The unusual workspaces for motivating your employees

The efficiency of your team is usually determined by your productivity. What this does is allows you to use a smaller team to outperform much larger staffs of your competitors. In turn, you get to pay fewer paychecks, have fewer staff members to manage (which is a logistical boost) and, overall, run a more efficient organization. Other than this, you also get to grow your productivity far more with every single hire. However, the productivity of staff usually depends on their motivation and this is often tightly intertwined with the work environment that they’re working in. Needless to say, you need to use all the tools you have to boost it and there are several outstanding ideas to help you do so.

1. Outdoor workplace

The first thing you need to consider is abandoning the traditional indoor office model and give your staff a chance to work outside. Now, we’re not suggesting that your team should work outside 24/7, only that the part of this work area should be designed with this in mind. Speaking of which, the concept of rooftop deck is perhaps the simplest and the most cost-efficient way to exploit this idea. Keep in mind, however, that there should be enough room for everyone, which is why you should think about this when choosing an office space.

Another way in which you can progress this idea is by creating work areas on the balcony. If you don’t insist on the traditional model where people just have to work from their traditional work stations, you’ll see a lot of people sitting in lazy bags in the hallway with their laptops, working. Why not do the same on the balcony? The Wi-Fi signal should be just as good on the balcony as it is in the general work area. The only problem that you’ll be facing is the inability to fit too many of these seating options on the balcony.

Lastly, you don’t actually have to move your work area outdoors in order to make it feel that way. Remember, it’s not about the position of physical space, it’s about the impression that this has on your staff. With that in mind, with enough natural light, office plants and great air circulation, you should be able to create the impression of working outside, without actually migrating your office or your work stations.

2. Extraordinary workplace cafeteria

One of the most efficient ways for anyone to boost their office performance is for them to engage in a brain-stimulating diet. You see refined carbohydrates and sugars are slowing you down, while healthy fats and protein are boosting your brainpower. It’s as simple as that. Unfortunately, this is a nutrition plan that not a lot of people are abiding by. Fortunately, by starting an office cafeteria and crafting a menu that consists of these superfoods, you’ll be able to overcome this problem. Keep in mind that while the supplies necessary for this menu aren’t inexpensive, the ROI is more than worth it.

Another productivity enhancer that you should turn to is coffee and with a reliable coffee machine on your side, you should have enough fuel to run an efficient office. Coffee boosts alertness, keeps your team motivated and facilitates the learning process. Due to the fact that it brings you so many benefits, investing in a brand like Lavazza Office Coffee is an investment that brings a positive net return.

3. Cubicles vs. open floor

When it comes to the general layout of the office, there are two major types – cubicles and open floor layout. As far as the advantages of the cubicles go, what you get to do is inexpensively create a micro-office for each individual in your employ. By allowing them to fully personalize their cubicle, you’ll create a scenario where your employees start feeling a greater sense of ownership over your company. This greatly helps the motivation. Second, it provides your staff with a greater sense of privacy. Finally, the general work environment gets a lot less noisy.

Cubicles vs. open floor
Source: Bigstock

The open floor plan has some advantages, as well, due to the fact that it will help your employees feel less alone in the office space. Previously, we’ve mentioned the fact that cubicles provide one with a greater sense of privacy, well, this is not necessarily a positive thing, mostly due to the fact that this can make them less productive. By knowing that no one can see what you’re doing, people in cubicles sometimes prefer to do anything by work, which is why productivity plummets. Still, people in open floor offices still need to have some privacy which is why their desks should be aligned so that their screen is not visible from all angles. Second, they should have enough private space (at least 11 square meters).

4. Flexible workplace

The next concept worth exploring is one of the flexible office spaces and the first way to create it is by allowing people to come to work whenever they want. Some people are the most productive in the evening, while to others, this can make it much easier to create a healthy work-life balance. This, on the other hand, creates logistical issues on its own, seeing as how you’ll have a harder time tracking who comes and goes to the office. Also, you’ll need to invest in a reliable 24/7 security, which is much harder than just locking up the place once the last person leaves.

Another thing for you to consider is the fact that you shouldn’t force your employees to work from your office if they don’t want it to. This is why you can keep a part of your employees as telecommuters or even give your regular staff members an option to work from home one or two days per week. Those who feel the need for it should even be allowed to work from shared office spaces. This allows you to run a much bigger staff without having to migrate to a larger office.

One more flexible concept for you to embrace is the bring your own device (BYOD). At the moment, as many as 67 per cent of employees are using their personal device at work (most often it’s a smartphone), while about 87 per cent of all businesses depend on their employee’s ability to access the mobile business app from this device. By encouraging this beneficial business practice, you would be doing your business massive favour, which is exactly the thought that the majority of the business world has in mind at the moment.

5. Workplace daycare

One of the most extraordinary workplace motivation ideas is to make a daycare on your premises. First of all, this would be a major boost to working moms, which are a major part of your potential talent pool. The major benefit that you would reap from this would first reflect on your talent attraction and retention ideas, seeing as how this offers one major solution that your competitors won’t provide. Second, it shows your company’s emphasis on the importance of family values which, frankly speaking, makes you feel good in the eyes of the general public. 

Other than this, such a thing will help working parents a chance to achieve a better work-life balance, which is bound to reflect positively on their mood. Furthermore, a working parent in your company may decide to pay a visit to this area during their break. Needless to say, having an opportunity to spend time with their kids is a great way for one to recharge batteries. Finally, your staff members might find it easier to stay overtime (which is a direct productivity boost) if they didn’t have to worry about the babysitter back at home.

6. Innovative break areas

In order to keep your team productive at all times, you need to find a way to improve the quality of breaks that your staff is taking. First of all, you could try to enhance traditional breakroom with a fun device that encourages both competitiveness and team spirit at the same time. When it comes to competitiveness, nothing can keep it higher than a high score table on the office pinball machine. If, however, you’re inclined to bring more people on board, you might look for something that provides more fun like a pool table or a ping pong table.

It is scientifically proven that a power-nap of 20 minutes or longer can give one a chance to recuperate, increase their focus and mental stability, as well as enhance their focus, mental stability, as well as enhance their willpower. Still, having one nap on the couch in the common breakroom is definitely not an efficient rest model. This is why you may want to make some investments into a part of your break area and make it suitable for these naps. Instead of having your employees sneak around in order to get a nap, you can try actively encouraging them to do so by openly investing in a nap area.

One more incredible idea is for you to make a sports centre of sorts on your premises. You see, there’s a direct link between physical exercise and one’s mental ability, which is why more and more entrepreneurs are encouraging, even recommending deskercise. Still, why not take this one step further and create a proper exercise area like an office gym on your premises. Better yet, you could make a miniature football, soccer or baseball field, so that your staff could engage in this activity before or after work, even while they’re on a break. Other than being fun and innovative, this is a low-cost way for you to boost productivity.

In conclusion

Now that you know all of these options, there’s nothing to stop you to pick those measures that suit you the best and make a system that you find to be the most efficient. Keep in mind, however, that there’s nothing to stop you from exploring and finding your own solution to these problems. The key thing is that you’re aware of as many work-enhancing stimuli as possible so that you can learn how to recognize the most efficient methods in this field. Remember, sometimes it’s not enough for a measure to be effective. Sometimes, it has to be cost-effective, as well.

 

Emily Wilson
Emily Wilson
Emily is a business psychologist with a passion for marketing & design. Researching, exploring and writing are her favourite things to do. Besides that, she loves animals and travelling.
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