Some employers have totally embraced remote working. Some, however, need, or at least very much want, their employees to be in the office at least part of the time. Your best way to do this is to make your office a place your staff wants to be. Here are 5 tips to help.
By Team Savant
Image: Ilya Pavlov
Reassess Your Office Layout
You’re probably going to need to do this anyway as COVID-19 prevention measures are likely to be in place for at least the next several months. Take the exercise as an opportunity to appraise how your office works.
More specifically, think about what you’d like your office to do for you. Then think about what layout would be best for that. Initially, give yourself free rein to picture your office however you’d like it. Then adjust that picture to reflect practicalities such as infrastructure (e.g. power outlets) and your budget.
One important point to note is that staff engaged in task-based work can often do it just as well remotely as they can in the office. This means that you can often make the best use of your office space by gearing it towards collaboration.
You may, however, also want or need to provide traditional workspaces for some staff to use some of the time. For example, some employees may not have suitable home-working areas. Others may simply need places to get on with task work between meetings.
Make Your Office Seem More Like Home
Offices have a reputation for being uninspiring places and often it’s deserved. Public areas like reception might be decorated to impress. For the most part, however, offices are just rows or pods of identical desks on neutral carpet. Some offices allow employees to personalize their own workspaces. In reality, however, there is often a strict limit on what employees can do.
If this sounds like your office, then now is the perfect time to give it some love. At a minimum, put some attractive pictures on the walls and bring in some foliage plants. Use real ones if possible, they genuinely do help to keep the air clean. If you have no space for either of these then you should probably reassess how your office is being used.
Offices are meant to be working spaces, not storage spaces. You might want to keep basic supplies in an office. If, however, something is only used occasionally, it’s generally better to find storage for it elsewhere. If your office is still full of paper, then now is the time to digitize and go paperless. It not only frees up space, but it can also streamline business processes and improve security.
If you have any budget at all, then invest in some decor to make your office feel more like a place to collaborate and socialise. This doesn’t have to be expensive. You can get some great decor pieces at really low prices just by keeping an eye on the internet for exclusive online sales.
Make Sure Your Team Can Eat And Drink Well
The first point you need to check is whether there is anywhere nearby for your team to get food and drink. The second point you need to check is whether or not your team is (still) willing to use these amenities.
Shops and food outlets near offices tend to be relatively expensive. What’s more, that’s often due to the costs of operating in that location rather than to the profits they make. This is, however, irrelevant to the customer. If your employees have become used to the affordability of eating home-cooked food, they may be very unwilling to pay up to buy food at work.
For both these reasons, having on-site catering facilities is likely to be much more important than it was before the pandemic. If you don’t have much kitchen space then vending machines may be a useful solution.
These are generally used for snacks and drinks but can (also) be used for sandwiches and/or ready meals. They can usually be leased as well as bought and can pay for themselves through sales. If you have the budget, then offering free drinks and snacks is often much appreciated. Ideally, provide at least some healthy options.
Provide Tools For Fun Meetings
Any meeting which just involves someone delivering a presentation and taking questions will generally work perfectly well remotely. In fact, remote meetings can have a high level of interactivity if you know how to use technology. Where on-site meetings have the edge is the ability to get literally hands-on in a group.
If you want to make the most of real-world collaboration, then you need to provide the space and tools to make that happen. If you want there to be scope for spontaneous meetings and interactions then the space and tools need to be available whenever anyone wants them.
Think about what it would take to get your staff really engaged and inspired the way you want them to be. Flipcharts, colored markers, and colored sticky notes (in various shapes) are all standard. You can, however, go a lot further. For example, think about providing children’s toys such as plasticine, Lego, or Meccano. These can all stimulate creativity in adults.
Create A Play Space
The idea of a play space may conjure up visions of fully-equipped games rooms in the headquarters of Silicon Valley tech giants. In reality, however, it just means a place your staff can go to have a bit of fun, chill-out time. This could be before or after work, during their lunchtime, or just when they need a break.
You don’t need a huge space or budget. In general, you’ll be fine with some cards and board games and maybe some puzzle books. Ideally, your play space will also have a breakout space for people who just need some time to chill.
Games are a great way to help your staff to relax while keeping them mentally alert. This can be hugely beneficial to their overall wellness and hence their productivity. It can also help motivate them to leave their cozy home offices behind and get themselves back into the office.