10 Simple Workspace Changes to Increase Employee Engagement and Productivity

85% of employees are not engaged or actively disengaged at work, reducing productivity and costing companies billions of dollars each year. An inviting, functional workspace can help reengage team members who have mentally checked out and get them focused back on the task at hand. When staff can work in an environment that is conducive to productivity, they can be more efficient with their time. 

Not every change you make to increase engagement and productivity needs to take a large amount of money or time. Check out these simple workspace changes you can implement now:

1. Make a strong first impression

As a guest walks into your building, the first thing they see is your lobby. Ensure it is neat and functional. If a new client sees that you treat your public spaces poorly, how will they think you’ll treat their business opportunity.

2. Breathe life into your space with updated furniture, art, and plants

An outdated workspace can be uninspiring and bland. Make your team excited to come to work every day. There are vendors who will switch out local artists’ work on a quarterly basis to create interest and excitement within your space. You can also utilize services that will care for office plants or switch them out seasonally. 

3. Welcome new staff with comfort

Where do the new staff go on their first day? Your training facility should have comfortable chairs, especially if new team members will be onboarded for hours at a time. Broken, mismatched chairs and furniture send the wrong message. 

4. Know what your staff needs to be productive

Every industry has different needs in a workspace. Some are more collaborative and need a dedicated space to come together. Some work with sensitive or confidential data and need privacy to work. Survey your staff to determine what’s important to them and what they need to be productive. 

5. Implement the right amenities

Ask your staff what is truly important to them when it comes to amenities. A ping pong table or beer on tap might be right for some organizations, but much too distracting for others. Surveying your staff’s needs and wants allows their voices to be heard and can save you money on unwanted or unused amenities. 

6. Keep quiet

Not everyone can be productive in a noisy environment. Implement a quiet hour policy so your staff can plan to work on items that require deep thought or other solitary projects free of distraction. Outside of an office’s quiet hours, it’s best to allow team members some way to signal to other staff that they need uninterrupted work time. 

Additionally, sound masking or placing particular items on the walls will help dull the everyday hum of work life. 

7. Sit and stand

A sedentary lifestyle can cause a host of health problems and decrease productivity at work. One way to get moving in a desk job is to utilize sit-to-stand desks. While high-quality standing desks can be expensive, some existing work surfaces can be retrofitted. 

8. The right chair for the job

If you’ve ever tried to put in a good day’s work in an uncomfortable chair, you understand how unproductive it can be. Providing your team with chairs that adjust to their body type can help them focus on their work instead of aches and pains caused by poorly designed office furniture. 

9. Let in the sun

Natural sunlight increases concentration and productivity. Make sure your workspace lets in sunlight for everyone, not just those with a corner office. Access to sunlight should be an equal opportunity resource.

10. Keep the team together

As businesses grow and teams expand, they may find themselves scattered across different floors or sides of the building. To ensure internal teams are working to their fullest potential, you need to assess if the staff are in the right physical location for collaboration. 

Bonus: outlets, outlets, outlets 

As mobile as our devices are becoming, eventually they all need to be plugged into the wall. 

Ensure there are plenty of outlets for staff to charge phones and computers in all areas of the office. The last thing someone wants to see is staff members sitting on the floor to charge their phones. 

Relocation Strategies is a full-service workspace solutions company. We help organizations transform their offices into engaging and productive workspaces by balancing employee needs and shareholder concerns. Request a consultation with us today!