Making Your Premises a Comfortable Environment to Work From

When we start out running a business, we tend to work alone. We have an idea for a product or service and we start to plan how we can create and sell it. We take the heaviest parts of the work on our own shoulders, we invest our own money and we invest our own time into getting everything up and off the ground. We outsource tasks we can’t complete to third parties – freelancers, agencies, other companies. But eventually, we have to hire employed staff to keep the cogs turning. Whether that’s individuals working in customer service, marketing, supply chain, order fulfilment or any other area that our business requires to actually function. When this time comes, you’re going to have to start thinking about the space that you give these teams to work from. Working environment can have a huge impact on productivity. Your staff need to be able to feel comfortable and positive in their space to produce the results you’re looking for. But what can you do to achieve this? Here are some suggestions.

Make Sure the Building is Up to Scratch

First and foremost, you should make sure that the space you’re using for your business is up to scratch. A lot of business owners, particularly new business owners, tend to choose the lowest cost premises they can find and, in return, these premises are often low standard. Instead, make sure that you choose somewhere with everything you and your team need. Space. Natural light. A sturdy structure with polyurethane foam roofing. Good electrics. Good plumbing. It should be safe and it should be presentable.

Don’t forget about security; your premises must be locked when not in use and secure for employees during working hours. From adding locks such as the Mul T Lock deadbolt to external doors, adding biometric security options to limit access to parts of the building, or hiring security guards, you need to pay attention to the security of the building too.

The logistics

You also need to spend time thinking about the logistics of the company and business premises. Is it accessible for people to make deliveries? It is important to think about this as many businesses will get deliveries of stock or for specific industries like pharmaceuticals will need medications delivered. Companies like Keysource Acquisition are are great option to consider. As a business owner you will also need to think about storage and stock. If you have the right areas for these things to be stored.

Furnishings

You’re going to need to furnish the space. Make sure that you choose ergonomically designed furniture for your staff. This is furniture that has been specially designed to support your team while they work, preventing chronic strains or aches, which can impact your team’s personal life and performance at work. You can also find ergonomically designed equipment, such as keyboards, mice, foot rests, back supports and more.

Listen to Your Staff

Of course, the best people to tell you what your commercial premises needs or how it could be improved are the very people who work there. Your staff are actually in this environment day in and day out, so will be able to highlight specific things that could be worked on. Whether that’s fixing a specific element of your premises or adding something that will bring value to the space. Of course, your staff aren’t always going to be forthcoming with this information. Many people worry about consequences for “moaning” or “complaining”. Try sending out an anonymous survey with specific questions, as well as opportunity for written feedback.

These are just a few steps that you can take to make sure that your premises is up to standard for your team. A happy and comfortable team are much more likely to show higher levels of satisfaction and, in turn, you’re likely to experience higher levels of staff retention.