How to harmonize your Workspace

Organizing a workspace is an often overlooked part of running an efficient business operation – the larger an office is, the harder it is to maintain harmony. As Jacqueline Whitmore said in her article “7 Ways To Create Harmony In The Office”, offices are a microcosm of humanity. They are usually melting pots that have many different kinds of people, with just as many differences in personality, goals, and temperaments. More and more effort is required to maintain peace and consonance in an office the more people there are sharing the same workspace. Below are five tips that can help forge a coordinated and balanced office environment.

  1. Let employees have their own “zones”. Spend some time arranging office furniture and allowing workers to have their own spaces. The intention is to give each employee their own zone designed specifically to help them work most efficiently. Since each human is different, each zone will also differ according to the person occupying it.
  2. Let new employees have tenured employee as mentors. Appoint team members that have been employed for a long time to help get new members acquainted with their jobs. This will help them assimilate into the workspace and minimize rookie mistakes and possible tensions with other teammates.
  3. Use reward systems. Motivated employees are good for any business, so finding ways to motivate your workforce is key. Hold meetings with HR to figure out the best ways to reward employees that perform well. Cash rewards are always welcome, but there are other ways to show appreciation – such as granting birthday leaves or remembering their children during Christmas. These simple gestures won’t cost much, but may go a long way in making employees feel like family.
  4. Say no to gossip. Gossip is fun, but ultimately it is destructive to an office. Enforce a policy strictly prohibiting gossip in the workplace, and even outside of it – as you want your employees to build trust with one another instead of having feelings of resentment.
  5. Get used to working in a team environment. Make regular meetings with entire staff a routine. Take their suggestions and ideas seriously and discuss with everyone involved. If they feel like they have :ownership” in the business, they will be more likely to use their creativity to improve the business.

Finally, never hesitate to jump in and help your employees. Nobody ever hated a leader willing to get their hands dirty – your employees will respect and love you more for it. Once your office is set up, make sure to create a system for employee feedback so that they may share their ideas on how to continuously improve the workplace.

RESOURCES

 

  1. https://theascent.pub/surviving-the-struggle-of-the-shared-office-333f3c9bceb4
  2. https://blog.cake.hr/10-management-tips-bring-harmony-to-workplace/
  3. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/274367