The Ultimate Office Makeover – How to Create a More Cohesive and Caring Workplace

With many employees leaving their jobs for greener pastures because their hours have been cut, they want to start their own business, the pandemic has caused them to reexamine how they want to live their lives, or they prefer to work from home having regular meetings via Zoom calls – it’s natural for our leaders and CEOs to be concerned about the future.

There is still plenty of talk on social media about “The Great Resignation” which saw 4 million U.S employees quit their jobs in April 2021. However, this can be chalked up to low wages and pay in the retail and service industries. Even in Australia, the turnovers for these sectors are high and as I have said many times before, the last couple of years have been tough for employees, business owners, leaders and, quite frankly, everyone in the world.

So how can our leaders and CEOs attract a diverse, experienced, and skilled talent pool while retaining the employees already working for them? Four words. The Ultimate Office Makeover! Many employees embark on a career or take on a job because they want to pursue what they are passionate about, whether it’s graphic design, photography, working with animals or helping people.

The average person spends more than 90,000 hours in their lifetime at work. That’s why employees should feel happy and positive about heading to work every day because stress and long after-hours can lead to burnt out and overworked employees, as well as lower morale. Unfortunately, the pandemic has increased stress amongst employees in the workplace, so now more than ever, leaders need to step up and create a friendlier, kinder, caring and more cohesive work environment in order to retain hardworking employees.

According to a recent report, research suggests that one in five American workers have left a job due to the toxic nature of its workplace culture, while 64% of employees surveyed in the UK said that experiencing problematic behaviours at work had negatively impacted their mental health. Toxic workplaces can have a long-lasting impact on the mental health of employees.

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When leaders lead by example and provide a positive and happy environment to work in, they will:

• Improve employee and worker moral
• Attract compassionate and kind team members
• Increase productivity and increases work output
• Foster business growth
• Retain hardworking employees and workers
• Have a non-toxic work environment with open and honest communication, as well as positive reinforcement.
• Promote collaboration
• Have a productive and positive atmosphere that everyone wants to be a part of.

So how can you embrace a new era of work and give your office the ultimate makeover in 2022 in order to create a more cohesive and caring workplace. It won’t happen overnight, and it will be a work in progress over the next year, but the fact that you are reading this blog is a huge start and your employees and business will thank you. If you want to retain your best employees you must create a workplace and work that they won’t find elsewhere and that they find fulfilling.

So, Let Me Help You Get Started on the Ultimate Office Makeover!

• Creating a Positive and Happy Environment – You don’t have to break the bank, but employees like working in an office with lots of lighting, bright spaces, a nice lunchroom or breakroom for lunch and plants. Make them feel like they are at their second home by giving the office a fresh repaint, getting a couple of plants and encouraging everyone to take turns watering them, getting a nice big table so employees can sit together on their lunchbreak, providing a fridge big enough to store everyone’s lunch and maybe a couple of motivational posters on the wall. Again, this is only if you have the budget, if you don’t start small with a couple of green plants for the office.
• An Open-Door Policy and Conduct Regular Check Ins – Keep your office door open! That way employees will feel like they can come to you about any issues, and you can nip them in the bud. You will also be able to keep an eye and ear out for what’s happening in the office.
• Create a Comfortable Work Environment – No one likes being in a disruptive work environment or sitting on an uncomfortable chair all day, day after day. This can lead to back problems and discomfort, as well as affect employees’ emotional well-being and cause them to lose focus. Adjustable standing desks and well-positioned computer screens are a great way to help your employees with the comfort factor.
• Embrace a Strong Workplace Culture – According to Forbes “a workplace culture is the shared values, belief systems, attitudes and a set of assumptions that people in a workplace share.” A strong and positive workplace culture means better job satisfaction and work performance.
• Encourage Communication and Empathy – Make sure you are open and honest with your employees, and they will give you the same treatment in return. An empathetic and kind leader will draw in kind and empathetic team members which in turn will make their workplace and business thrive.

In order to retain employees, our leaders must get with the times and provide a wonderful working environment for them. Don’t forget to tell me below how you are creating a more positive work environment for your employees.

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