Don’t Scare Employees Away from Your Workplace

As spooky season is upon us, you might be thinking of all the Halloween decorations you can put on display that won’t creep out your patrons and employees. But before the skeletons and ghost banners ever go up, your workspace could already be scaring people away—whether that’s potential customers, vendors, or talent. 

Stop scaring employees away from the workplace. Here are our tips for keeping your office spook-free. 

Cut Out Rigid Work Schedules 

Current trends are showing a dramatic shift away from a traditional 9-5 work week where everyone comes to the office every day. In part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more people than ever prefer flexibility when it comes to scheduling. We recommend offering employees hybrid schedules, allowing them to work from home a few days of the week, but still giving them useful office space when they decide to stop in. 

Make Room for Collaboration 

Sitting in a locked room by yourself all day is nothing short of scary. Expecting your employees to work alone day in and day out can be a major turn-off for prospective job applicants. Instead of locking everyone away, consider adding large collaboration spaces in addition to private offices. Lounge areas or group desks can make a big difference when it comes to the spread of ideas and promoting a positive workplace culture. 

Move Away from Open Concept 

In the past few years, open-concept offices have become the norm. But studies are now showing that these spaces are probably scaring off more employees than they retain. The reasoning behind open concept is to promote collaboration, but surveys indicate the opposite. Many people would rather send an email than have a conversation where everyone can listen in. Employees who work in open-concept spaces tend to report more job dissatisfaction and experience a drop in productivity. What’s more, open-concept offices typically don’t make the most of every square inch of space. Instead of investing in too many shared areas, make a “wow” first impression with reservable offices and or cubes, meeting rooms, and fully-stocked break areas. 

Noise Is a No-No 

Some jobs mean dealing with lots of noise throughout the day. But while construction workers and retail professionals can expect to need earplugs from time to time, most office staff expect a quiet environment. That’s why too much noise is a huge factor that scares off talented team members. In addition to private spaces to take calls and hop on Zoom, try adding sound masking to your work areas or even “zoom rooms”. This feature is commonly missing from office spaces. Providing a quiet, productive environment makes a huge difference to workplace success! 

Take the Fear Out of Workspace Planning 

Now that you know what’s scaring off new talent (and that it probably isn’t your newest Halloween decorations), it’s time to get to work! The team at Relocation Strategies is here to help you reimagine your workplace into a peaceful environment, not one that will have people running for the hills. Reach out to us for tips on space planning, design, furniture management, and so much more.