Office Environment Tips
Read these 7 Office Environment Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Office Furniture tips and hundreds of other topics.
Employee Input
If you truly want to develop the best office environment possible, you have to be open to suggestions. Talk to your employees and get their opinions. Ask them if the office layout helps or hinders their work in any way.
Is there something missing that they feel is needed? Is there something that should be taken out of the office because it does not work?
Their feedback is important because they are the ones that deal with the office environment on a daily basis. If something is not working, they are more than likely the first to know about it. They might also have some thoughts of their own on how to fix any problems.
By including them in the planning process you are more likely to get the best possible production out of them because they can tell you what they require to be efficient. Obviously not every suggestion can be implemented, but that does not mean there are no good ideas to be cultivated here.
Include them when planning the office design and they will thank you for it. You will also be able to get some ideas that you may never have considered yourself.
An Ergonomic Office Environment
If you want to create a productive and comfortable work environment for yourself and others, ergonomics should play a big role in realizing that goal. Contemporary furniture with ergonomic designs will go a long way in getting you great results.
As you go over your office layout, ask yourself if you have given this issue enough consideration. Does it include wrist supports for employees that have to use keyboards all day? Have you included foot rests at each desk? Or adjustable keyboard drawers?
Look at desk spacing. Does everyone have enough space to work comfortably? The more comfortable and healthier people are, the more work they can get done and the more effective they can be. Ergonomics should be one of the foremost things on your mind when trying to create the proper office environment.
Spend a little extra on ergonomic features when coming up with your office layout and you will create a much more positive office environment. The more positive you can keep it, the more success you are likely to have.
Bulletin & Planning Boards
Businesses that are goal-oriented tend to succeed the most. Setting a specific goal and coming up with ways to motivate employees keeps them striving to succeed and always looking toward their next accomplishment. Planning and bulletin boards are an excellent way to facilitate this.
By using these boards throughout the office, you can provide employees with clear timelines, lists of responsibilities, tips on how to complete their assigned tasks, progress updates and more. They can be used to track progress so you see exactly what remains to be done before a target deadline.
Office space designs should include these boards whenever possible. They come in all shapes and sizes so it should be easy to find one that fits seamlessly into your office layout. Keep your bulletin and planning boards updated as regularly as possible so employees are always aware of the most recent and pertinent data relevant to their jobs. Do not let the get cluttered with old materials. Keep it new, fresh and up to date.
Around The Water Cooler
The human body is a sensitive thing. We need food and drink for energy. Without it we cannot perform to the best of our abilities. That is why an important part of any office layout is some type of refreshment area.
It might be as simple as an office water cooler. Or you may have the space for a small kitchen. This could have a refrigerator, microwave, sink and other amenities. The reason these things are good to have in an office whenever possible is because the human body needs replenishment and re-energizing, even in the middle of the day.
For some, a steady supply of fresh water throughout the day can suffice. Other people might rely on coffee or food for a boost of energy. It is beneficial to look into purchasing small office refrigerators and other supplies, and perhaps provide an assortment of fruits or breakfast foods in the morning for your workers and clients.
The energy that these things provide can be turned into positive output for your business on a daily basis.
Printer & Computer Tower Stands
The less space you take up with electronics, computer peripherals and other items, the more organized you can keep your desk. Even large computer desks do you no good if there is only a fraction of it that is clear for you to use.
That is why printer stands and computer tower shelves come in so handy. Printers and computer towers are typically two of the most space-consuming items found on office desks. But they are also necessary in most cases. So the ideal thing is to free up that space while still enjoying the functionality of those two devices.
Many computer desks these days come with attachment stands or shelving units for computer towers and other peripherals. But even if yours does not, you can purchase them for little money. Place one next to your desk as a stand-alone storage unit, or attach it to the desk if possible. Either way, you have removed the clutter from your desk without removing the capabilities they provide.
The Right Atmosphere For The Right Business
The office environment design that you come up with should be conducive to the type of work you are doing and the type of business you are trying to build and run. Do not build your office layout according to the specifications of a business that is the complete opposite of yours. In the end, you have to choose what will help you to achieve the goals you have set for yourself.
If you run a video game development company, your offices will more than likely tend to be laid back, with more casual furniture and art on the walls, like framed box art or comic book covers. It is going to be significantly different from the office environment of a lawyer or accountant.
Do not try to be something you are not. Simply be what you need to be and lay out your office design accordingly. The best thing you can do is come up with an office environment design that mirrors the type of work you will be doing. This will allow you and other workers to be more comfortable and feel that they can do their jobs in this type of atmosphere.
Office Phones
No one wants their office to seem like a high school cafeteria where people have to yell across the room to get the attention of someone else. That makes it very difficult for anyone to get their work done and it gives a bad impression to outsiders.
So in your office space layout, make sure to include telephones for each desk and/or workstation within the office. You should have an inter-office phone system set up so that employees can make internal calls to one another. This will eliminate the yelling as well as employees walking from one end of the office to the other just to ask a simple question.
By providing each employee with a phone at their desk, workstation or cubicle, they will be able to do their jobs more efficiently. It will also save everyone the headaches that are sure to result from multiple conversations competing with one another across the office.
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