It should come as no surprise that the relationship between comfort, satisfaction and productivity in the workplace has been researched in detail over the past half century. For anyone willing to search, statistical data is available that considers how everything from office furniture to ambient temperature can have an impact upon the day to day efficiency of a workplace. However, many of the results have linked overall workplace satisfaction to the following six ‘satisfaction’ parameters, each of which can be exploited to improve employee engagement and role fulfilment.

The application of ergonomics can be achieved in a number of ways to satisfy your staff. The office layout should be monitored, taking into account seating arrangements in regards to equipment, windows, doors and co-workers. Also depending on the type of work employees are engaged in, the suitability of equipment and furniture should be taken into consideration, too.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) inside the workplace is integral not only for comfort and satisfaction, but additionally for health reasons, too. Studies have shown that poor IAQ has been linked to a whole host of symptoms such as: fatigue, loss of concentration, irritation of the eyes and nose and even headaches.

From time to time, all employees will have to perform the most menial of tasks as part of their day-to-day roles. For such tasks, it may be beneficial to split the workload between multiple different employees, or even utilise a rota system that ensures the same employees are not tasked with the same tedious tasks every month. Where such workload splits or reassignments are not possible, consider bringing in incentives to improve the chances that tasks are completed on time and to sufficient quality – whilst still engaging with your employees and building job satisfaction.

Workplace regulations actually state that there is a legal obligation by employers to provide a ‘reasonable’ temperature in the workplace. However, what counts as ‘reasonable’ will vary widely from one employee to another. Two different individuals may feel differing levels of heat dependent on a number of factors.  Whilst the temperature in workrooms should be at least 16 degrees Celsius, many studies have suggested that a good range to aim for is 20 – 24 degrees Celsius. Although not an ‘absolute’ legal prerequisite, this is likely to be a good middle ground that will satisfy most.

Whilst many offices play background music, the volume of such music can have a significant impact upon employee satisfaction. As well as this, one employee’s first choice may not align with another’s, and conflicts within this small area can have wider reaching impacts. If background music begins to cause more concerns than it should, consider implementing a headphones policy. However, ensure that employees know what is expected of them; if they ought to be listening to a conversation with a client or similar, you should never have to raise your voice in the office environment to gain their attention.

Without a doubt, exposure to natural daylight improves office performance. As well as revealing that those in offices with windows are significantly more productive, research in this area suggests that ambient lighting can have lasting impact on employee satisfaction. Light that is of a poor quality, too dark or too bright can lead to headaches and vision difficulties, as well as having a negative impact upon your employees’ abilities to perform the tasks expected of them. Ensuring your office lighting is sufficient should be an early priority, arguably even more important than other incentives to improve satisfaction.

Enhancing your workplace for maximum comfort is what we do best here at Staples Advantage. Take a look at our wide range of office products designed to improve the comfort, happiness and above all, satisfaction of your workplace and workforce. Get in touch today to see what we can do for you!

April 2nd 2014 | Back to Industry Insights