...makes for a dull day at the office. So can unusual perks benefit employees and employers? Helen Ives investigates
More than one-third of respondents in the research (36%) felt they could be at least twice as productive in their role. So businesses need to find a way to inspire their staff and enable each employee to unleash their full potential. Investing in staff happiness will ultimately motivate their spirits at work and, in turn, increase business profitability.
A traditional British pub, a putting green and a log cabin in the workplace may appear indulgent, but these aspects have become an integral part of the office atmosphere.
These features won’t be the same for every office. Step one for any business considering changing the atmosphere of their workspace to motivate their staff is to ask employees for their opinions on what would make them happier at work. Diversity is critical to maximising the return on investment.
And while there might be core values and features underlying office design, everyone needs to have a voice in shaping their own space and expressing themselves as individuals.
An office that feels spacious and relaxed encourages better work, and simply changing a meeting room to a lounge room can loosen the hierarchy in an organisation, promote worker confidence and encourage staff to voice their opinions.
Given the amount of time that people spend at work is likely far more than they have available in their leisure time, it is essential to create a ‘family’ atmosphere. This may be the answer to both increasing business profit and making employees excited about going to work.
In the modern world, it’s now debatable whether employees really need a desk. We all have mobiles, laptops and email, so the reality is people can work from anywhere.
Given the option, most workers would probably rather be walking around playing a spot of golf while on a conference call, rather than stuck behind their desk staring at their computer screen. The method isn’t as mad as it may sound.
Rather, it encourages creativity and innovation. It is also essential to create zones in the office where people can find quiet time, creating a space to recharge our batteries.
All of this may sound great in theory, but it begs the question of whether it is appropriate for businesses to tell their employees to be more sociable. There is a fine line between managers encouraging and inspiring their employees to be more motivated and engaging, and crossing the boundary of forcing it to happen.
While flexible working is valuable, hiring people who love coming into the office and creating something special with their peers is just as important. Companies should simply be open and transparent, because no one can deny that working with like-minded people not only benefits employers but employees alike.
