How Workplace Environment Can Affect Productivity

How do you like your work environment? Believe it or not, the atmosphere of your workplace can have a large effect on your productivity on the job, for better or worse. You need to be comfortable with your surroundings because when you are, great things can come from it. With your work environment being more inviting and upbeat, you will be able to take your positivity and direct it to focusing on completing the tasks at hand. On the other hand, if your workplace environment is poor, it can be tough to get motivated and get things done.

Simply put, if you're not happy, it's difficult to become motivated. Early in my career, I worked with a company that had a dark and dreary feel to it. There was barely anything on the walls, it was literally dark at times, and even the coffee wasn't great. All of this and more led to it being a work environment that simply wasn't motivating. It's tough to be productive if you aren't motivated.

Here are some ways that your workplace environment can have an effect on your productivity.

1. Praising Employees: As a manager, it's important to praise your employees when they do something outstanding. I've found that positivity and deserved praise are one of the best ways to motivate someone and increase their productivity. If your employees know that they're appreciated, they'll have a much more positive attitude and will want to work even harder than they were before.
2. Account for Ergonomics: If you're going to be productive in the workplace, then you need to be comfortable. Your work area should be set up the right way, meaning that your setup shouldn't be causing you stress to your neck or back or even giving you headaches or eyestrain. There should be comfortable desk chairs in the office and proper lighting, just to name a couple of workplace essentials. If people aren't comfortable in the work environment, productivity will suffer.
3. Colorful Environment: Color is good for the mind, and there's no other way to put it. Color therapy, which is the idea that color has a definite impact on a person's mood, is a very important thing to consider in any work environment, especially in an office. Yellow, for example, gives any work environment the feeling of being stimulating, bright, and cozy. To have a positive impact on the creativity of your team, make sure that there are things hanging on the wall: Color helps fuel productivity.
4. The Importance of Layout: For people to feel motivated and productive, they need to have their own space. Now, this isn't to say that everyone needs their own office, but you can't have people sitting shoulder to shoulder, either. While I don't mean that literally, you understand the point: A healthy work environment can have a huge impact on the productivity of your employees.

---

Have you found that the environment within your workplace has had an impact on your productivity, for better or worse? Share your story with us in the comments section below.