Employees remain a changing variable in terms of productivity in the workplace. If something impacts their happiness or comfort, then you can be certain that productivity in the workplace is going to falter. To ensure optimal productivity in your business, you should ensure that your employees are as comfortable as possible. Keep reading to learn about a few methods on how to create a comfortable work environment in which your employees can thrive.
1. Climate Control
If your business doesn’t have commercial heating and cooling installed, then you’re doing your employees a big disservice. No doubt you have HVAC at home. You likely don’t imagine living a life without it. That comfort should also be afforded to your employees. Whether it’s summer or fall, an HVAC technician can install a unit and provide comfort for your employees.
Being exposed to heat without relief can cause illness. Heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and a general feeling of discomfort are prevalent in places where heat exposure is constant. Trapped in a stuffy room, you can be sure that even with fans, your employees are going to be suffering. They may be too sleepy to perform their jobs. Their reflexes will certainly be impacted. You’ll also have to contend with fainting spells and potential lawsuits in the event of an injury.
A similar discomfort can occur during the winter. Instead of heatstroke, however, employees are at risk of developing frostbite. Illness spreads quickly in the cold. You might lose several employees at a time to illness. Your productivity will most certainly be cut down because of that. Employees shouldn’t feel as though they’re going to freeze to death when they go to work.
A simple HVAC unit can provide the office with climate control. No matter what the temperature might be outside, your employees can find relief with the controlled and comfortable environment at work. They’ll be able to focus on their work instead of fanning themselves or putting on extra layers to keep warm.
2. Improve Air Quality
Another factor of HVAC units to consider, if you already have one, is a tune-up. When was the last time a technician took a look at your unit? If it’s been longer than a year, then it’s due for a checkup. Your AC might be about to break and you wouldn’t even know. AC repair can fine-tune the unit and keep it running optimally. This helps you in a few different ways.
The first is that it provides cooler air. When a unit isn’t functioning at peak efficiency, then it uses a lot of energy but doesn’t provide a good temperature of the air in the building. It’s not making anything as cold as it used to be. Repairing and fine-tuning the unit keeps it working optimally.
The second reason is that it can save you some money on your energy bill. When an AC unit isn’t running optimally, it uses up a lot of energy to cool an area down. That energy is being put to waste if it has to keep cooling a room that, normally, it’d be able to cool in half the time. By replacing parts, cleaning the unit, and performing other tasks, the unit can return to peak efficiency and keep from draining energy. You may notice a slight decrease in your energy bill every month.
The third is that a well-maintained AC unit improves the quality of air in the building. This is especially important for your employees. It’s not always clear when the air quality of a business is poor. It can be subtle. Yet when you improve air quality, you’ll likely notice a few changes. For one, fewer people might be calling out sick. Poor air quality means there’s more dust, bacteria, and viruses being spread through the air.
Those contaminants end up getting trapped in your employees’ sinus cavities. It’s a direct attack on their immune system. With better air quality, a lot of that dust and pollutants are removed. Your employees can breathe without potentially getting sick. Not only is the work environment more comfortable, but it’s also safer.
3. Soundproof Windows
Most businesses are on busy stretches of road. In order to make money, you have to be where the population is traveling. Yet that also presents a potential problem for a comfortable environment for your workforce. It can be easy to become distracted due to noise. Through no fault of their own, they may end up listening to conversations that are occurring outside or the passing of cars rather than working.
Those who are working may find it difficult to hear clients they’re speaking to on the phone because of the noise. Not to mention your clients may have difficulty in hearing over the noise, too. Distracting noises can severely impact the comfort and productivity of your employees.
A simple method to remove this problem is to have soundproof windows installed. Windows are the main culprits for letting in sound. By soundproofing them, you can likely reduce the noise from outside substantially. For further soundproofing, you can always attach soundproof boards to the walls. Not only can this provide privacy for your employees, but it also limits distraction overall due to noise.
4. Privacy
While not all businesses function this way, if your work environment consists of desks and workstations, then you might want to consider making those areas private. A big trend recently has been open office formats. Employees are able to see each other and communicate with each other. However, the lack of cubicle walls can also remove the sense of privacy that sometimes makes employees comfortable.
They can become distracted watching their fellow employees without even realizing it. You should speak with your employees to determine if they would be more comfortable with small walls around their desk or if they enjoy the sense of openness. The comfort of your employees has a direct impact on work productivity. Increase it to also increase efficiency and profitability.
