If you run a business, especially if it’s a startup, spending more money than necessary on your office or workspace might not seem like a priority, but maybe you should rethink if you want happier, more productive employees amongst other things.
Not convinced you need to invest in your workspace, here are a few reasons why you might want to reconsider:
Your workspace says a lot about your business
It is fair to say that the location in which you work is as much a part of your brand as your logo or your online content. If people visit your workplace and they see that it is rundown or old-fashioned, for example, they are unlikely to form the best impression of your company as a forward-thinking, successful company, which is wh, if your office space isn’t exactly the best you might want to think about a renovation. This may seem like a lot of work, but with the help of your team and a good office clearance company, you could have it done in less time and less expensively than you might think. Sometimes even a fresh lick of paint is all it takes to improve the impression that your workspace makes.
It will boost employee efficiency
When employees are happy and motivated in their workplace, they are more productive, and the work they produce tends to be of a higher quality. How does this figure into your office space?
Spaces have the power to motivate and inspire or suck the life out of people, so it really does matter what your workspace looks like and how it is set up if you’re serious about being as productive as possible. For example, offices with lots of natural light and plenty of plants have been shown to motivate employees and boost productivity – that’s just one example, there are many more for you to explore, and explore them you should if you are serious about boosting productivity because an investment in your workspace could be one of the best your business ever makes.
Retain more employees
A common problem that many small businesses have is that of not being able to hold onto employees for long. When an employee leaves, it’s an expensive business because you have to go through the process of advertising and interviewing for their position, as well as finding cover until you have found the right person for the job. It can cost companies thousands. Luckily, one thing you can do to increase employee retention is to invest in your workspace.
Your employees are your best investment and you need to treat them as such. That means providing them with a comfortable and safe place in which to work. Even something as simple as providing ergonomic furniture can make an employee more likely to stick around, but obviously, the more positive changes you make to the space, from offering both open plan and private spaces to creating a garden area for relaxation, the happier your employees are likely to be, and the more likely they are to stick around.
Improve sustainability
Sustainability used to be a buzzword in business, but that is no longer the case; consumers are taking sustainability seriously, which means businesses are too. Making your workspace more sustainable, whether by fitting lower-energy lighting or setting up a recycling zone, or whatever, will not only help to improve your image with your customers, but it could also save you money because many sustainable office space changes will consume less energy and boost efficiency. Look into what you could do to make your office more sustainable, and you will probably find that it is an investment worth making.
Improve health and happiness
Your employees deserve to be as healthy and happy as they can possibly be, and as we discussed above, if they are both of these things, they will probably be more productive. If they are healthy and happy, they are also less likely to take sick days and more likely to sing your praises, which is never a bad thing in terms of PR.
Creating a workspace that is geared towards health and happiness can be challenging, but it is perfectly possible by maximising natural light and access to fresh air, as well as plants. It is also possible by using certain colours that are more likely to foster a positive mood in people, and by, as mentioned above, providing ergonomic furniture, but there are other things you can do, such as employing an experienced cleaning team to really keep of top of dirt and grime and allowing employees to hang personal pictures at their desks amongst other things, Ask your employees what they would like to see and make the relevant changes.
Create an asset
If you actually own your workspace, then investing in it, and making it into the best workspace it can be is obviously going to be beneficial to you in the long term because you will be adding value to one of the most expensive assets you own – that’s just plain common sense.
These days, as you will probably know, most startups and entrepreneurs want access to clean, bright and innovative workspaces, so if yours is nothing like that, when your business grows, and the time comes to sell, you probably won’t have many takers, but if you’ve taken the time to invest in your office and make it perfectly fit for purpose, chances are they will be fighting to take it off your hands.
As you can see, there are several very compelling reasons to invest more in your workspace, whether you were just starting out or a more established company. It will improve your business in pretty much every way imaginable, so if you do it right, it shouldn’t be too long before the improvements are paying for themself. But, of course, you should always consult, plan and cost out every potential improvement before you go ahead, just to ensure that you are getting the most bang for your buck.
