Fun And Practical Ideas To Make Your Office a Welcoming Space

In 2021, 43% of the total US workforce was constituted by professional workers in the management, professional and related occupations. Almost all of them have office-related work, and they will have to sit down and work at a computer for at least eight hours per day. Spending so much time in a space that’s not cluttered or good-looking might affect workers’ physical and mental health. 

Therefore, if you want to make your employees happy, here’s how to make the office a welcoming space!

Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/VWcPlbHglYc 

Have a few plants to brighten up the space

Scrolling on Pinterest will make you want to make all your workspace pale pink and fill it with voluminous plants. But besides the looks, plants have more benefits than you’d think:

• They may increase concentration levels
• They make employees more relaxed
• They can improve the air’s quality

Plants can affect employees’ well-being because they act as stress-relievers to our brains. Because plants have the ability to bring green, living nature into the indoor environment, they can also help with our attention capacity. So, what plants are best for your office?

It strictly depends on how you want the office to appear. If you want more of a hidden look, you can have jade plants, terrariums under glass, aglaonema or ZZ plants. 

On the other hand, if you want your office to look like a cosplay of a forest, try snake plants, rubber plants, neon pothos and weeping figs. Depending on each plant’s need, you can have them in direct sunlight or darker places and try to get them enough water to survive. To make them more good-looking, purchase colorful flower pots to make the office livelier.

Install glass partition walls for the aesthetic

What goes better with a forest office than a glass partition wall? If you’ve watched the American series Suits, you might’ve noticed the glass walls in Harvey’s office, which made it easier for him to watch the entire level and anticipate if someone’s going to bother him from afar.

Well, even if this description is more for the fans, these glass walls are truly wonderful if you want a modern design in your office. Moreover, you get optimal transparency with a minimalist design, so no one will be able to see what you’re doing. Still, you’ll be able to see what’s outside the room. Glass office partitions offer the opportunity of having a bright environment. You can take advantage of the natural light more, as the glass can act as a mirror that reflects the light into the room.

Also, these products are marked as sustainable under the C2C certification, which can help you lower operational costs. The product was made considering the environment, and you’ll get back the investment in a few years.

Have ergonomic furniture for good posture

Now that the office looks perfect and everything inspires productivity, you must ensure your employees are in good condition, meaning that you should provide them with ergonomic furniture. Why is this important? Because not having a good posture while working can aggravate one’s vision, worsening pain, and increase the risk of work-related injuries. 

So, besides training them on correctly sitting at the desk and using the office computer, you could invest in ergonomic chairs and hardware to help them avoid any problems. It’s important to reduce the stress and pressure on the spine with the correct furniture.

Ergonomic structures can also:

• Boost productivity. Employees in good health will have fewer distractions from performing their job and creating quality products and services.
• Improve employee wellness. Investing in your team’s physical and mental health means that you care about them, making them happier at the workplace.

According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, office workers suffer from sitting prolonged hours due to these risk factors:

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Physical inactivity
• Obesity

It concerns you if they suffer from work-related activities, so including ergonomic furniture in your expenses is a great investment.

Make your office smell good for productivity           

Even if your office is cleaned and maintained, the space becomes boring and bland, and employees won’t feel inspired and creative anymore. So, try to spice things up a little bit and introduce scents that are known to boost productivity, such as:

• Rosemary
• Lemon
• Jasmine
• Peppermint
• Ginger
• Pine
• Lavender

To enhance the overall working experience, you have plenty of options for introducing scents in the office, from oil diffusers to air fresheners. At the same time, it’s important to have clean air, so before making it smell like lemonade on a summer day, it’s important to increase ventilation and lower levels of air pollutants to avoid getting occupational allergies.  

Keep everything organized

Lastly, keeping your office uncluttered will surely help employees focus better and have an overall productive work session. This is quite challenging because even if decorating is important and people will eventually bring in personal items or work-related things that are not really useful, everything will get messy. It’s hard to get rid of these things when you fear you’ll throw something important. So, here are some tips to help you organize everything.

First of all, get rid of the fear of throwing away things. If you’ve never used it, it’s less likely you’ll ever need it. Finally, you can donate items that are in good shape that you don’t use anymore. Secondly, have as many drawers and organizers as possible to keep your belongings in one place. Having everything on your desk doesn’t look good, and it’ll prevent you from having a clear head.

Then, try to have a routine of cleaning your desk from unnecessary office supplies. At the end of the day, it’ll take you one minute to put everything back, and throughout the day, you can put the things you don’t need in their place. Finally, when talking about the whole office, make sure you act as an example for your team because they might follow your practices, and it’ll be easier for you to have a company culture that focuses on the tidiness of the space for a clear mind.

Reduce discrimination

The modern workplace is a diverse space with employees from different backgrounds and experiences. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are crucial aspects of an inclusive workplace environment. It is essential to create a workplace that values every employee regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, or sexual orientation.

Diversity equity and inclusion training is an effective way to bridge the gaps that exist in our workplace. It is a learning process that helps to create a better understanding of the needs of different employees. Such training can help businesses build a more harmonious and inclusive workplace.

It helps to sensitize employees on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. It raises awareness about the different biases and prejudices that exist in the workplace and how they affect employees. It also helps to understand how people from different backgrounds may experience work differently.