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What is Workplace Personalization?

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By Kayla Matthews

If you traveled back in time and picked up an office worker from the 1950s, they wouldn’t recognize the modern office space as somewhere that you’re supposed to work. The cookie-cutter cube farm is a thing of the past, in favor of open spaces, natural lighting, and workplace personalization. What is workplace personalization and what are the benefits of personalizing your workspace?

What is Workplace Personalization?

If you’re not familiar with the concept, what is workplace personalization?  This is one question that if you ask 100 different people, you’ll receive 100 different answers, but most of them agree on one point — that personalization is all about comfort.  That can mean different things to different people.

Some might be more comfortable in a private office with a set of noise-canceling headphones while others might be at their most productive in an open-floorplan office where conversations mingle with business discussions.

To us, workplace personalization means making your workspace your own, so it’s a place where you want to spend all your time.  The average worker spends upwards of 90,000 hours working throughout their lifetime.  What sounds more appealing — spending 90,000 hours in a stark office space or spending that time in an office that you’ve customized to make it your own?

Benefits of Workplace Personalization

What are the benefits of workplace personalization? It can vary from office to office, but in general, workplace personalization can:

  • Encourage Productivity — People thrive in different environments. For some that noisy open-floorplan office is ideal, while for others it’s detrimental to their productivity. With that in mind, employees can bring noise-canceling headphones or even take steps to diminish noise in the office so they can be as productive as possible without interfering with others.
  • Improve Communication — It can be tricky to stay on task while you’ve got people walking past your desk or talking to you all day long.  Allowing employees to personalize their work space gives them the tools to communicate more effectively, whether that means putting a sign up that says “E-mail Only” or restricting communication to specific times during their scheduled workday.
  • Creates a Staff-Led Office Culture — Workplace personalization helps to foster a relationship between employees and employers that makes the employees feel special, creating an office culture that’s led by the employees rather than by management.
  • Keeps Costs Down — In some situations, personalization means bringing in your own tech and equipment from home, as long as it works with workplace security. This can be an incredible benefit for small businesses and startups that might be looking for a way to cut costs since they won’t need to provide expensive equipment.
  • Makes People Want to Come to Work — Finally, while it isn’t the only thing you can do as an employer to make people want to come to work, it definitely helps.

How to Personalize Your Workspace

If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few ideas to help you personalize your workspace so you’re comfortable in the office.

  1. Make it feel like you. Add knick-knacks to your desk, hang pictures on the walls, whatever it takes to personalize your space and make it feel like part of you.  What you bring might depend on how secure your space is and how well you trust your coworkers, but you get the idea.
  2. Make it work for you. If you can’t stand being interrupted during your day or ambient conversations bother you, soundproof your office or invest in some noise-canceling headphones and hang a sign on your door telling people to email or message you.
  3. Encourage others to do the same. If your employer is encouraging people to personalize their space, they might be hesitant to be the first to jump on that train.  Blaze the trail and others will follow.

Looking Forward

Office personalization is a new and emerging trend but it is one that will likely gain more popularity in the future.  However you look at it, those cube-farms that were so popular during previous generations are a thing of the past. We won’t be seeing them again anytime soon.

 

About the Author: Kayla Matthews writes about communication and workplace productivity on her blog, Productivity Theory. Her work has also appeared on Talent Culture, MakeUseOf, The Muse and Fast Company.

Photo by Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash

How to Cultivate a Happy Work Environment

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By Kayla Matthews

Businesses experience ups and downs throughout the years as a result of many different factors. Profits might decrease because of a sinking economy or clients may prefer to take their business elsewhere because newer businesses opened up nearby.

Sometimes a business fails to exceed quarterly or yearly expectations because of the work environment. When employees aren’t happy to clock in every day or don’t enjoy the 40 or more hours they spend there each week, the business will suffer from decreased productivity.

Prevent this from happening by reading about how to cultivate a happy work environment. A few adjustments to the current work culture could make all the difference between your business succeeding or failing this year.

Balance Work and Home Life

Most people don’t choose a career because they want to work long hours and rarely spend time outside of the office. Even employees who do what they love will still want to leave work at work when they clock out every night. When there’s no clear boundary between the two, it’s difficult for employees to manage their stress and appreciate the opportunities their job offers.

Make it clear to employees that management intends to help them balance their work and home life. Strategies such as cutting down on unnecessary meetings or enforcing quiet hours where meeting rooms open up for phone calls helps everyone focus and get more work done.

At the end of the day, employees will feel happier knowing they accomplished everything they needed to and get to mentally unplug at home. They’ll appreciate their job and management more, leading to more productivity and a positive work environment.

Create Workplace Perks

At a certain point, working hard isn’t as rewarding as it once was. Employees who give their all every day will experience burnout and produce lower quality work at slower speeds. Their low energy may also spread to other employees who could feel the same way.

Encourage your employees and thank them for their hard work by creating workplace perks that go beyond a small yearly raise. Raises are nice, but they rarely make a significant change in an employee’s financial life.

Instead, check out perk ideas that everyone will love. A few easy ones to start with include:

  1. Increased Paid Time Off (PTO)
  2. Free snacks or drinks
  3. Memberships at a local gym
  4. Monthly work-from-home opportunities

It may be useful to send an office survey listing potential perks and asking people to vote for their favorites. The accurate survey results will guide management to the most motivating perks without a trial and error process.

Reinforce Work With Positivity

There may be no better feeling than a rewarding show of thanks after hard work. It’s more personal than a nod in the hallway after weeks or months of dedication. Management should reinforce hard work with positivity, which will result in more customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction is the same thing as customer happiness. When customers feel that they’ve been treated right, their happiness is what brings them back in the future. Without happy customers, no business can succeed for very long. The happier customers become, the stronger the business is.

An effective way to ensure customer happiness is to create a happy work environment. Employees who love where they work and what they do will spread their happiness to the customers they interact with. That’s why many businesses know customer happiness is necessary to achieve projected success.

After implementing tips like showing gratitude to employees instead of saying it, their happiness will be felt by customers who come back for more of that positivity. Host a workplace lunch, order a special award or meal for the hardworking employees or create special perks just for the best performers to see this result in your workspace.

Provide Professional Growth Opportunities

No one enjoys working a dead-end job. People always look for new opportunities to grow and dream about what their future holds. Even if your business is small or just starting out, you can still provide professional growth opportunities through things like online training or simply rotating job responsibilities. As your employees grow, they’ll become more invested in what they do and where they work, resulting in a happier work environment.

Communicate With Employees

Every workplace is different, so communicate with your employees frequently to learn what they’re dissatisfied with or where the office could improve. They may be more interested in more training opportunities or need encouragement after they’ve completed a project. Work with them to improve the work environment and achieve happier employees and customers at the same time.

 

About the Author: Kayla Matthews writes about communication and workplace productivity on her blog, Productivity Theory. Her work has also appeared on Talent Culture, MakeUseOf, The Muse and Fast Company.

 

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

How Safe Are Your Employees On the Job?

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No matter how many employees you have, one responsibility in you have is making sure they’re safe.

With that thought in mind, how safe are your workers when on the job?

Although you can’t watch them when not on the clock nor should you, you do want to know how they are doing when working.

From the office to driving to meet with clients, attend conferences and more, do all you can to ensure safety.

Employee Safety Should Be One of Your Priorities

In looking at how safe your workers are when on the job, focus on these key areas:

  1. In the office – Whether you have an office or work out of a warehouse, how safe are your employees when doing work for you? You can and should set various safety protocols in place. Doing this increases the chances your workers will go home safe at the end of their shifts. For example, review your work environment to see how safe it is. Do you have any items that could injure employees? Are there any issues when it comes to potential slips-and-falls in your office? How safe is your parking area for when employees are coming and going? By reviewing these things on a regular basis, you lessen the odds of accidents taking place.
  2. Out on the roads – When one has employees driving for the company, it is important the former are as safe as can be. Unfortunately, safety is an issue out on the roads for some employees. As a result, you need to be sure your workers know how important safety on the roads is for both you and them. That said are you giving them the safest employee vehicles to drive around in? When considering buying vehicles for your fleet, be educated on the automobile market. Shop for not only economical autos, but also ones that come with high safety ratings. In the event your folks use their own vehicles for work-related purposes, check to see what they drive. Remember, if the time is now to go car shopping for you or them, safety should have a major emphasis.
  3. Online activities – Safety does not only come in the form of one’s physical well-being. That said make sure your workers are as safe as possible when doing work for you online. As an example, your employees should never give out sensitive info when on the Internet. Doing so can lead to hacking. If your company is hacked online, it can mean financial issues and more for you and your customers. If you have contract employees working for you from their homes, the same is true. If they have access to your online efforts, it needs protection. At the end of the day, online security should always be a focus for you and your team.

In keeping  your team safe, remember, their safety translates to your ability to be in business.

So, could your company safety see improvement?

If the answer is yes, get working on it today.

Photo credit: Pixiebay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

 

What Makes Your Business Stand Out from the Rest?

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As you take a moment to reflect on the success of your business, what has made it achieve greatness up to this point?

Some business owners will state that it is the employees that make the company tick.

Others will also point out that they could not be doing this well if not for a great marketing plan being in place.

Still others would highlight they learned from their mistakes. As such, they improved business operations over time.

No matter what makes your business stand out from the rest, always strive to make your company better.

Remember, standing still can be a recipe for disaster.

Does Your Workplace Run as Smooth as It Can?

In having a smooth running workplace to stand out from others, remember the following:

  1. Employees – Hiring top-of-the-line employees gives you a competitive advantage over your competitors. That said there may be times when employee issues come to the surface (see more below). If they do, will you handle them the best way possible? In having the best human resources solutions, you can more times than not avert problems. With that in mind, be sure when hiring anyone that they know full well what you expect of them. You don’t want a workplace where rules are not followed and mayhem is the order of the day.
  2. Meetings – Yes, there are employees and even bosses who dread regular company meetings. The same is true for one-on-one meetings between an employee and his or her supervisor. Even with that in mind, meetings are productive on several fronts. They allow you and your team to chart a business course each week. You can also hash out any issues that are within the framework of everyone can know about the situation. For example, one or more clients are being difficult when it comes to renewing contracts with you. By sitting down as a team, your employees share ideas on how best to keep those clients on-board for the future. Among those issues to deal with on a more personal level would be some workers not getting along with one another.
  3. Personalities – While you are not running a dating service, you do expect your co-workers to at least be cordial with one another. Running a company also means being a part-time psychologist. Doing your best to know office personalities and which ones need a little more attention is key. With human resources consultants along for the ride, you are better set to receive H.R. advice to take to the bank. Such consultants can also remind you how to go about staying within the framework of your legal responsibilities in running a business.
  4. Goals – Last; always be thinking about what tomorrow may bring. One of your goals as a business owner is to have a plan in place not only for today, but also tomorrow and beyond. If you end up becoming complacent, it can backfire on you. In fact, it could one day lead to your business closing its doors. Always keep an eye on what competitors are doing and how you can surpass them.

In having your brand at the top of the heap, strive hard to be the most resourceful business owner possible.

Photo credit: Pixibay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

 

Providing Your Employees with a Safer Workplace

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interior-design-828545_640 (1)When you rely on others to help make your business a success, going out of your way for them certainly makes sense.

That said you can only do so much in and out of the office for your employees, especially when some of them might not be heeding your warnings.

Whether you try and care for them in the office with an extra amount of attention towards safety, matching that with an equal effort of care and compassion outside the workplace, always remember that you can only do so much.

With that in mind, what are you doing these days to provide your employees with a safer workplace?

Drill Home the Importance of Safety

So that you can hopefully strike a note with your employees when it comes to the importance of safety in and out of the office, remember these tips:

  1. Workplace environment

First and foremost, you have the most interaction with your employees obviously when they are in your presence. That said do your best to promote a safe workplace environment, one where workers know that you take their safety more seriously than anyone else.

Among the ways to do this:

  • Having monthly safety meetings for your staff, especially if you are in an industry (construction etc.) where workers do put themselves at risk on a regular basis.
  • Having protocol in place in the event an employee is injured. Make sure they know what to do in terms of seeking treatment, along with reporting the injuries, and of course making sure all paperwork is handled properly.
  • Having a system in place where employees can report unsafe work conditions, something many may be afraid to do if their name will be provided. Have an “anonymous box” or some other method in (or out of the office) where workers can report safety concerns without fear of reprisals, including possibly losing their jobs.
  1. Out on the road

When your employees go out on the road during part of their work responsibilities, do you do your best to ensure their safety?

Among the ways to do this:

  • Having safe company vehicles for your employees, vehicles that you have the utmost faith in. As an example, if you have workers who go out using company cars and/or trucks to meet with clients, make deliveries, assess projects out in the field etc. are they as safe as possible? By being properly maintained, offering backup camera systems, even lane-changing warning systems, your employees stand a better chance of staying alive.
  • Having a system in place where employees can check in with the home office regularly. For instance, there have unfortunately been incidents (especially in recent years) of workers being injured or even killed on the job in the real estate industry. If you work in this industry (or any business for that matter), be sure when employees go out to meet a client, they’ve alerted a co-worker as to where they are.
  • Having a solid set of rules in place regarding employee conduct behind the wheel. Although most employees never cross the line when it comes to operating company vehicles, some in fact do. As a result, they can put themselves, others on the road, even their employees in harm’s way. Make it clear whenever hiring someone that they are expected to operate company vehicles (or their own if they use them for work-related matters) with the utmost respect. This also means avoiding speeding and other reckless driving habits, along with not drinking and driving on the job.

As important as making a dollar is as a business owner, make sure you never take your eyes off the importance of workplace safety, notably that of your employees.

By focusing and refocusing on safety in and out of the workplace, you and your team will be the better for it.

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

 

 

4 Tips to Attract the Best Employees

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team-1697987_640In running your business, are you doing everything conceivable in order to attract the best employees?

As the New Year draws ever closer, now would be a good time to assess how you are going about bringing in new talent.

Keep in mind that hiring such talent is not simply the result of placing a help wanted advertisement online and/or in the newspaper.

Not only do you have to get qualified candidates through the door for the interview process, but you then have to determine which one or ones are best positioned to help your business moving forward. As you might imagine, there are no 100 percent guarantees when you hire someone. They could be one of the best workers ever to come through your doors or one of the biggest mistakes you will end up making.

That said do you know how best to go about attracting the top employees?

Incentives Can Go a Long Way

So that you are able to have the best odds of bringing in and keeping to-flight employees, remember these four tips:

  1. Workplace – First and foremost, do you have a workplace environment that is second-to-none? For many workers in today’s workplace, having a place to call home for many years is not the norm. In many cases, employees will use one job to eventually get to another one. In doing so, they may turn out to be great workers in their time at a place, though they could also turn out to be real duds. By offering a workplace environment that is inclusive and makes people feel welcome, you stand a better chance of getting solid employees, employees willing to go the extra mile for you and ultimately stick around;
  2. Incentives – Offering your employees incentives will be a great means to keep them around, not to mention make sure they are happy during their time with you. For example, solid group benefits for employees are a great place to start. Given how expensive medical insurance is becoming for many individuals these days, paying for a sizable portion of their medical needs oftentimes proves a big help for both you and the employee. If you’re worried about the costs becoming too astronomical for you, shop around for the best medical plans out there. In doing so, you can oftentimes find a plan that is financially cost-effective for you when all is said and done. Other incentives include not only increases in salary over time, but also the ability to grow within the company (see more below).

Don’t Overlook Growth Importance

  1. Growth – When it comes to growth, many workers will state that having a chance to climb up the corporate ladder is important to them. Without those opportunities for growth, some employees will feel like they are simply going through the motions each day, something that is a problem for you and your customers. Be sure to make growth opportunities one of your key offerings when sitting down and interviewing candidates;
  2. Honesty – Lastly, don’t you like it when employees are honest with you? Assuming the answer is yes, you need to return that ounce of respect. If you don’t, you can lose people (both figuratively and literally) before you know it. Be honest with workers when there are problems, be they with the individuals themselves or the company in general. If you see cutbacks coming down the road, don’t wait until the last minute to inform those impacted by them. Also speak honestly in grading one’s performance level. If you’re not honest with them, you hurt both them and your business overall.

As a business owner, how do you go about attracting the best employees to keep your company churning along?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.