Healthy & Happy: 5 Ways to Make Your Office a More Positive and Collaborative Space

Would you like to improve employee retention, productivity levels, morale, happiness, and collaboration? It all starts with the workspace you provide.

Want to start making improvements right away? You can cultivate and nurture a healthy, happy, and positive working environment with these five tips: 

Embrace Diversity & Inclusivity

Any modern business can benefit from inclusive employment and diversity in the workplace. Unfortunately, promoting diversity and inclusivity is often seen as a ‘box-ticking’ exercise. However, companies that have embraced true diversity and inclusivity know that it delivers far more than a successfully ticked box. 

Workplace diversity inspires innovation, creativity, better customer service, and increased profitability. It can even enhance your reputation as a brand. This is perhaps why 69% of millennials and Gen-Z-ers say they’re more likely to work long-term for an employer if they have a diverse workforce. Talented young professionals can see and feel the difference in such workplaces, and they’re motivated to stick with employers who value them as unique individuals. In this way, diversity benefits your recruitment processes too. 

Improve Communication

Poor communication can cause a toxic work environment. Employees may struggle to understand the company’s broader goals and how they fit in. They may also struggle to find purpose in their role and may not receive enough information to fulfill their role at a base level. This can cause frustration, lower productivity, and the potential for a higher staff turnover. 

Improving communication can quickly create a more positive and collaborative space. There are various ways to do this, including better top-down communication, ways for employees to provide feedback openly without fear of getting in trouble, and workshops designed to teach collaboration and communication skills. These steps will all help bring out the best in employees. 

Invest In The Office Itself

Around 70% of people feel plants improve their working environment, and one study even showed that plants in an office can improve productivity by 15%. Additionally, excellent cleanliness, good lighting, comfortable and ergonomic workstations, and modern breakout spaces can all help your workers enjoy coming to work more. When people are happy with the environment they’re in, they’re far more likely to be motivated to work efficiently. 

Promote & Support Wellbeing

Researchers have found that when people feel valued and supported at work, their well-being naturally improves. Research also shows that supporting the health and well-being of staff increases their morale and boosts teamwork and collaboration. 

You can promote better well-being in your office by providing fresh and healthy meals and drinks, offering health insurance perks and gym memberships, and getting your office ergonomics and layout right. Relaxing lunch breaks, flexible working arrangements, and employee assistance programs make your office a more inviting place to work. 

Offer Upskilling & Career Advancement Opportunities

Post-pandemic research has shown that people worry they are not skilled enough to compete in today’s job market. Indeed, 58% of people feel their skills are outdated, and 78% feel they lack the skills to advance their careers. 

It isn’t just job seekers feeling like this. Employees are also expressing concern, and if your team members feel this way, you’re likely to have a pretty unhappy workforce. Workers who lack progression opportunities may not be inspired to do their best and may start looking for opportunities elsewhere. 

By offering the chance for workers to upskill, progress, and develop as people, you boost the happiness of your team and actively enhance the workplace environment. 

Use the tips above to create a happy, inspired, and loyal workforce. Your reward will be an office that’s collaborative, creative, productive, and a joy to step into every day.