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As many businesses are bringing employees back to the office, they want assurances that their productivity will remain as high as it was while working remotely. However, employees have become accustomed to working from home, and it could take some time for them to adapt to a new environment, especially if they’ve never worked in an office before.
The solution is to make your office more employee-friendly, so how can you make that happen? Here are seven ideas to make your employees happy to be at the office.
Make It Comfortable
A comfortable office is a happy office. If your team doesn’t feel comfortable, they won’t be able to focus on their work and they’ll wish they were still working remotely.
There are several ways to ensure the workplace is comfortable, ranging from purchasing clean, comfortable office furniture to monitoring the temperature and airflow to prevent it from getting too stuffy, especially during summer. This approach also benefits your company image when clients visit as they can see how much work you have put into making this office a comfortable and welcoming space.
Keep It Clean
Similarly, keeping your office clean is essential. Everyone should take care of their workstation and tidy up after themselves. You can also check out a vacuum sales & service company so you have a convenient way to keep the office tidy.
You can also hire a commercial cleaning firm to deal with bigger messes at the end of the week so everyone can come to work on Monday and see a clean, sparkling office that should immediately put them in a good mood.
Let Them Personalize Their Space
The idea of the office being a home away from home is outdated but that doesn’t mean your team can’t still make their workstations unique to match their personality and bring a little brightness into their day.
Typical desk decorations include family photos or trinkets that add some fun to their day, especially during slow periods. You’ll need to set a limit on how much decoration is enough, especially since you may see important clients at the office and you don’t want them to consider the decorations unprofessional.
Optimize The Workplace
Making the workplace as positive of an environment as possible will make a huge difference when trying to make it more employee-friendly. You should have plenty of time before everyone officially returns to the workplace, so take the opportunity to upgrade the wifi for a faster and more reliable connection.
It is also worth considering the office layout. Are all the departments arranged logically? Is it easy to get from one side to the other? Are there any issues that could impede people moving around? Identifying potential issues, especially in an accessibility sense, will avoid further problems.
Highlight Safety Essentials
You should also promote the values of a safe workplace. For a standard office environment, this includes keeping cables out of the way to prevent trips and falls, but also emphasizing the importance of getting up and moving around during the day.
Hold training meetings when people return to the office to refresh their memory and run drills that remind them what to do in an emergency. This approach should help to avoid any panic in the face of disaster and make your workplace a more confident and safe place.
Solve Common Complaints
No business is perfect, but it can be more employee-friendly if you listen to your team. Familiarize yourself with this list of employee complaints and take steps to solve them to make the workplace more appealing. There could be other complaints that are specific to your business or the environment, so it’s worth discussing the problems with your team to find solutions.
Showing that you are willing to adjust the office or other aspects of your business to help your employees will provide you on their side, which will make them more flexible and amenable to working at the office.
Establish A Better Company Culture
You now have the opportunity to improve the company culture and boost your brand’s reputation. Your employees should love working for you, so do everything you can to make it a great place to work.
Stop forcing your team to work ridiculous hours and encourage breaks to help them refresh. While they’re at the office, you should also consider their work-life balance to ensure they do not experience burnout, which makes their work suffer and could affect turnover.
It’s also a good idea to look into having chaplain care teams on site for the sake of your employees mental health. Knowing they have a safe space to go can make all the difference in the world to your team, showing you care about them.
Friendly
An employee-friendly office can boost productivity and help foster teamwork that improves efficiency and gives your business the best chance of succeeding. If you are concerned about how your employees will work when coming back to the workplace, consider these tips to make the change as comfortable and convenient as possible.
