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Ways to Motivate Your Employees Through Their Workspace

Developing a work atmosphere that is friendly, productive and motivational can seem difficult, but be creative.

By Robert CordrayPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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You’ve obtained your small business license, signed the lease and are ready to show the world what you’ve got. However, if you’re going to be a successful company one day then you need employees who will work hard for you and get the job done. How can you create a work environment for your employees that is motivating for them?

Colors and Design

What colors make you happy? Thanks to research done on the matter, the design of your workspace has a direct impact on the way that you perform. Consider painting the walls of your Chicago office space something other than beige, grey or white. When you think of other establishments that stick to this color scheme, you might think of places like old schools, prisons or hospitals. Kick those negative connotations out of your office because you’ve got no time for negativity! Stick to warm, welcoming colors like light blue, yellow or red hues to get productivity going.

Another factor that can help workers feel like they’re in less of a dungeon? An open floor plan. Walls are great when you need privacy, but opening up the way that you arrange workstations can help workers feel less claustrophobic. There are plenty of ways to creatively achieve this effect without the use of cubicles. Consider Google’s corporate headquarters. While productivity is clearly a value in the Google world, the office space that the company has designed is functional and comfortable at the same time. Granted, you probably don’t have access to the same billions of dollars that Google has to create a duplicate of its offices, but inspiration is always a good thing.

Company Culture and Atmosphere

You’re the one in the driver’s seat so it’s on you to figure out what your company’s culture will be. It’s unique to every entrepreneur, but your mission statement should reflect your end goal and how you intend to get there. Once you’ve established what that is, start living it. Your company should be built on the values and morals that you have decided are most important to its survival.

It can be easy during the daily grind to get bogged down and not even realize it. Is mental health something that you value? Show it by giving your employees enough breaks and personal time off, allowing them adequate time to recover from illness and burnout. As a caring boss, you’re proving to your employees that you care about them as people and not only as worker bees, and that you encourage them to take care of themselves before they take care of anyone else.

Remember, though: Your employees must feel comfortable coming to you in order for any of this to become a reality. Is your door open most of the time, are you easy to talk to and approachable? Check yourself if you start to notice that people seem to be uncomfortable around you. You may be putting out a vibe that seems negative or stern, even if that’s not your intention.

Show Appreciation

On the same token, it’s important that your employees feel valued. Sure, you want to be sure that they respect you as their supervisor and the business owner, but without them you would have no company to lead. Recognizing a job well done is as easy as telling an employee, “Thank you, I appreciate you.”

Did you note the use of the word you? Telling somebody that you appreciate the work they did is a great way to boost their confidence, but by telling them that you appreciate them as a person, you’re acknowledging more than the work they do; you’re acknowledging that you understand that they went above and beyond and you appreciate them as a human for doing so.

Developing a work atmosphere that is friendly, productive and motivational can seem difficult, but be creative. Chances are the same kinds of things that inspire you to be better also inspire others as well.

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