October 3, 2024
Have you got a dedicated workplace of your own? Whether you’re an entrepreneur just starting out, or have a whole team to work with, setting up a workplace can be easier to do than you might think. This is especially true if you’re living or working on a budget and you’re worried about the cost!
But in coming up with the layout and sourcing the right equipment for your workplace, you need to keep one big principle in mind: is this a comfortable place to be?
Because if someone is comfortable, then they’re happy, and when they're happy, they’re productive, and that’s the kind of feedback loop you should be investing in. So, without further ado, here are some small ways to make your workplace a much more comfortable place to work.
Sitting down for long periods of time can cause compression on the spine, which can lead to spinal degeneration at a young age. Sit for up to 8 hours a day, 5 times a week, for upwards of 100 days a year, and you’ll experience back issues in short order.
Which is why ergonomics are all the rage at the moment. A chair that gives a person the right lumbar support, either with the way it's designed or via the use of cushions, is going to help delay such spinal problems. Not to mention just how comfortable it is to have something firm and soft to rest against!
A proper break area will allow your team members to remove themselves from the work space, without actually needing to ‘remove’ themselves. This helps you to retain employee focus, but also give them room to focus on their own needs - it’s incredibly beneficial to allow a person the space to sit comfortably, eat and drink their own food, and talk with their co-workers, without wasting any company time.
And break rooms are a lot easier to take care of than you realise. You might think 5 to 10 people opening and closing the microwave door day after day will mean you spend hundreds on new models, but it’s actually very easy to source replacement Microwave parts. Similarly, if you implement a policy of only filling the kettle with enough water for your own cup, you won’t be wasting money on the water bill either!
Your team members want to be able to talk to each other. They want to have room to move around and have a chat, and be able to work collaboratively with their co-workers. That’s why you should think about removing the ‘cubicle’ design of your office, and go for a more open-plan layout. And this is easy to implement. Just push desks closer together, take down excessive desk shelving and cubicle dividers, and give your employees some freedom to exercise their social muscle.
If you want your workplace to improve, focus a little more on how comfortable it is.