The Impact of Work Environment on Productivity: 10 Factors

All employers want to improve their employee’s productivity to increase profitability. The workplace and atmosphere can significantly affect productivity. Certainly, you can motivate your employees by improving their work environment.

Discover how the work environment influences productivity to improve working conditions for a more efficient workflow.

Improve Work Environment

1. Limit the Amount of Noise to Improve Work Environment

Certainly, the first major factor affecting employee productivity is noise. It is the main reason why your employees might get distracted from work tasks. Noise affects our emotional and physical well-being, causing stress. If you always hear loud conversations or ringing phones, you may notice an increased heart rate and blood pressure levels.

While some people concentrate better in silence, others like to work with background noise, including music. Therefore, to improve the working environment for all types of employees, we recommend talking with each of them to find a common solution. 

For example, you can reduce the noise level to create a calmer and more positive work environment for those who don’t like noise. If you work in an open-space office, we recommend considering several quiet rooms where employees can be alone if necessary. An alternative solution is to buy noise-canceling headphones. 

2. Maximize Natural Lighting

Lighting is important for the work environment. Dim light negatively affects our perception. It leads to eye fatigue, drowsiness, headaches, and loss of attention. In a poorly lit office, you’re more likely to meet a yawning and tired employee than a cheerful and efficient one. 

However, fluorescent bright light can also negatively affect productivity, causing migraines or eye strain. To achieve the perfect light, combine natural and artificial light. Balanced light can help you focus on tasks and stay productive.

When choosing an office space, pay special attention to the number and size of windows. Employees who work in an office with lots of natural light stay on-task for 15% longer than those who work in offices with artificial light.

You can put desks next to windows to allow employees to absorb more sunlight.

3. For a Better Work Environment, Invest in Ergonomic Furniture

Choose comfortable and high-quality office furniture. The quality of furniture plays a huge role in creating a positive work environment. This aspect is especially important if your employees should sit at the table for a long time. Hardly anyone will be productive when sitting in an uncomfortable chair.

Comfortable furniture can increase productivity, reduce muscle pain and fatigue, and positively influence the musculoskeletal system. Divide the office into several work areas so that employees can change positions while working.

4. Keep the Temperature Comfortable

Make sure to find the right balance between high and low temperatures. If employees are freezing or suffering from the heat, they can hardly focus on work. Many employers are looking to save on energy bills, resulting in colder office temperatures. This leads to low productivity.

Though experts cannot agree on the ideal office temperature, based on our observations, the most comfortable temperature ranges from 68 to 76 degrees. Talk with the entire team to understand which temperature works for each person. 

It will help you find the best solution for improving the work environment and productivity. You can also learn more about creative hacks to boost employee performance.

5. Control the Air Quality of the Work Environment

Though many ignore office air quality, polluted air can lead to various diseases and reduced productivity. Research by the World Green Building Council demonstrates that clean air access in the workplace results in 11% higher productivity.

Make sure to prohibit smoking indoors or create specially equipped rooms. You need to install air filtration systems and watch the humidity level in the room. Remember to regularly ventilate your office. If you do not have a cleaning lady on staff, make your team members responsible for cleaning the work area regularly.

6. Keep the Space Organized and Uncluttered

A small office dramatically reduces employee productivity and willingness to work. If you expand the workspace, you will notice increased efficiency, motivation, and creativity. You should also arrange the furniture correctly so that the office does not look disorganized. Workplaces should not be too close to each other, otherwise, people might feel uncomfortable. Don’t forget that it’s also important to improve productivity in the digital workplace.

7. Incorporate Bright Colors

When choosing the right colors for an office, don’t focus on soft, neutral, and pastel shades. Many business owners paint the walls in light colors for convenience. However, studies show that such shades can cause sadness and depression.

Opt for vibrant colors, such as green or blue. They help increase efficiency and concentration. Yellow is suitable for creative environments. Red will help boost energy and encourage employees to work harder. High wavelength colors, including red, have a significant impact on energy levels, contributing to more efficient work.

8. Provide Safe Drinking Water

To increase productivity, make sure that your employees have enough drinking water. Research shows that drinking enough water affects our well-being, improves sleep, increases energy and concentration. High-quality water can improve mental clarity and alertness, leading to productive work.

Additionally, to help employees drink more water, place a water cooler in the work area. Alternatively, you can organize a small event to talk about the importance of drinking water.

9. Add More Greenery to Improve Work Environment

While many ignore the importance of plants in workspaces, the more greenery you have, the higher your employees’ productivity will be. A Harvard study shows that plants play an important role in our professional life and well-being.

The experts analyzed 10 companies in five US cities. The result shows that working in offices with many plants increases our cognitive ability by 26% and contributes to fewer sick days by 30%. Certainly, these companies stand out with employees’ high productivity. The presence of plants also has a beneficial effect on the quality of sleep. Make sure to buy more plants for the office or create a garden for employees.

10. Provide Healthy Food

Pay attention to the food quality. To increase productivity, people must follow a nutritious and balanced diet. You can order fresh vegetables and fruits to make them available for every employee.

Additionally, you can label foods to provide your employees with general nutritional information and allergen warnings. And to encourage mindful eating, create a designated area, like a kitchen, where employees can eat without being distracted by work tasks.

About the author:

Tata Rossi is a Boston-based photographer and retoucher. Tata works for the FixThePhoto company, which provides online photo-editing services. The photographer has a blog where she shares various tips for inspiring photographers: ideas, poses, props, and more. Tata creates educational content about photo post-processing, including tutorials for Photoshop, Lightroom, and other software.

It may interest you:

• Innovative Apps for the Future of Work
• Working Remotely: Collaboration Tools for Teams
• Innovative Tools for Software Teams: Coding, Debugging, and More
• How to Improve Employee Productivity While Working Remotely?