Encouraging Comfort in the Workplace: 3 Steps You Can Take Now

By Dixie Somers

Managers are always searching for ways to improve their team’s productivity to boost company profits. One approach that often yields positive results is that of making the workplace more comfortable for your workers. Employees who enjoy their work environment are more productive and are often more loyal to their employers. Here are three things you can do to improve your workplace and achieve these same results.

Invest in Ergonomic Furniture and Equipment

Physical comfort is a big deal when it comes to improving workplace productivity and employee health. The standard work desks, chairs and generic keyboards that fill most offices lead to posture problems, spine issues, eye and neck strain and poor circulation. But by catching up with the times and installing ergonomically-designed office furniture and computer peripherals, your company can improve employee job satisfaction, contribute to higher productivity and perhaps even reduce lost work hours due to sick leave.

Offer Perks to Boost Morale and Encourage Loyalty

Another way to improve employee job satisfaction is to invest in workplace perks that help employees feel less stressed out, less rushed and more appreciated. For example, you might put a little more effort into your employee lounge or break room. You could add vending machines with healthy options or bring in free catered lunches a few times per week. Some companies go all out on their break rooms by adding video game consoles, ping-pong tables, basketball courts, gym equipment, couches and recliners. If your employees do a lot of work on laptops or mobile devices, providing comfortable seating for work hours if also a great idea. If your employees are comfortable, they’ll be more likely to enjoy being at work. A happy employee is a hardworking employee.

Try Out “Bring Your Own Device” to Work (BYOD)

One fairly simple way to provide an instant boost to productivity and morale while cutting costs is to implement a BYOD policy. This will allow employees to bring their own devices to work and to use them for work purposes. This practice makes a lot of sense, because people prefer to use devices that they are familiar with.

In most cases, your employees are upgrading their tech a lot faster than you are updating your company devices. So that means you are getting a double-whammy effect in terms of increased productivity—faster devices with reduced learning curves. Not to mention that you could save a ton of money by not having to provide all those devices.

If you are unsure about whether it will provide the results you are looking for, then you can try it out on a temporary basis. Start with a BYOD day. If it works out well, try it again next quarter. And if it works out really well, you might even try making it a part of your company culture on a daily basis.

If you’re skeptical about whether a BYOD policy will create more productivity or security issues than it solves, then do a 30-day test run and implement additional training to ensure security best practices. You can also create your own company app. This will allow you to make data sharing among employees more efficient and to ensure built-in security measures are in place.

The idea that work has to be boring and painful died a long time ago, and many companies today are proving it by going the extra mile to take good care of their employees. If you’re looking for ways to increase employee loyalty and productivity, then try one or more of these ideas and invest in your employees by giving them a workspace that they don’t dread working in every day.