3 Ways to Implement Employee Comfort in the Workplace
When you talk about the comfort of your employees, there are a few different ways in which you can examine it. For example, you might be talking about physical comfort – the space that they work in and the means that they have to work with. However, it could also be that you’re talking about the emotional comfort they have – whether they like coming to work and how content they feel once they’re there. The latter can feel more nebulous and difficult to distinguish yourself from, but both can be improved if you know how.
Improving them can have enormous benefits not only to your employees but to your business and their future with you.
1. Temperature Control
Different parts of the world are naturally going to find themselves in different situations as far as temperature goes, but wherever you are, you might find that a similar temperature ultimately ends up being perceived as comfortable. Doing your best to ensure that your work environments are as close to this comfortable ideal as possible can mean that your employees are able to conduct their work without thinking about it at all, which is exactly what you want. Finding themselves too hot or too cold isn’t just something that can make your employees uncomfortable; it can also be dangerous in certain situations.
What makes this more difficult are factors such as humidity or how the temperature of your employees is going to vary based on the kind of work that they find themselves doing. For example, those in a warehouse might be much warmer due to the physical, manual nature of their work compared with people who typically work in an office. Therefore, the solutions that you seek out might be different, such as looking to find the best HVLS fans for your warehouse budget – providing comfort without requiring you to restructure your finances.
2. Emotional Environment
Turning your attention to the emotional environment of your workplace, you might find that you have to examine the current state of things before you can start to take any action. First of all, it’s important to be aware of your own role in this. As the person in charge, you are in a position of power that might be directly or indirectly causing some of this turbulence. If you’re short with people, respond badly to criticism, or refuse to spend money on things that would lead to a more comfortable environment, you might find that there’s an air of hostility brewing. Being more open to constructive feedback, taking the time to understand the needs of your employees, and working to foster a more comfortable environment are all things that your staff will notice and respond positively to.
You want to avoid a high staff turnover, as this could reflect negatively on your business down the road. In order to do this, you want your employees to see a future with your business. Part of this will come down to making sure that they’re happy enough to want to stay, but it might also mean offering training in certain areas that can further their own personal development while leaving you with a more qualified workforce.
3. The Physical Space
You might find that in your position, it’s easy to get dispassionate about your business and think about things in purely logistical terms. Sometimes, this might work in your favor – removing yourself from a situation could help you see the best outcome. Other times, such as when it comes to your employees, you might find that it leads you to cut costs in places that, while having no quantifiable financial benefit, could be negatively impacted. For example, you might think that your office doesn’t need to be anything special, and you might opt for desks and chairs that are satisfactory while putting more money into the technological tools that actually generate the work.
This can lead to discomfort and sometimes even long-term health conditions that might encourage your staff members to look elsewhere for employment. It might also be that a lack of natural light or welcoming decoration can have a negative impact on their mental health, which can also see a downturn in morale and productivity. Instead, having a work environment that actually allows them to be comfortable while putting their most productive foot forward can not only make people feel happier about coming to work, but it can also encourage new arrivals, especially if people hear about your working conditions being superior to where they currently are.
