Being at work is a lot of work! High workloads, face time, demanding customers and clients – combined with personal finances and family life – can equal an unengaged workforce and an unhappy workplace environment.
If you want your employees to be productive, to succeed and to not hate working for you, remove their barriers to doing good work. One of those barriers may resemble a windowless, over-airconditioned land of fatigued promotional mouse pads and cubicles. That is soooo depressing
The Googles and Zappos of the world set extremely high standards for office workspaces (if you consider these ‘offices’.) Hammock rooms, indoor rainforests, bowling alleys and indoor slides aside; there are plenty of ways you can bring your people together around a feel-good, sustainable, creative and productive workspace.
Something more achievable could look like Macquarie Group’s digs at One Shelley Street, Sydney. State-of-the-art in 2009, this space embraces collaboration, hot-desking, working from home, a paperless workstyle – all those good things.
With activity-based working (ABW) at the core, Clive Wilkinson Architects created kickass neighbourhoods (yes, neighbourhoods) for Macquarie Group. Where would you like to work today? In the light-filled Garden? the quiet Library? the bustling Playroom? the Tree House? How about lounging in the Coffee House without being forced to purchase a latte for 30 minutes of Wi-Fi?
One of the best things to come out of this new way of working is that managers are transformed into leaders and judge an employee’s performance on their output, not the amount of time they’re seen at their desk.
You’d think that’s the most innovative a bank could possibly get. Aaaand, you’d be wrong. Macquarie Group is bullish on wellness and see it as the next evolution for sustainable buildings. Enter, WELL.
The WELL Certification is a rating system that uses evidence-based medical and scientific research to activate the built environment to support health and wellbeing. Macquarie's going all out to become platinum level at its new headoffice. Their Head of Corporate Real Estate explains, “Food served in the building’s café now has a lower sugar content. We have yoga and music rooms, fitness facilities, mindfulness training programs, a choir and a roof garden with chickens, beehives and vegetables.”
That's one way to check off a few levels of Maslow’s hierarchy, buuuuut, what if you don’t have the moolah for an architecture firm, workplace consultancy or technology advisory? With so many types of workplace culture to choose from, you can pick 'n' mix from a selection of ideas that'll re-invigorate your team.
This is simple. Dogs in the workplace. All the cool kids have been doing it. For. So. Long. Cuteness aside, it’s a dose of relief from the constant pressure to hit your targets or from those clients who email 12 times a day. And it will mean even more for employees who have puppies and older dogs.
Keith Anderson, VP of Marketing at Ibex Outdoor Clothing, was at the office when he spent the last few moments with his dying dog. That’s as sad as it is beautiful. A dog is a member of your family. If you don’t feel that way, you’re heartless. You shouldn’t own a dog. But don’t let that stop you from letting your employees love their fur children. The Economist and Inc. have a list of business-enhancing benefits to help your cold, dead heart.
So, okay, you maaaay be allergic to dogs. But you’re not allergic to sunlight. You’re a human and you need it, just like your staff. Natural light is proven to increase productivity, efficiency, creativity and energy. This Northwestern University study shows workers in windowless offices scored lower on sleep quality, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction. That sounds gross.
If there’s no way to bring extra light into the office, you could try those sunlight desk lamps or keep it simple and make a break for it at lunch with your team. And if sections of your office have noooo exposure to the outside world, Forbes has some tips for dealing with windowless rooms … Hidden lights. So smart.
If you know blue and green should never be seen without something in between, then maybe you can be trusted. If not, listen up. The four psychological primaries are red, blue, yellow and green. Red affects the body. Blue affects the mind. Yellow affects the emotions, the ego and self-confidence. Green balances the mind, the body and the emotions.
Running with red for the office reboot? Cool, cool. Valentine’s Day is nice. Stop lights and horror movies? Not so much. The mighty red can show strength and love, but also fear and aggression. Save it for a feature wall maybe.
Looking for balance, harmony and stress relief? Go with green. Want calm, creative vibes? Choose blue. Everyone likes blue. Watch out for the magical purple, though. Too much and it can turn people into introverts. What we’re saying is, don’t mess up your office joojoo – read more on the psychology of colour.
It’s about the air, it’s about tranquility, it’s about brand image – it’s the vibe. Employees perform better with plants in the office. You don’t need to go overboard. A few household plants are fine. Peace lilies are perfect if you lack windows – they do well with indirect sunlight. Have fun with Succulents – plant them in old coffee mugs or containers. Blix Spaces uses vertical gardens to separate and decorate their space and some companies grow herbs in the kitchen.
Flora, fauna, light, colour, and if you’re up for the task, activity-based working. The freedom for people to work anywhere, anytime, depending on the activity they’re doing. Introducing more flexibility to your business leads to improved employee collaboration and engagement, resulting in – you guessed it – greater productivity. Booya.