5 environmental factors that affect office productivity
Productivity is a vital part of any business’s success. The more your employees can get done each day, the more value they will bring you company and the better you will be able to compete with other companies in your niche, but did you know that the working environment can affect office productivity?
Here are just some of the ways the workplace can affect productivity:
Temperature
If your office space is either too hot or too cold, productivity is sure to drop. People who are too hot or too cold are so focused on how they feel and how their body is reacting that they simply cannot concentrate on the work and even a couple of degrees either side of the optimum office temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit can lower productivity levels by 5 percent!
Lighting
When it comes to the office, natural lighting is the best as it has been shown to boost productivity and lower instances of eye strain, migraine and headache. If you don’t have access to lots of natural light within your business premises, it would be wise to have a good commercial led lighting electrician fit LED lights that are as close to natural daylight as possible. You may also want to fit screen covers on computers in order to prevent the kind of glare that can cause issues and see productivity drop.
Seating
Your employees probably spend the best part of 8 hours sitting down at work, so it’s only fair that you provide them with the most comfortable seating possible, and doing so will stop them from fidgeting and getting aches and pains they need to deal with, which will help boost productivity too, Supportive ergonomic seating is the ideal as it will help you all to maintain correct posture.
Noise
We all know how distracting noise can be. It can be almost impossible to concentrate when there are a lot of things going on in the background over which you have no control. Minimizing sounds in a busy office is not easy, but there are some things you can do such as closing doors, investing in decent ambient noise-cancelling headphones for your staff and ensuring that any noisy equipment like printers are kept well away from the main workspace.
Decor
The design of the office plays an important part in productivity too. Bright, bold colours like blue and yellow have been shown to boat productivity, while dull colours will do the opposite. If you’re painting, it should be matter. Why? Because matter paint doesn’t cause a glare that can be offputting.
Allowing your employees to have a few personal effects around the place, such as family photos and mascots can also be a good idea as it makes work feel less institutional, which boosts not only productivity but also creativity and happiness levels too.
Making changes to your office environment may cost a little money, but you will make that back in no time at all when your employees’ productivity levels begin to soar.