Office Upgrades That Can Reduce Unnecessary Stress In The Workplace

Truth be told, your employees are your internal customers, and, as we all know, customer satisfaction should be a priority. Creating a healthy and productive work environment is essential if you want to satisfy your internal customers (aka your employees) and boost their mental wellbeing. In fact, people are more likely to be productive when they’re in a healthy and happy state of mind. A stressful environment with perpetual disruption causes frustration and makes it hard for people to focus. In order to create a peaceful work environment, you must consider what nuisances may be inhibiting your staff’s productivity or causing tension in the workplace.

Unfortunately, most people encounter stress in the workplace or in work-related situations. Now, management will not be able to relieve each and every individual’s stress-induced issues, but it can surely provide a more positive and healthy work environment by reducing common frustrations and hassles. 

Upgrade equipment

The first thing you should do to promote a healthy work environment is fix what needs fixing! Employees often become irritated by malfunctioning equipment; they are time-consuming and negatively affect your staff’s day, as well as the quality and quantity of their work. Some appliances/equipment may be problematic because of their irritating noise. When people are trying to focus, certain noises can be utterly disruptive; it could be an annoyingly loud kettle that distracts and irritates an employee. Old paper shredding machines in particular are quite irritating to hear at times, and an upgrade may just be what you need. 

There are a number of appliances that don’t possess the irritating sounds that drive us wild, and there are countless recommendations at https://silenthomehub.com/best-quiet-paper-shredders/ which will allow your staff to relish in the silent and peaceful workspace. These quieter gems are practical for not only your office, but also your home. Imagine a vacuum that doesn’t rile your pet up every time you switch it on or a kitchen appliance, which does not disrupt your TV viewing experience or kill a conversation! Speaking of upgrades, you also have to make sure you have plenty of supplies; are the bathrooms always stocked with paper towels? Does storage have enough supplies? And is this storage space easily accessible? Do printers always have enough paper and ink? Make a list of the necessities and bask in your own glory.

Upgrade your walls

You would be surprised how much a lack of color affects a person’s mental state. If one is confined within 4 dull, white walls, they are more likely to get depressed and lose the motivation to progress with their work. So, add a pop of color to the office; use bright colors that will energize your staff, or perhaps make it an activity for all staff members to paint their own area, and choose which colors would enhance their mood. Remember, green is soothing; yellow boosts creativity and red stimulates cognitive activity! Even if that would be time-consuming for you, as well as your employees, there are plenty of alternatives from artworks to wall prints; those with dominant colors are known to reduce stress. And whilst you’re at it, consider installing some more modern doors for your office to match your new walls. Those ugly old cardboard doors do nothing for that new paint job, but new doors will give the walls that finishing touch that might be missing.

Upgrade your location

Bear with us; we’re not saying relocate your entire business. However, in most workplaces, windows are covered with blinds or shades and this contributes to a gloomy, poorly day-lit workplace.  In fact, the absence of natural light and outdoor views affects employee mental wellbeing and, thus, satisfaction. Accordingly, your workplace views do need an upgrade. As mentioned above, being confined within the 4 walls of an office can cause restlessness and low productivity. Switch up their scenery by having a breakout space, or an outdoor area, ones that are peaceful and allow a person to get work done, or simply take five and unwind before heading back behind their desks. Creating more space encourages your employees to stretch their legs and, also, provides them with a space to think away from a loud or crowded section.

Natural upgrades

This is a recent addition to workplaces but has proved to be very effective! Surrounding your staff with nature and natural elements has a profound impact on productivity and stress reduction. Bring the outdoors indoors with plants, faux greenery, and wood furnishings. These can be applied within the office or you can create an outdoor breakout space for your staff to get a breath of fresh air. When you implement these natural finishes to your office design, you positively impact your employees’ performance; trust us, they’ll feel a lot happier and motivated to get work done. 

A workplace is where most employees spend more than half their day and most of their week. It becomes a second home; their desks have photos of their loved ones, their favorite lunch meals and snacks are in the office refrigerator, and some even leave spare clothing in their locker. Accordingly, it’s crucial to provide a relaxing, comfortable and safe workplace. Employees will feel a lot safer leaving their personal belonging in their lockers if there are durable locks on them and they are the only ones given Locker keys to get into their lockers. In order to get them to produce the best work possible, your best bet is to create a workplace that reduces frustration, relieves stress and anxiety, and boosts productivity.