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With a 40-hour work week, an office worker spends about a third of the time when he is awake doing his business duties. This ratio can often lead to burnout and stress. How to prevent it? We present the top 5 interesting ideas to improve the working atmosphere.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are forced to pay almost more attention to the arrangement of office space than usual. First of all, this is related to safety: they should provide conditions for maintaining a distance, stock up on sanitizers and masks. Work areas must be well ventilated.
However, comfort in the office is not limited to security alone. That is why, even now, employers are striving to ensure that the environment in the office is conducive to productivity and continuous creative process. These efforts help them attract and retain talented employees. What life hacks for creating a comfortable working atmosphere are used by the most advanced companies?
1. Pets in the office
In the West, more and more companies are introducing a pet friendly policy, according to which employees are allowed to bring their well-mannered pets to the office. This order is not a whim: studies show that communication with animals helps to reduce stress levels not only for their owners, but also for other members of the team.
For example, a North Carolina cutlery company measured levels of the stress hormone cortisol in three groups over the course of a week: people who took their pets to work, those who left their pets at home, and those who had no pets at all. pets. The difference in indicators turned out to be quite significant: those who took the animals to the office «won» them.
Thanks to the presence of pets in the office, employees are better socialized and even begin to work more productively. In Russia, the pet friendly approach is not yet widespread. Possible obstacles that Russian employers will have to face are difficult organizational issues, allergic reactions or fear of animals among employees, prohibitions from landlords.
Nevertheless, there are already companies that share their positive experience — for example, these are large animal feed manufacturers. Perhaps soon more Russian employers will think about such a rule in the office.
2. Flexible workspace and schedule
Many large companies use the concept of workplace innovation (innovative workspace) in their offices. Its essence lies in the fact that a specific workplace is not assigned to an employee. Moreover, there are fewer jobs in the office than employees: their number is selected taking into account business trips, sick leave, and work from home.
This approach allows more efficient use of office space. Everyone can choose a place depending on the tasks for the day. Due to workplace innovation, employees of different departments communicate more with each other, which improves the atmosphere in the team.
Flexible working hours also provide benefits. A free schedule allows you to better balance work and leisure and correctly use individual peaks of productivity for each. The organizational complexity of implementing such a system pays off with the productivity of the team.
3. Boredom in the office — no!
A study published in the Journal of vocational behavior, USA, 2017 found that workplace entertainment has a positive effect on employee learning.
We are talking about the so-called «non-formal learning»: office workers get the most new knowledge, mainly not during lectures and trainings, but individually or at the time of communication with colleagues. The authors of the work argue that office entertainment creates an atmosphere in the team that is most conducive to informal learning.
There are many ways to add variety to your routine — board games in the lounges, picnics in the warm season, corporate sports and yoga master classes. Employees of the American activewear company test new products themselves in the mountains and on bike races, and surfing has become an integral part of every working day for some of them.
Undoubtedly, such a routine will not suit every company and not all people. But in general, entertainment will be appropriate in any office.
4. Productive Fridays
Friday is the least productive work day, not only according to most people, but according to almost every survey or study conducted on this topic. On this day, many begin to think about the weekend and lose focus.
However, Friday is the best time to take stock of the past working week and make plans for the next one. It can be a good rule of thumb to have short meetings in the office on Fridays, during which each employee can share with others the positive and negative experiences of this week, get support and be recharged with optimism from colleagues.
This rule also applies in a remote format: nothing prevents holding meetings via videoconference.
5. Own office — own rules
The transition to «remote work» forces managers to introduce new rules in order to better control the work of the team. And while leaders write down routines and develop policies, each person in the home office can set their own rules.
Create a work environment that encourages you to be productive. Always be in touch with colleagues. Think clearly about your daily routine and keep written to-do lists if it’s convenient for you. Take five-minute sports breaks and respect work hours.
A lot has already been said about all this, but creating the ideal working atmosphere at home is a task that only the employee himself can perform.