It instantly improves the energy and the wellbeing you experience working there.
Our local car mechanic had pot plants in his workshop and everyone commented on that.
b. Decorate empty walls with nature photos or other artworks.
Beautiful photos or other artworks will instantly lift the energy. Have a theme which suits your business. An air conditioning business might like to have some picture of the hot Australian desert. Pictures of rocks and mountains can induce a feeling of trust and stability.
c. Kitchen Area
In the kitchen area you want to achieve a feeling of rest and nurturing through healthy food choices. The times of cheap biscuits and a cup of instant coffee are gone.
There are beautiful, healthy snacks for any kitchen area, beautiful teas, coffee machines and juices. Buy some nice cups, colourful glasses and serviettes, make it look nice.
Maybe nominate an event coordinator who is into healthy food to stock up the kitchen with healthy snacks. The healthier you and your staff are the more productive your team is.
d. Toilets and Bathrooms
This brings us to a much neglected area at workplaces, the toilets. Each of us has to use a toilet at work say around 3 to 4 times per day depending on how much you drink and eat. Toilets should be rest areas where people love to go to. If you want to know what I mean go to a casino once and look at their rest rooms. They are absolutely stunning.
Ideas for toilet areas:
- cleanliness and hygiene has to be a top priority
- separate male and female areas; ideally double the amount of female toilets
- filtered light, avoid too bright light
- good mirrors
- beautiful soothing music
- soundproof
- plants or at least a bunch of flowers
- scents and diffusers
- a chair
- beautiful soaps and hand sanitisers
- nicely decorated walls with art
This might cost a little bit to implement but is worth every cent in terms of staff appreciation.
e. Oxygen
The most important thing for every human being is oxygen and breath. You can live several weeks without food, a few days without water but you can’t live longer than a few minutes without breath. It is essential to have good air quality, so make sure you ventilate the rooms well ideally with fresh air or at least make sure all the air conditioners units are cleaned regularly.
From a health perspective I would encourage every director to make sure staff goes into the fresh air at least once during their breaks, ideally more often.
In Australia we are lucky. You can go outside during every part of the year. But even in cold climates it is highly advantageous to go outside and go for a short walk probably best after lunch (to eat lunch and keep sitting at the computer is not a healthy habit at all).
Or you might decide to have a business lunch meeting and walk to the next cafe. We have a builder who regularly takes his workers for a morning or afternoon coffee break at the local cafe. That’s team building at its best. So, fresh air is really important.
f. Rest Oasis
Every person has its own bio-rhythm. Some workers work best in the morning (that’s me), some do better in the afternoon or evening. In an ideal world we would put them into those shifts, however in the real world this is often not possible. It is good for businesses to create a little rest area maybe with a privacy screen where employees can go, relax or meditate or even take a mini nap. Put a comfortable recliner chair, some nice magazines, paper and pens etc.
Often ingenious ideas and invention come in when the mind relaxes. Inspiration can then flow in. Some companies know about these principles and use it intentionally to increase efficiency in the business. Yes, you can enforce people to sit 8 hours at their desk but you cannot enforce productivity and creativity.
Also allow employees to get up often wherever they are, doing stretching exercises and yoga or Tai Chi, just to name a few. These exercises will improve blood flow and oxygen to the brain, this is indirectly increasing productivity. You all probably know bout the afternoon dip, instead of coffee and chocolate how about some stretches, exercise or fresh air?
Be creative, ask around what your staff members would enjoy. Delegate these ideas to someone who enjoys organizing that.
g. Heating / Cooling
The right temperature at the workplace is another issue which can cause emotional and physical problems. This is tricky as we all have a slightly different set point which we feel as comfortable. Some people freeze, some feel too hot and as far as employees are concerned, air conditioners only have 2 settings: too cold or too hot.
As a lot of our workplaces are air conditioned, try the following: Set the temperature in winter at around 21 to 22 degrees and for those who feel cold have e.g. blankets or allow them to wear warm footwear so called ugg boots in Australia when sitting at the desk.
In summer adjust the temperature to around 24 degrees ( and not to 19 or 20 degrees as often done). This will also save you money too.
Strategy 9 – Humour
Have some fun and humour when you are at work; you can cultivate a sense of humour if you are struggling with it. You can google jokes. If the team energy gets a bit low one could read a joke and all can have a good laugh. This always works.
There is also a technique which I learned in a German coaching seminar:
If you smile intensively for at least 1 minute you are tricking the chemicals in your brain. Do an extreme smile for 1 minute and see if you still feel your anger, I guarantee you it’s gone. Great simple way to get your stress hormones down. Do that several times a day, it always works.
SUMMARY
- If you have to go to work every day make this enjoyable for yourself and others.
- Good Safety is Good for Business. Kind Workplaces are Good for Business.
- Kind, compassionate workplaces are more productive. Good workplace energy leads to less stress among workers, less burnouts, less loss of productivity, less staff turnover and less sick days.
- Encouraging the tribal connection leads to more employer and employee wellbeing.
- Celebrate in workplaces and infuse them with humour and fun.
- Create Kind and Safe Workplaces.
All these ideas can be implemented straight away. You can start with a single strategy and keep expanding to have safer and kinder workplaces right here and now.
In a world where you can be anything … Be KIND.