Is Your Workplace Making Employees Unhappy?

It takes some persuasion to get workers back to the office. We’ve all heard about the notions of zen, feng shui, and now hygee, but you may need to do more to improve the workplace culture.

Maybe your workplace is too large due to hybrid working, and people feel disconnected from their colleagues. Too many empty desks can affect employee morale and motivation. You’ve probably already gone through digital transformation, and meetings are virtual via Zoom or Microsoft teams, so to improve the company culture in the workplace, consider factors including:

• Location
• Size
• Natural Light
• Nature
• Amenities

Location

It’s easy to see how the location of your office can have an impact on the mood of your employees. If you’re out in the sticks with a 15-minute drive to the nearest shop or pub, it’s hardly going to be ideal and could quickly impact your everyday happiness. Depending on the type of industry you work in, the location of your workplace can be hard to change. Still, it’s worth considering if you think the site could be an issue, with moving to a new place an opportunity to attract new talent and revamp your business.

Size

If your staff are hybrid working, consider having all employees in the office on the same days. Or downsizing your office and using hot desks where employees share desks. There was a time when staff had a lot of personal stuff in the office. Since Covid, individual items are now in the home office, hot desking is a viable option for businesses. Another way to ensure there is no loneliness is to add TV screens, i.e., monitors, to walls and use them for video conferencing meetings and news. Hybrid workers can see their peers in the workplace while working from home. Everyone can be connected at some time during the day to reduce loneliness.

The Views, Nature, and Natural Light

On top of the location, another happiness-determining factor is access to natural light and employees’ views from their desks. Arguably the countryside with its rolling hills and natural scenery will be more mood-boosting than grubby buildings and noisy traffic in the city center. An excellent way to improve mood no matter where your office is based is by ensuring a large amount of natural light gets in, which is proven to boost mood and productivity levels.

Plus, add natural plants, greenery, and screen views of nature on your large screens.

Amenities

One way you can balance the two is by having an office packed with all the essential amenities, so the location doesn’t matter as much. If your office has a kitchen area with lots of facilities, it doesn’t matter how far away it is from shops as staff can get what they need in the office.

Provide complimentary snacks like healthy drinks, fruit, and nuts.

Games areas and chill-out zones are also proven to be bit hits with happy employees, with most new offices of big companies incorporating these in the design process.

Businesses need to work harder to make their workplace attractive, so staff is happy to work there.