Some people say that your office is your home away from home. I say, my office is my second home. Sometimes we spend more time in our office than at home. This means that we need to make it as comfortable as possible. For instance, you can decorate your office in a way that will tell a story about you and your business. If you are a leader, you need to allow your team to furnish the office themselves to make them feel satisfied as this will improve their working habits and their loyalty as well.
Organize it!
There are basically three parts of every office; the area where you do the majority of your work, like your desk for example, the place where you meet your clients and coworkers, and finally the place where you can take your break.
But you will need to organize! So you cannot eat at your desk where you will have your clients later. If you have a huge place, you can divide this space in three different rooms but if you have a modest office, you need to fit all the three parts in a relatively small area, and this could be challenging!
Ideas come when you least expect it!
Both you and your team need a place to eat in peace and to have 10 minutes coffee break. Make a small place in a corridor or, even better, outside the building as a smoking area, for instance. This can become your own “brainstorming place” … we all know that the best ideas come when we least expect it, and when we are relaxed. Create a habit in your office for people to take a real break and move away from their desk. This will bring motivation and overall good results.
Make sure that the smell of your breakfast is never smelled in your office, as well as tobacco. This will not leave a good impression!
Office-remodeling Challenge!
To show your team that you value their opinion, and to enhance their spirit, organize once a year an Office-remodeling Challenge! This might really cost you, but it can bring a lot to the work atmosphere.
First – Organize the challenge:
Encourage your team to make a small case on how they would remodel the office or a storage or any room they like. You can make a secret vote and let the best case win.
Second – when you have your winner, organize a team building in your office and repaint everything together. Here, as a manager, you need to be an open-minded and let your team be the owner of this challenge. Don’t be afraid to use some colors, shiny furniture, plants, etc…
Finally – pick a prize for the team. When they are done with the Office-remodeling, take a group picture and hang it on the wall. This will be a great way to motivate your team to think out of the box and come with proposals all the time. That will definitely reflect how open-minded you are and would help them be committed to the workplace.