Improve Team Morale By Redecorating Your Office With 5Star’s Online Furniture Store

 

 

To improve team morale and facilitate high productivity rates, human resource managers and employers can take steps to mitigate burnout and anxiety in the workplace. Whether it’s refurbishing your office with new pieces from 5Star’s online furniture, or offering better perks for your employees, there are many ways to improve the staff’s performance. Read this article if you’d like to learn more about the necessity of curating the workplace to make it conducive for concentration and creativity, and how 5Star’s online furniture store can help you do this.

 

How Environment Affects Work Performance

 

Happiness, comfort and engagement are all prerequisites for productivity, so in order for work to be done effectively, it is important for employees to feel satisfied emotionally, mentally and physically. A large contributing factor to this issue is the importance of the employee’s physical environment. When an office space does not adequately cater to the needs of the employees, staff are likely to feel disengaged, burdened and unheard. In recent years, Human Resources Departments have emphasised the importance of curating workplaces that can foster a culture of positivity.

 

There are many psychosocial factors that play a part in creating positive workplaces. For example, HR managers must ensure that the workplace is free of discrimination and harassment. They must also ensure that employees are engaging, and check on them if they reach burnout. This is an important aspect of reducing absenteeism and boosting productivity amongst employees, as it is easier to work consistently and effectively when you feel safe.

 

Similarly, it is important to encourage dynamic growth, creativity and innovation. Productivity should refer not only to an employee’s ability to deliver results on mandated daily tasks but also to their desire and ability to take initiative, think outside the box and implement new ideas. In order for this to be possible, an employee must feel inspired. Many people believe that this creativity can only be fostered when employees are encouraged to play and experiment in the workplace.

 

Workplaces can be curated to facilitate innovation when they offer employees room to work, rest and socialise. This way, employees will feel less anxiety-inducing pressure to simply produce, and they will feel more motivated to develop and grow. It is thus vital for managers and employers to incorporate art, plants, colour and other custom features into the office. By acquiring cosy couches, ergonomic office furnishings, kitchen appliances, plants and more from an online furniture store, employers can satisfy their employees and incentivise them to produce better work.

 

For example, Google Offices have interactive workspaces where employees can engage with each other, relax, exercise and strategise all from the comfort of their office. This in turn encourages them to work more efficiently, as their needs are being met and they feel valued by the company. Similarly, studies have shown that even something as simple as bringing more plants into the office can drastically improve employee productivity. Employers, managers and staff in Human Resources can mimic these results by budgeting money for the purchase of plants, interactive facilities and high-quality furniture from 5Star’s online furniture store.

 

Work Hours and Impacts on Physical Health

 

 

Section 9 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) states that, in South Africa, employees are expected to work a maximum of 45 hours per week. In a five-day working week, this amounts to eight or nine hours of work excluding a lunch break. Naturally, these hours are not final, and different contracts are negotiated depending on the industry, the employee’s work schedule, level of experience, and their specific position within the company.

 

In 2021 the World Health Organisation did a study that concluded that if a person works for more than 55 hours per week, they will have a 35% higher chance of getting a stroke. They will also have a 17% higher chance of dying from ischemic heart disease. This was concerning because most people work longer hours than the recommended 35-40 hour work week.

 

What’s more, the reality of hybrid working situations and flexible work hours in a post-pandemic society means that many people also experience blurred lines in terms of their work/life balance. Trends show that people in hybrid and remote work environments often experience peaks in productivity after work hours, working through the night without logging overtime. Teleworking makes it difficult to enforce regimented hours, and often people find it difficult to organise their schedules effectively as there is less supervision or accountability than in an office space.

 

At the same time, hustle culture has normalised the ‘rise and grind’ mentality that encourages people to work multiple jobs and prioritise productivity and profit. This in turn places a lot of strain on professionals to further extend their work hours so that they can get the maximum amount of work done in a week in order to afford the rising cost of living. With all of this considered, it becomes clear that it’s important for employers and managers to create regulated and accommodating work environments that can help staff to work productively and healthily, where burnout can be adequately mitigated and prevented.

 

If employers can offer their staff better working conditions, then it will encourage them to work more efficiently during work hours, thereby preventing them from exerting themselves and putting their health at risk. While this also requires strategic consideration of employees’ work responsibilities, tasks, and paygrade, it will also involve the creation of a safe and comfortable workspace. For employees who work in office spaces, permanently or hybrid, it is vital their office spaces are curated to encourage deep focus, comfort and sustainable productivity levels – this can be done by budgeting to revamp your office space with new furniture from 5Star’s online furniture store, amongst other things.

 

How to Improve Team Morale

 

 

Preventing burnout should be a top priority for all managers and senior officials in a company. The increased availability of information regarding the importance of mental health shows us that burnout is a serious affliction to professionals and that resources should be put towards its prevention. Human Resources must consider how we can best improve team morale so that employees can feel supported enough to thrive and achieve their full potential at work.

 

10 tips to improve team morale

 

Have Meeting-Free Days

 

Meetings can be particularly draining, especially when they occur back-to-back without breaks. More meetings require more communication, and this can often be difficult for introverted employees. Make sure that there is at least one day a week when your employees can work independently and are not expected to attend meetings. If the content of the meeting isn’t relevant to an employee, don’t mandate them to be there.

 

Improve Trust and Transparency

 

Listen to your employees, they are the ones who are directly impacted by the company culture and hence they will know where the issues are in the managerial structure or the team operations. Open up communication with them regarding the company culture, and ask for their suggestions to make improvements. Be transparent with them, and they will feel more comfortable communicating with you honestly. This, in turn, will make them feel safer.

 

Promote A Healthy Work/Life Balance

 

Don’t forget that your employees are human beings with lives to maintain outside of their professional careers. Your employees have families to care for, finances to worry about, and a need to nurture their own social lives and mental health conditions. Allow your employees some leeway when it comes to taking leave and paid time off. If they seem to be struggling, offer them a self-care day and don’t be afraid to talk to them more openly about their needs.

 

Offers Rewards and Recognition

 

Employers need to be careful about offering their staff support and recognition, instead of simply just criticising their work and or reprimanding them for their mistakes. If an employee performs well, they should be adequately rewarded and publicly congratulated. Create a rewards system where employees can be better incentivised to work hard. Peer praise is incredibly encouraging, but other examples of rewards include ‘Employee of the Month’ prizes and even monetary bonuses.

 

Bring Pets to Work Day

 

Science shows that petting animals release serotonin and dopamine, which are two chemicals that can improve your mood. Allowing employees to bring their pets to work is a great way to boost team spirit and relieve stress. Consequently, this will help staff members feel a bit more relaxed and excited to be in the office.

 

 

Do Team-Building

 

Ask your employees for suggestions on team building. Use these suggestions to organise company-funded events and activities where your employees can socialise outside of the daily work schedule. This will improve the human relationships of people in the office, and make it easier for them to feel connected to their team. This, in turn, makes your employees feel like they are valued parts of a larger ecosystem.

 

Offer Perks and Benefits

 

Employees are more likely to stay in their job and work harder if they are offered company perks and benefits. For example, these could be sponsored fitness classes, group yoga sessions, annual trips, employee assistance programs, daycare for employees with children, or maybe discounts on stock and or services. These kinds of benefits make employees feel supported.

 

Encourage Frequent Individual Check-Ins

 

Continuous performance management builds trust between an individual and their manager. If someone doesn’t feel supported by their supervisor, then they’re likely to perform poorly. Senior management should make sure to offer one on one coaching, counselling and feedback sessions often. This way, managers can help to mitigate burnout.

 

Encourage Professional Development and Mobility

 

If your staff feel as though their work brings them opportunities and stimulation, they are more likely to stay on the job for longer. Don’t just expect your employees to perform well, offer them the resources they need to do better. This could come in the form of classes, conferences and supplementary study courses. Continuous learning improves the potential for economic and professional mobility for the employee while enabling them to do better work for the company.

 

 

Improve The Aesthetics and Functionality of Your Workspace

 

Make room in the company budget for new furniture from 5Star’s online furniture store. When an office space is unwelcoming, staff members will become demotivated and they will not have a high throughput rate. Offering coffee and tea, having plants in the space, and providing room for a comfortable lunch break are essential to make employees feel nurtured and rejuvenated enough to continue working. Businesses can shop for good deals on office furnishings with 5Star’s online furniture store.

 

5Star’s Online Furniture Store: Office Furnishings

 

When employees are relaxed it is easier for them to concentrate, so it is important that managers provide furniture that will keep them comfortable. There are a variety of pieces from our online furniture store that can be used to revamp your office space, and even on a budget, you can rest assured that they will improve team morale. Our online furniture store has an ample variety of stock in the following items. Order from the online furniture store today and see how your team’s spirits rise.

 

• Office storage
• Office desks
• Office storage
• Couches and lounge sets
• Coffee & side tables
• Kitchen tables and chairs
• Kitchen storage
• Dining room sets