The Importance of Work Environment

Creating a positive working environment is important to strengthen employee morale. Stress can cripple your staff and make for a toxic working environment. When employees are overworked, they will experience high loads of stress which can lead to illnesses, reduced employee morale, lower productivity, and several other issues. The attitude a manager brings to the office can lead to higher amounts of stress. Are you coming into work with a dictatorship working style? Do your employees run around like crazy when you are in the office because they are trying to please you? 

A manager that causes stress in the workplace is not respected by their employees. Instead they are feared by their employees. The employees do not have a desire to work for you and they are going through the motions to get by. The productivity and morale will be low because you are causing high amounts of stress on your staff.

To develop a strong work balance and provide your employees with a healthy working environment, here are some tips:

• Improve the physical working environment. A big stress to employees is the way the office is set up. Are your employees stuck in awkward positions when they are working? The working posture and positions you employees are in can cause stress on your employees. Introduce a healthy working environment by changing their desks, chairs, etc. An ergonomic working environment actually does reduce stress and will boost productivity as well as employee morale. Rearrange the office to make it easier to get around and to help your employees perform their job duties effectively.
• Reduce their workloads. Employees always have a desire to please their boss, this often leads to them taking on large workloads and they may be unable to complete their work in a timely manner. Sit down with your employees and talk about their workloads. If you see that an employee is looking stressed, try to reduce their workload. Make sure the employees all have a balanced workload so they can perform their job duties effectively and efficiently.
• Introduce exercise into the office. Try introducing a wellness program into the office to make everyone reduce their stress loads. Offer an on-site gym, add gym memberships to your list of employee perks, or try including an extra 30 minutes of "exercise time" during office hours. Encourage your employees to head to the break room for a yoga class or head outside for a nice walk. Including exercise in the workday provides your employees with stress reduction they need to perform their job duties easier and they will be much happier when doing so.
• Take a look at your office environment. Are there things that are causing additional stress to your employees? Lighting plays a huge role in stress and employee morale. If your employees do not have enough exposure to natural sunlight, it leads to depression and stress. You can purchase new lights that actually mimic sunlight and have been shown to improve employee's moods and working environment. Wall colors can cause employees to feel stressed. Repaint the office soothing tones like light blue and tan as these colors help to soothe your staff and can provide a harmonious working environment.
• Introduce laughter into the workplace. The easiest way reduce stress is to crack a joke with your employees and help them to lighten up a little bit. Laughter is one of the best ways to reduce tension in the office and to make your employees get along easier. Your personality plays a huge role in developing a relaxed and comfortable workplace where your employees will relax and become productive.