Nothing boosts workplace productivity like happy employees, and as more companies realize this, the emphasis on boosting staff morale will continue to grow.
In today’s climate of competition between businesses and employers, keeping your best employees satisfied is more important than ever. Creating a culture of happiness in the workplace will inevitably lead to greater productivity and better results overall, but this kind of shift requires more than a simple weekly meeting.
There is research to suggest that installing new technologies in your office can improve employees’ general wellbeing and state of mind, and if you’re curious, there are plenty of options to consider.
Circadian Lighting Systems
Although you may not realize it, lighting can have a direct impact on your health, mood, and productivity, which makes it a hugely important part of your daily life at work.
Typically, circadian lighting systems can be controlled through a smartphone app and adjusted to suit the time of day, or even scheduled ahead of time. The right level of lighting has been linked to physical health, mental well-being, relaxation, and focus, which means a new lighting system could be well worth the investment.
New Computers or Laptops
Decking out your office with the latest gadgets might seem like a waste of funding to some, but there is evidence to suggest that investing in new technological equipment increases feelings of pride amongst your employees. This is especially important if the computers in your office are slow or infected with viruses.
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New computers also tend to come with new capabilities, so if technological advances are important to your company as a whole, this could be a great place to start.
Noise-Cancelling Headphones
This is worth considering if you have an open-plan office. White noise can be incredibly distracting for any office employee, as the tasks they work on from day to day typically demand peak mental capabilities. It would seem counter-productive to enforce a restrictive policy on interoffice noise, particularly if you’re wanting to encourage social interactions amongst employees, but noise-canceling headphones could offer an effective solution.
Smart Gadgets
Office jobs have received a bad rap over the past decade in particular for the health problems caused by sitting down for hours at a time, and there’s a lot of truth to the complaints.
Spending seven or eight hours a day at a desk, hunched over a computer screen, can wreak havoc on your internal organs and shorten your lifespan over time.
Smart health-monitoring gadgets could counteract this; by reminding wearers to exercise regularly and avoid long periods of sitting, they can instantaneously improve physical and mental health, as well as the quality of work. As it turns out, they’re not just for the gym junkies.
Social Networks to Encourage Rapport Building
The idea of introducing social networking in the workplace might seem absurd, but if it’s used in the right way, the potential for positive results could be worth considering.
Humans are social creatures, and nurturing healthy relationships with others is hugely important to our mental and emotional health. Encouraging your staff to communicate with one another beyond the walls of the office could do great things for morale and general happiness in the workplace, as long as you’re able to achieve that elusive work-life balance and maintain an emphasis on productivity.
Admin Software
Administrative tasks such as data entry are amongst the most mind-numbing jobs an office worker could find on their plate, but thanks to modern technology, there are programs that can take care of it for you. When programmed and updated correctly, these programs also eliminate any potential for human error which will help your office to run more smoothly.
Facilitate Efficient Team Projects with Apps
There are plenty of apps on the market which are built for group communication, and now there is a growing emphasis on the corporate need in this area.
Project management apps are designed to streamline the process of discussing and collaborating on team projects by keeping everything in one place, and there are plenty of alternatives with slight variations on features; Basecamp, Slack, Trello, and Evernote are amongst the most popular options.
Get Back to Basics
New technologies like air-conditioning often come with a host of potential problems – for example, exponential increases in energy bills, negative impact upon the environment, and critically, more rapid spreading of illness due to the circulation of the same air through a building. Illnesses in the office can cost companies time and money while due dates are delayed and sick leave is paid out.
In cases like this, there’s something to be said for old-school technology. As long as your office ceiling isn’t too low, try installing fans in the ceiling as an alternative to using the air conditioning on a hot day, and if you’re in a safe position to do so, open some windows. Fresh air might not seem like a big deal, but it can do wonders for the physical and mental health of your staff.
Technology is advancing and it is making sure to cover many industries and help us do our jobs.
So, when improving your office, think of your employees, their happiness and wellbeing. Happy employees mean more job done, which automatically leads to greater profits.
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