With so many people returning to the office, it might have become more obvious that the workplace isn’t quite as good as it used to be. Fortunately, you don’t have to accept it the way that it is. If you’re one of the higher-ups, you can make meaningful suggestions or changes that can improve the workplace environment of your company. Here are some ideas you can try.
Consider Finding a New Office
The first thing you might have noticed after everyone’s return to office is that there are many more employees now. Many companies had to keep hiring during the pandemic. As a result, your old office might be a little cramped now. While this might be okay in the short term, it certainly won’t last. That means finding a new, larger office in the same general area might be a nice quality-of-life fix for everyone.
Replace Your Old Furniture
There’s a good chance that some of your office’s furniture might have been a bit out of date before the pandemic. So now that it’s a few years later, it might be time to get some new desks and chairs. Even a new table for your meeting room might be a solid choice. Just make sure you pick the right conference table for your space.
Even if your furniture isn’t that old, updating it might inspire more people to return to the office if they haven’t already. This can work if the desks and chairs in the office are nicer and more comfortable than the ones employees have at home. Consequently, they’ll want to come in to utilize them.
Encourage a Better Work-Life Balance
One thing that makes working at home so desirable is the fact that the work-life balance has become much easier for employees to get right. If you plan on bringing them back to the office, you need to make a big push to encourage a better overall work-life balance. Encouraging employees to go home after eight hours or giving them a longer lunch will show that you care and will help them feel like they have some freedom outside of work.
Find New Ways To Show Appreciation
Finally, one of the best ways to improve the workplace environment of your company is to show appreciation for your employees more often. While working from home, many people kept social interactions to a minimum. Now that everyone is back in one location, communication between people will inevitably increase.
That means it’s the perfect time for management to show they care and vocalize how well certain individuals are doing. You can even hold regular meetings to review some of the recent wins your staff has accomplished.
Emilie St. John is a freelance journalist who appears weekly in the Los Angeles Wave newspaper and can be reached at [email protected].
