How to Improve Office Environment and Morale

New Year’s resolutions don’t need to stop with personal goals and improvements. There are many ways to renew and upgrade the environment around the office – with positive practical, social, organizational, and psychological effects. Check out the following suggestions and inspiration to improve work life and satisfaction.

Create a Better Work/Life Balance. Burn out is a real problem facing many professionals today, especially when it’s easy to stay connected to the office via email and the cloud well after the commute home. Restricting overtime, encouraging employees to shut down their email clients, allowing for working-from-home options, eliminating crunch time, and other scheduling changes can all help employees stay energized, efficient, and more satisfied at work.

Reinforce the Value of Everyone’s Efforts. Workers get stuck in a grind and the habit of work, and it’s easy to lose sight of what it’s all for. Regularly showing employees through emails, newsletters, or during meetings how their work is positively impacting others can be a great help and give a boost in morale. The work is more meaningful when evidence of its value is shared and felt. Those not working directly with customers or clients can particularly benefit from seeing how they’re part of a team that matters.

Clean-Up and Declutter. An office that is messy can feel just as disruptive as trying to relax in a dirty home. Utilizing storage options to organize and put things away takes care of mounting piles and leaves room for people to do their work easily and more efficiently. There is also a tendency to hold onto old electronics and paper files for fear of privacy issues and data breaches.

It’s important to regularly have these materials shredded, crushed, and have the leftover remains safely recycled. Keeping them increases risk! For details visit Absolute Destruction & Recycling to learn more about how a properly certified company operates.

Increase the Appeal. Improving the aesthetic and design elements of the office has a significant psychological impact on morale. Working in a dull and boring environment every day can make the work more monotonous and even depressing. Introduce plants to workspaces and encourage employees to take care of them. Add attractive art, lighting, comfortable places to take a break, and games can improve the look, feel, and fun of being there.

Celebrate the Wins. When employees regularly receive feedback, it helps with performance, and being sure to always at least extend a direct thanks and elaborate on specific points of excellence makes a difference. Holding events and celebrations, whether it be a special lunch or an evening party, allows for shared camaraderie, too.

Encourage Doing Good. Depending on the nature of the work around the office, employees might not get many opportunities to feel they’re doing good things in the world. Offering paid hours to help in the community and volunteer during work hours can improve this tendency. Organize drives and participation in events that people can donate or contribute to like donation bins, charity marathons, or taking part in a campaign online or in the office.