There are a lot of factors that can affect organizational productivity. An unhealthy work environment is one of them, creating a negative impact on physical and mental wellbeing. Such an environment at the workplace cause employees to get sick, affecting your office’s workflow.
Hence, minimizing sick day leaves and keeping the employees healthy should be one of the topmost priorities of every growing organization. In this blog, you will learn about how you can change your workplace environment from a dull and passive one to a healthy and active environment and control diseases’ spread. Below are some important steps every employer can follow to ensure their employees’ wellbeing.
1. Change the Workplace Setup
Workplace setup plays a vital role in ensuring employees’ wellbeing. It is essential to update your workplace’s design to accommodate your employees in an open space. Most of the employees prefer workplace settings that are stylish and comfortable at the same time. Human psychology shows that right and comfortable workplaces reduce employees’ stress levels and make people feel at ease.
Since employees spend a considerable part of their day at your workplace, it is important to provide them with proper amenities. Hence, don’t let the place get too crowded with furniture, and use innovative storage ideas to maximize open space in the office.
2. Ensure Proper Workplace Cleaning.
Workplace cleaning is an essential element to maintain office hygiene. As the pandemic has increased workplace cleaning protocols, it is vital for everyone’s safety to ensure preventive measures such as proper hygiene and social distancing protocols. This means that you must maintain a cleaning routine throughout the day, even if you employ someone like this service offering commercial cleaning London to come in and clean during the week.
However, if you are still wondering how to minimise sickness in the workplace, we have got some tips for you. You can start by hiring full-time employees that disinfect your office from time to time. Make sure to clean specific areas like toilets and kitchen after every use. Provide disinfecting wipes, sanitizer, gloves, and masks to everyone in the office. Guide your employees to maintain hygiene at their work desks by wiping everything with disinfectant wipes after regular intervals.
3. Set a Color Theme and Adjust Lightning
Colors have a significant impact on our mood. It is important to use color themes that represent a professional and open environment at the workplace. Using fresh colors for furniture, decorative items, and walls can elevate the look of the room. Staying and working in such an environment will freshen your employee’s minds. It will help them relax and focus more on their work.
Besides, it is essential to properly adjust the workplace lights as they can adversely affect the employees’ eyesight. Try to keep your lights moderate, as they being too dull or too bright might affect your employees’ wellbeing.
4. Encourage and Reward Your Employees
Appreciation and encouragement will motivate your employees. According to psychology, the human mind gives its hundred percent if it’s rightly encouraged and rewarded. Rewards could be a bonus or a gift and work as a token of appreciation. Naturally, this will motivate your employees to work harder.
People prefer to work for a gain or reward as opposed to working for no benefits. Most employers consider employees’ salaries as a source of appreciation. You need to provide additional benefits to make them feel that the company acknowledges their hard work.
5. Keep Your Team Connected
A well-organized team will help you achieve better productivity rates. It is always better that they know each other and holds the capacity to perform better. So think of your employees like your family. It will relieve their stress and keep them healthy.
6. Manage Healthy Work Intervals
If you keep a machine running without any break, it will eventually overheat, resulting in loss of functionality. If an inanimate object can give you such consequences, then think about animate beings. Every employee at the workplace needs some break so that they can rest their body and mind. So the best way to avoid overworking your employees is to maintain a proper office break schedule.
If your employees work 8 hours a day, then give them at least two breaks, one for lunch and a smaller one for unwinding themselves. Because overworking can have effects like fatigue, stress, and other bodily problems. Your employees feeling sick and tired will result in interrupting everyday work operations.
7. Leverage Technology
Modern-day working is transforming at a rapid pace because of technological innovations. Businesses are now using specialized tools to increase their work efficiency and performance. Apart from that, automation plays a vital role in relieving your employees of tedious tasks. It is important to leverage your employees with tiny but time-consuming tasks, giving them space to work on actual tasks. By leveraging technology at the workplace, you can save your employees from frustration and overworking while increasing workplace productivity and efficiency.
8. Get Your Employees Vaccinated
The pandemic has made it essential for every workplace to take precautionary measures. One of them is to have everyone at your workplace a proper health check each month. Failure to do so will put everyone’s health at risk. So, whenever you hire a new employee, make sure he or she gets vaccinated. Take precautionary steps against other viral diseases as well by arranging for bi-yearly vaccinations in the office.
Conclusion
The office is like a second home for your employees. An average person spends more than half of their day in the workplace. So you must maintain proper workplace hygiene to ensure the safety of your employees. These steps will help you achieve a good workplace environment that can minimize illness in your employees. These will also help you out in maintaining a good relationship with your employees.