Making your office space comfortable for your employees will improve their health, morale, and productivity. It’s something that any good employer should consider. But when you lease your office, there can be compromises and limitations depending on your landlord and specific building codes.
Excellent office space can be hard to find, and sometimes you make do with what you can get on the market. If you want to maintain reasonable comfort for everyone at work, here are some options to explore for your leased office space:
Lighting
It’s been often cited that making using natural light in the home or in the workplace can stabilize our natural sleep cycles, leading to improved wellbeing and productivity. Take advantage of available windows to bring in daylight whenever possible and lower your energy consumption.
Along with lighting, color can go a long way in setting the right mood. You might not be allowed to repaint, but you can liven up the colors of your workplace by introducing décors, such as centerpieces or wall hangings. Indoor plants are also a great way to bring nature into the office.
Heating and cooling
Effective thermoregulation in your building plays a significant part in making it a comfortable place to work. If it’s cold and dry inside, less moisture makes the place comfortable while protecting most electronic devices.
You might not have control over factors such as the window facing or insulated panels. But you can apply commercial window film without damaging the glass, and thus have a cost-effective solution to unbalanced heating or glare. You can also request cleaning and maintenance of the HVAC system anytime there seems to be a ventilation problem.
Improved ergonomics
Most office workers are going to spend considerable time at their workstations, sitting on chairs for hours. A poor desk setup is bad for their daily productivity and long-term health. While upgrading your furniture around the workplace will undoubtedly take up more of your budget, you should consider the potential benefits to employee well-being and morale.
Small reminders to maintain correct posture, desktop brightness, and take short breaks to stretch and stand can help. Listen to your employees; not everyone might mind, but those that do have ergonomic issues can be dealing with a real struggle. Offering the option of a standing workstation can get your people to use their muscles more while at work.
Open layout
If you have a small workforce, you can do away with the modern cubicle setting, which was designed for the effective use of space. When people talk about restrictive office spaces that stifle creativity, most of them have a vision of a cubicle-bound employee in mind.
Getting rid of the cubicle and developing an open layout for your office is one way to create an environment that encourages people to move around, loosen up, and interact. It sets the stage for collaboration and better communication. Better yet, you can still maintain a separate enclosed area where people can focus on specific tasks, and this shows recognition of different needs and working styles.
When you want to demonstrate that you care for your employees, actions always speak louder than words. Ensuring an excellent environment for the team starts with a proper assessment of how actual conditions in your leased office space mesh with individual comfort and preferences and then following up with the necessary adjustments and investments to make things better.
