10 Tips for Creating a Productive Workplace That Employees Will Love

Did you know that the happier your employees are, the more productive they become?

Happy workers are more dedicated, creative, and innovative than unhappy ones. And they are far more likely to stick with you long-term.

You buy pizza for staff meetings. You take your employees on kayaking trips. But who gives a fig about occasional perks if they aren't happy at their work environment day in day out?

In this piece, we're going to help you build the happiest workplace for your staff so you and your workforce can thrive.

With these tips, some elbow grease and a little bit of love, we're sure you can you create a productive workplace and improve business efficiency.

Hire for Success

When recruiting, bring people in for far more than technical ability--go for people with an all-around ability. If you don't hire the right employees, they can send bad vibes throughout your company and that'll impact your team's morale and productivity.

It's vital to know your business culture and recruit carefully. For instance, if you've created a competitive workplace where workers are driven and try to outdo each other, don't hire someone who's looking for a cozy, family environment.

Shape your interviews to have a good understanding of what an applicant is looking for in a company. When you need to hire, it might be tempting to try to force a fit, but you're unlikely to create your desired workforce.

Empower Your Staff

Unleash the potential of your employees. You've set goals, but they can't meet them if you don't provide them with the necessary tools. Respect, trust, and training are vital elements in productivity and job satisfaction.

Respect--Interpersonal relations at work play a critical role in employee job satisfaction and happiness. Create a workplace environment where you welcome individual differences, where you don't dismiss new ideas but listen to them, and where it's fine to hold different views.

When issues or conflicts happen, approach the situation aiming to understand it and make it better, not judge or punish.

Trust--Productivity goes up where communication is honest, transparent, and frequent, and when your staff feels free to share. People will go out of their way when they know it is okay to try even after failing at the first attempt.

Training--Training your team not only gives them knowledge but also lets them know they're valued. People who feel that their company is committed to their professional and personal growth are more motivated and happier.

Set Goals Clearly and Provide Feedback

Your employees will be more fired up if they know what's expected of them. Having a company vision and stating goals clearly gives everyone guidance.

In particular, short-term goals are effective for encouraging staff to manage their speed when carrying out assignments to meet targets. In addition, it's vital to give your employees feedback or show them they're being supervised.

You should acknowledge achievements and promptly address errors or failures to meet targets. Good management practices will help to enhance and maintain staff productivity.

Get to Know Everyone Personally

It's difficult to remember that Sue told you her father-in-law came round for the weekend and that Joe's son broke an arm. Following up on every little thing every now and then shows a genuine concern for your staff.

Asking about something you know has been happening in an employee's life or finding out what's wrong with someone who seems downcast can create a stronger bond between you and your staff.

With this connection, you'll have the chance to know what motivates your staff, what they loving doing and what they're aiming for.

When your employees know that you care about them, they'll be more motivated to work and feel obligated to work hard. Moreover, it'll be easier to give helpful feedback when employees know you have their back.

Spruce the Workplace Up

You want to build an environment that suits your culture. Do you or your employees love music? Make a record player available and encourage staff to play their favorite tunes.

Does your business thrive on creativity? The editors at Pixar work in huts instead of cubicles to keep their creative juices flowing.

Consider extra fixes such as adding plants, letting in more light, painting the walls, arranging the cash wrap, removing clutter, or creating secure spaces for all employees.

Get feedback from your staff about what sort of environment they'd like. Such minor changes can freshen up the workplace, particularly one where you spend plenty of time.

Give Employees Freedom and Autonomy

If your employees feel like they have to wear certain clothes in the office, have to do their work in a certain way, or can't be themselves, they'll be less happy and less productive.

Engaging employees about the kind of work they'd prefer, encouraging staff to set a goal or run with their idea, and letting them work around the lifestyle they desire can create office momentum. This will encourage employees to put more effort into what they love doing most.

Celebrate Achievements

This is probably the most overlooked of positive work environment ideas. Meaningful work gets done when employees are happy and feel that they've met the expectations of reward.

To meet their expectations (besides the obvious employee needs like health care, safe working environment, financial stability), you have to show them that you notice their work, appreciate it and that it promotes the company's mission.

To acknowledge employee achievements:

• When a member of staff has achieved something great for the company, congratulate them with a company-wide email.


• In your usual goal-setting meetings, acknowledge an employee when they've met their goals.


• Support accomplishments outside of the professional context--did an employee win a bicycle race just the other day?

Post the achievement on social media. This way, you'll be showing your support to the employee and showing that they've made your company proud. It'll also show your customers actually who makes your business tick. Win-win!

Encourage Breaks from Work

A 2014 study discovered that the most effective employees work with regular breaks in between spells of working "sprints". That is an average of 52 minutes working, followed by a 17-minute break.

These findings reveal that a break, especially away from the computer, helps an employee reset their mind and be ready to handle the next task.

As a company owner, it's for your own good to ensure that your staff is in the right frame of mind to produce the best work possible. That means taking frequent breaks and not working at lunchtime.

To encourage employees to take breaks, try these suggestions:

Relocate the water/coffee station further away from the working area--this will force your staff to take a walk when they decide to take some water or coffee.

Ask staff to not eat at their workstations--when they know the company culture forbids eating at the desk, they're highly unlikely to do it.

Implement a stretching session every day--once a day, have a brief stretching or strengthening session that's open to all employees.

Provide Tools That Make Work Easier

Provide your employees with the right tools to maximize their productivity.

The types of tools your members of staff need to increase productivity may vary. But in today's intelligence-based personnel, a computer is essential for day-to-day business operations.

Make sure your inventory is current and that it's not causing unnecessary delays when it comes to doing tasks.

For example, accountants need software to computerize accounting data, artists and designers need tools like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and maybe some perform better with Trackpad tools.

Have Fun Together

This might sound like one of the easiest and most obvious improve work environment suggestions, but you'll be surprised to know how difficult it can be to prioritize fun. Practice makes perfect in this case.

Evaluate your staff morale regularly--if it's down, a fun break can help lift spirits and drive success. Let your team have fun from time to time. It'll definitely create a happier, friendlier, and overall healthier environment for everybody.

You don't need to do something drastic for this suggestion to work, either. Activities or small breaks can work like a charm and create a happy team dedicated to bettering your workplace culture. Incentivize goal-meeting with prizes and parties or pay for a happy hour.

Create a Productive Workplace Today

Many of these suggestions on how to increase productivity of employees might seem counterintuitive. However, it's been shown time and time again that an engaged, happy workforce is always more productive.

You don't have to spend a small fortune on luxurious perks to achieve this though. You just need to put yourself in the employees' shoes and find out how you can enhance your workplace culture so it's more favorable to productivity.

Put in the time and hard work in the next few months, and you'll begin to the realize the immense benefits of a productive workplace.

Need additional business advice, including how to keep your employees happy and engaged? Check out our blog.