A positive office environment is one among the many factors that determine the productivity of an individual and an organization at large. Take, for example, your workplace. Are you motivated by the environment to deliver to your best, or that is not a determinant in your productivity? I am sure we can agree on the first statement, you are more productive in an environment that you are motivated and have the peace of mind among other factors. These factors make up a positive working environment that equals a more productive one. Let’s consider a workplace with an environment in which the surrounding is full of trash, you are always under pressure from the management and any of your ideas or complains are neither appreciated nor addressed. Would you compare your motivation and productivity of that environment with one that is considerate of your satisfaction? Definitely not!
In this article, we are going to understand more about a positive work environment and its relationship to productivity. These will help you understand what you need to know about this aspect, from the key components and aspects of a positive work environment, what characterizes it, including the significance of cleanliness and how all this affects the productivity of various individuals. Under the aspect of cleanliness, you are also going to understand the importance of hiring a professional commercial cleaning company. As an added advantage, you are also going to learn about how to create a positive office environment and you can bear me witness that the level of productivity will rise significantly.
A positive work environment is one in which the employee and every other member including the clients or the customers, feel acknowledged, safe from various shortcomings. It’s a peaceful environment where all are motivated to do their chores through optimum performance to achieve professional objectives. For these reasons, a positive office environment is characterized by the following;
- Transparent and open communication.
A transparent and open form of communication addresses the employee’s need to feel that what they have to say has value. It is what makes employees feel that they belong in the organization. Work then becomes meaningful because the employees know that what they contribute affects the organization that they are affiliated with.
- There is a work-life balance
There is a need to have a balance between personal life and professional life. Employees should experience a smooth transition at home and when going to work. In general, having that sense of balance will improve job satisfaction among employees because they will feel that they’re not overlooking the other areas of their lives that are, if not more, important to them than work.
- It is focused on training and development.
Adapting to change is never more crucial in this era because those who don’t get replaced. A training and development-focused organization have a clear roadmap for training their employees to sustain and enhance the productivity of the organization as a whole. Two types of skills can be adopted including hard and soft skills. Hard skills can be viewed as those that directly impact work productivity while soft skills, on the other hand, are those that would affect the morale of the organization. A positive working environment would, therefore, have a well-planned routine training to instill a positive attitude toward their employees.
- There is recognition for hard work
Appreciating well done and extraordinary work is a sure way to encourage certain behavior in a person. Rewarding employees who put in the effort for their work will promote similar behaviors in the future. This can be achieved by having a system of monetary rewards to appreciate those who perform at work. Employees can also recognize each other performance through congratulatory messages and feel the success of on is the success of all.
- There is a strong team spirit
As social beings, we naturally seek support from our peers and seek to belong to a group. Come tough times; the team should come together to deal with whatever problems are out there. This is where a sense of unity is evoked in the team and employees will no longer just feel that they’re working for themselves. They are now working towards something bigger than themselves and as a team.
- Commitment to excellence and a positive reinforcement
Individual employees strive to be the best and to deliver top-quality products and services. They take responsibility for their actions and decisions. In return, the employer acknowledges, appreciates, and show gratitude. Genuine compliments, rewards, bonuses, raises, promotions, and certificates of achievement are in accordance to show reinforcement and commitment towards employees’ welfare in office space.
An environment with these qualities can be considered as a positive work environment, which is the key to the quality and optimal delivery and performance of the individuals at the workplace and the general performance of the particular workplace in line with the objectives and services offered.
Ways to create a positive office environment.
Now that we are aware of the significance of a positive working environment, how do we go about to create a positive environment? First and foremost, it is essential to know that nothing is to be taken for granted when trying to create a positive environment.
- Hire positive people
A positive working environment starts with hiring the right people who will develop positive ideas around each other. As an employer, you should not be afraid to let off the bad one. It unfortunate that toxic people may affect everyone’s daily performance; there is no need to let a negative attitude poison others. Make sure employees are professional and team players; they ultimately impact the working environment which can be felt by not only our employees but also customers.
- Ensuring clear communication
Communication can be top-down or bottom-up. Clear communication between the management to their employees is essential to build a strong positive working relationship. The office should also have a proper means in which the employees can communicate with their bosses. Nothing creates a positive working environment that understanding which is achieved by clear and timely communication.
- Improve the team
There are various ways in which a team can be improved; establishing team rules is one of them. Rules don’t have to be a dampener, but they do have to exist to keep everyone aligned. It is important to have everyone on the same page when a team is involved. Simple rules that respect privacy helps to know what is accepted against what is allowed establishing respect for members. The team can also be improved by clarifying the team’s purpose.
- Work on your space
Employees should have the freedom to make their working space feel their own. Having total control of your surroundings helps to create comfort and avoid feeling like you belong in a foreign place. There is a need to eliminate the feeling of being alienated so having a picture of your family is a good example of making a space your own. At the office needs of your teams should be reflected in your workspace. Look around your office and consider what could be done to encourage impromptu huddles for productive conversation, accessibility to knowledge experts, and semi-permanent spaces for group projects.
- Listen to everyone and get their ideas
Each member of your office team is valuable and should not be cut off from any office contribution. Each idea should be welcomed and worked on; this will encourage the quiet employees to chip in and have direct input and cement that everyone is important. The office can have weekly forums to present such ideas.
- Recognize and show appreciation to hard work
When employees feel appreciated, it encourages others to do more and adopt best practices during working hours. It is also an open avenue to celebrate, which encourages deeper interaction besides the professional level. Office parties and retreat is a sure way to win your employee’s confidence that their well being has been taken care of and they will be willing to show the same to fellow colleagues. Staff meetings are a great time to acknowledge the work your employees do. You can take two minutes out of your meetings to bring attention to your employees’ accomplishments
- Maintain trust
Constant supervision of employees may create a sense that you do not trust their judgment and they may end up feeling under-skilled. Besides, no one wants to feel like a young one under parents’ watch. Your instinct may be to micromanage and make sure everything is running exactly as you want it, but that will only create a negative environment for everyone else in the office. Step back and let your employees do their jobs. You have to trust that they will do a good job—after all, you hired them for a reason. While you should be periodically checking in with your employees, you don’t want to be overbearing about it.
- Have some allowance for fun and humor besides the professional set up
There are many ways you can be both fun and professional. Allow your employees to decorate their workspaces to show off their personalities; you can go the extra mile have small contests for the best-decorated desk. Encourage employees to take breaks during the day and they’ll be happier and more productive. Maintaining a professional environment is important, but that doesn’t mean it has to be dull. A happier employee will perform much better than a miserable one
- Attend to any complaints
If there are issues, don’t avoid them and pretend they don’t exist. Address them head-on and make it clear why it’s an issue. Get full details of the complaint from the employee who has raised the issue. Treat all complaints seriously. Don’t brush off an employee’s complaints, listen to the issues and document them carefully for further follow up by appropriate actions.
Relationship of a positive work environment to productivity.
Every company wants the best out of their employees. Employees will fit it with the office culture in place, and their productivity influenced by the working environment. Employers and workers should learn more about the positive work environment and understand how it affects business results.
- Boosts efficiency.
A positive work environment is an excellent efficiency booster. It makes you feel good and enjoy your work, which in turn inspires you to do your best and complete all tasks without delays. It’s a win-win situation for employers and employees because maximum productivity is the ultimate goal of every organization.
- Promotes collaboration
A positive working environment is achieved by the collaboration of all office staff, where each has a role to play in the process employees feel they are part of something bigger than their careers as they contribute to the office culture. When employees feel they belong together it boost team working spirit and hence productivity.
- Improves creativity
It is a new idea that makes good work practice. A positive work environment makes you more comfortable and freer to experiment, which is the basic precondition for becoming a creative individual. You can test new ideas and play with alternative business solutions without worrying about negative reactions coming from your boss or your colleagues.
- Reduces stress and pressure
Stress is one of the main reasons for under-performance. It can jeopardize your health and lead to many unfortunate illnesses, while it also stops you from focusing and ruins your cognitive performance. You should avoid it at all costs, and the best way to do it is by joining a good organization with an excellent work ambiance. If you can find a team full of supportive individuals who help each other out, make sure to stick to it and eliminate stress from your work.
- Facilitates full focus
It is only in a positive environment that your mind can focus maximumly and achieve a higher level of personal performance. In the long run, employees become dedicated and more goal-oriented who know how to work effectively. It is much easier to work on a complex task when paying full attention without getting distracted.
- Promotes some shared values
When each employee in an office knows that their behavior will influence his or her colleague’s productivity, they tend to conform to certain norms that will ensure everyone is happy. This promotes a sense of belonging as they will be glad to support each other to do their best. Eventually, stronger bonds are created since they share an interpersonal relationship.
Through these qualities, increased performance is observed and articulated from the employees contributing to the overall production and quality delivery of the organization at large.
Importance of a clean work environment
Through a clean workplace environment, a positive environment is also achieved that helps in maximizing productivity. The impact of a clean workplace is often overlooked; however, having a clean work environment significantly impacts employees and your success as a business.
- Prevents the spread of illnesses and germs. Regular disinfection of surfaces and objects with the appropriate hospital-grade chemicals and disinfectants helps beat germs that might have been transferred from employees’ homes to the workplace. Some offices also serve meals to their employees and the remnant particles can be a breeding ground for certain infectious germs if not properly disposed of.
- It creates a professional appearance. As they say first impression counts and, in an office set up it is no exception. A clean space is more appealing and welcoming to potential clients. For instance, a chaotic reception area is a sure sign of lack of professionalism as no order is displayed. At the onset, it is important to instill confidence and create with clients by showing efficiency and strong attention to details.
- Decreases the risks of accidents and injuries. Work-related injuries such as slips and falls may be caused by poorly misplaced equipment that leaves working space congested and makes it hard to maneuver. It is crucial to maintain thoroughly clean and dry floors to ensure the prevention of slips.
- It creates a happy environment. Your employees are a direct representation of your brand and business; hence there is a need to ensure they are comfortable when doing their jobs. Considering that the average person spends around 8 hours a day in the workplace, most employees consider their workplaces (office) as a second home and as such, you need to focus your efforts on keeping it clean and tidy. The tidy office evokes positive feelings among employees while an unclean, disorganized office evokes negative emotions.
- Reduces absenteeism. It is common knowledge that one of the major factors that negatively impact productivity in the workplace is sickness. Research has shown that when we suffer from illness at work, there is an overall loss in performance. Employees may fall sick if when exposed to contaminated office places such as keyboards and office desk. Dust accumulated on work surfaces may cause cough and lung complications leading to unplanned absenteeism.
- Increased productivity. Cleanliness can help drive motivation and boost the morale of employees, thereby creating a feeling of belonging within their organization and setting up a disposal bin around the office as opposed to a central point reduced time wasted by moving around the office. It is also hard for employees to work around a messy workspace since they will not maximize the resources needed for quality results. A well-maintained working environment allows employees to be efficient, and more importantly, productive.
Significance of hiring a professional commercial cleaning company.
Basic cleaning activities such as removing trash and vacuuming is not enough to get rid of more deep-seated dirt and allergens that are hidden in office furniture. Some office types of equipment are costly and delicate and will require expertise and experience. Some benefits gained by hiring a professional cleaning company include;
- Saves on cost and time. A lot of losses can occur due to poor cleaning practices in the workplace. Companies can save on cleaning costs and time by hiring professionals who know what they are doing and avoid repair and refurbishment cost which may become necessary if the premises are not properly maintained. Some materials are delicate to handle and require expert knowledge to clean which the office cannot provide on its own.
- Guarantees regular and professional cleaning services. There is an upside to hiring a professional when it comes to cleaning since they offer a wide range of services and guarantee that trained personnel will be handling the cleaning. It is also considered a tedious process to recruit and train one’s personal cleaners to match professional standards. Most of these companies also use modern and safe cleaning techniques. They are also out to build a good reputation and are always researching quality cleaning so as to deliver the best.
- Creates a better and healthier working environment for increased workplace productivity. This is achieved through the use of various working gears and detergents. At the end of the day, healthy employees mean maximized potential of the working force that will lead to higher productivity.
Conclusion
A healthy professional environment is extremely important for the success and productivity of any organization. This is achieved through the key aspects of motivating the individuals towards optimal performance having an environment that is characterized by various aspects such as transparency and openness in communication, maintenance of a balance between work and the personal life of the employees. A positive environment is also focused on the training and development of the employees and clients, recognition and appreciation for hard work, a strong team spirit and commitment to excellence, and positive reinforcement.
Through an environment with the above characteristics, everyone around the environment is able to perform to their best by boosting their efficiency, promoting collaboration, improving creativity, reducing stress, pressure, and anxiety, improving and fostering full focus and promoting some shared experience to boost the productivity. To achieve this environment, various ways have been identified including hiring of positive people, ensuring a clear communication, improving the team, working on the aspect of space, recognizing and showing appreciation for hard work, listening to everyone’s ideas, including their complaints and addressing them, marinating trust having some allowance for fun and humor besides the professional set up and out of all, maintaining a clean environment.
A clean environment is also vital in creating a positive work environment to boost productivity because it prevents the spread of illness, creates a professional appearance, decreases the risk of accidents and injuries that reduces absenteeism and creates a sense of happiness that improves productivity. Maintaining a clean environment calls for a professional commercial cleaning company due to its advantages and effectiveness in this sector such as saving on cost and offering quality and regular cleaning services with the required working gears to create a better and healthier working environment for increased workplace productivity.