Make These Small Office Improvements to Fuel Your Business in 2016

The New Year is a time for looking forward and making improvements, both in our personal lives and business. Whether your workplace is a well-oiled machine or a bit of  train wreck at the moment, there is always room for improvement, and it doesn’t have to be drastic, time-consuming or expensive to make a noticeable change. In fact, making small improvements in the way your office functions can pave the way for growth in 2016.

Switch it up

Employees are most productive when they feel like they matter and are provided with a healthy and pleasant work environment.  Studies show that seemingly small factors like ceiling height and access to windows can have a big impact on productivity.  So, consider allowing your staff the autonomy to customize their workspace. It’s a small concession that makes a big difference in productivity. You know the satisfaction you get from re-arranging your bedroom furniture? You’ll get the same out of changing it up at the office, and your team will thank you for it.

Skillshare’s SoHo office rooftop

Sustainability

Today’s employees like to feel that they’re doing their part in protecting the environment — consider the fact that LEED certification is considered an important selling point for commercial space, with more square feet being certified every year, all over the world.

Using energy-efficient lighting and smart building systems like automatic thermostat control makes sense for environmental reasons. These steps also help provide a comfortable work environment while keeping down costs. Consider replacing your old-style light bulbs with more energy efficient ones. Then, take it a step further and talk to your landlord about installing a smart thermostat like the original, made by Nest. It will save you money and squabbles over the temp as it learns your habits and adjust the temperature accordingly.

More with Less

The open office trend taking hold, combined with the prevalence of mobile technology means that the required space per worker is lower than in the past. This can reduce costs as well, and it’s practical thanks to our ability to use space in more flexible ways.  It is less common these days for a huge conference room to sit unused for most of the month. Now offices create spaces that can have more than one use, and that are available to different groups or individuals when needed. WiFi means that it’s not always necessary for people to have an assigned place to work; they have the option of using common areas or quiet rooms, depending on the task at hand. Their technology can travel with them.

Consider re-working your less-used conference room into a lounge area with comfortable seating for work, play and the spontaneous exchange of ideas. Want to take it a step further? Bring in some games so employees can take a break and blow off some steam. Connect Four is a PivotDesk favorite.

FreshPlanet provides plenty of room for in-office fun

Flexibility

Another way to increase productivity and employee satisfaction is to create more flexible policies. Take a look at your rules for required hours, working at home, and other workday adjustments. Do they reflect the company culture you’re trying to create? When employees are given some freedom to choose how their work gets done, productivity goes up.

Make your office a place that makes it easy to be human. Acknowledge the benefits of things like frequent breaks and standup desks. Encourage “walking meetings” that let employees spend some time outside of the office while still conducting business. These ideas have been proven to increase well-being and thus make people more productive and less anxious to get away from the workplace.

The Quickest Fixes 

According to an interesting piece in Forbes, these are some other smart steps you can take to make your office hum like a Tesla in 2016:

→ Control sound — this may involve installing sound-absorbing panels in noisy spaces, or coming up with a policy that everyone can agree on.

→ Rearrange for efficiency — take a look at the configurations in your office. Solicit input from your staff on where changes can be made that will save people steps and make their workspace more convenient to the materials and equipment they need.

→ Create Task-specific workstations — this can be a great change to make, for several reasons. It can help break up the day, giving people a chance to move around the space more in the course of the day. It can cut costs by making supplies and equipment available to everyone in one location rather than being replicated elsewhere, and it will help people stay focused on the task at hand.

Zola opens up their space with sliding doors

Even the smallest change in the workplace can have the benefit of showing your employees that your care about their well being and want to provide them with what they need. Making a few of these for the New Year can start things off on a positive note.