How to Achieve a High Productivity Level in a Small Workplace

Increasing workspace productivity is paramount for every company regardless of its size. There are numerous ways to influence productivity levels but among top proprieties are work conditions, i.e. the space employees work in. A safe and inspirational environment can contribute to high productivity levels but if the workspace is small then business owners have less space for maneuvering, quite literally. A small workspace presents a challenge and you need to have a couple of tricks up your sleeve to make things work.

Introducing a wellness program

Unless you own a courier company, your workers are going to lead a sedentary (office) life. This can lead to a multitude of health issues which will result in a higher absence rate and ultimately hinder day to day operations. Confined office space offers little opportunity for mobility and exercise so it should be coupled with a wellness program. This program should be made available to workers free of charge as an additional incentive.

If your offices are located in an office building, then there is bound to be an indoor gym, a massage parlor or even a swimming pool so make sure your employees have access to these. To round the offer off, allow people to use the wellness program within work hours so they would have more family time after work.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Achieve a High Produf

Speaking of family time, a balanced individual probably draws inspiration from his family as they give him or her mental strength to press on when the times are hard. In fact, they might wish to keep a picture of their parents, spouse or child on the desk and you should support this effort. In fact, you can initiate the purchase of picture frames that will be filled with pictures of their loved ones.

This might seem silly at first but there is hardly a person that wouldn’t appreciate such an effort. Taking active care about the improvement of an employee’s personal life is a clear signal that you’re a conscientious boss. Finally, you can even allow workers to choose the color of the walls at their workstation as they are the ones spending hours on end there, not you. 

Reducing noise pollution

As we have seen above, working from, and office building does come with benefits of its own. However, such office complexes are usually located downtown where the level of noise is quite high. A building site nearby or an elevated highway makes it hard for employees to focus on the tasks at hand, especially if their job requires them to be creative. Window double glazing can tremendously help with this.

The office should not resemble a recording studio but there should exist some form of sound isolation. On the one hand, the walls need to have soundproofing alongside insulation. On the other hand, the windows should also come with some sort of sound isolation. In this sense, installing soundproof windows is an excellent way to ensure the office is quiet enough. Apart from stopping soundwaves originating outside, soundproof windows are energy-efficient and low in maintenance.

Less time spent in the office

If you lack the funds or space to create a bigger office, then a smart thing to do would be to decrease the time workers spend in the workplace. This is especially true for hazardous workplaces where each extra minute spends could spell disaster for the employees manipulating a dangerous machine or exposed to toxic fumes.

Even a small downtown office can be a stressful place to work in so limiting the time employees spend in the workplace will have benefits. Firstly, the workers will appreciate shorten hours and secondly, you decrease the chances of anyone getting hurt if they work in a dangerous environment. This method is ideal for the interim period while you search for a bigger office space.

Multipurpose rooms

Do you know how a living room can double as a bedroom in a small apartment? Well, the same principle can be applied at work where one room can serve several purposes. The most common solution is to join the rec room and the kitchen. The only real division needed is the separation between the workspace and the leisure area. This solution is applicable to small office spaces where you are short on space and need to create rooms for multiple purposes. 

A couple of general guidelines

A small workplace is beyond doubt as a challenge but that doesn’t mean that you cannot apply solutions that work well, pun intended, in larger office spaces. Allowing the workers to take regular breaks when they see fit, introducing plenty of plants and flowers, and holding standing meetings are just some of the most common techniques. Finally, you need to ensure that the worker has the peace and quiet necessary to do their job because this is your duty as the manager.

“A happy worker is a good worker” is a universal principle of capitalism that you should stick to. Office space, regardless of its size, should present just another field in which you can promote the idea of happiness and workers’ satisfaction. A small office will not help this effort but that doesn’t mean that a cramped office is an obstacle to increasing productivity.

About the guest author

Sarah Jessica Smith is a young blogger from Sydney. She is in love with life and all the things that can make her daily routine easier. She loves to write about home improvement,
lifestyle, and all the small things that make life such a great adventure.


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