How Transparent Communication from Leaders Enhances Organizational Trust

How Transparent Communication from Leaders Enhances Organizational Trust

Trust is invaluable for your journey through life and the business world. Establishing and maintaining trust within your workforce is paramount for any organization aiming to achieve long-term success. One of the most effective ways to build this trust is through transparent communication from leadership.

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How To Make Your Office A Place You’ll Absolutely Love Working In

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To get things done in life, you need to be in the best possible frame of mind. When it comes to things like work, you need to also be in the best possible surroundings. You can’t be around lots of distractions all of the time and expect to complete things speedily—it rarely ever happens. Some people have the power to turn things out, but the majority of us struggle with multiple stimuli hitting us at once. 

Have you ever tried working while sitting on your couch? You might carry out a few things, but, on the whole, you’re too cozy and laid back. You’re probably stuck staring at the TV, too! That’s why the environment is so important.

When you’re in a more formal and professional setting, you behave accordingly, and you tend to get loads more done. It doesn’t matter whether you’re working for a particular company in their designated office space, or whether you’re working from home in your study, things need to be perfect if you’re to get things done throughout the day. Even if there are a few teeny problems; the whole day can be ruined.  

With all that said, it’s now a case of making the office a place where you’ll enjoy working in; a place where you’ll want to get lots done. How do you do that, though?

At the end of the day, it’s just a room where you sit and work, after all. Well, whether it’s an office at your company’s workplace or home office that you’ve created, you can do things to the aesthetics: you can remove or add items–-there’s not really a limit on what you can do; your options are as far as your creativity takes you. If you want a few pointers, then you might as well continue reading!

Declutter  

After a certain period of time, you’re going to have a build-up of clutter. It’s not too much of a problem; it happens to everyone. We all have items in our possession every single day, and we always need somewhere to put them. Unfortunately, we don’t all have lots of storage facilities, so we end up tossing them into the corner of the room! 

Your first step of this entire project would be to spend a little time removing all of the unnecessary items from the office. It’s quite a boring task, but it’ll be worth it as you’ll feel as though you have more space to breathe. When the area is much neater, you’ll feel so much better about your surroundings. Clutter just brings us down; tidiness gives us more of a boost. After the job is completed, you’ll have a blank canvas to play around with; the real work can therefore begin. 

Paint!

The color scheme of a particular place always makes people feel a certain way. It might not always have a huge impact on your workday, but it definitely has a part to play. For example, some people become buoyed by warm colors. If they’re entering an office and see that they’re going to be surrounded by boring and bland decor, the blandness can creep into their mindset.

If you’re working from home and your spare room is your new office, then your walls might be covered in old wallpaper and paint—it hasn’t been occupied in a while, right? Painting the place will help to revitalize it and, thus, revitalize you. 

Work At An Attractive Desk

It helps if you like the place that you’re sitting at all day, huh? If you have to work at a worn out and old desk, then your motivation is going to match the beaten and broken workstation. As humans, we naturally judge things based on looks, so if we’re sat working in a pretty area, we’re going to be more content. If we’re sat in a place that doesn’t really inspire us, then we’ll probably want to be elsewhere. 

Look at places online that sell professional and formal furniture. If you have a basic table and chairs set up in your office, then it won’t exactly be difficult to look for an upgrade. If you have something fairly fashionable, then choosing something might take a little longer! You’ll have the opportunity to check what kinds of things are out there. Perhaps you’ll prefer a fancy-looking thing with Wood Table Tops and classical design, or maybe you’ll enjoy a more modern style. Whatever you choose, you’ll be in a much better place than before. 

Get Yourself A Really Comfy Seat (Or Two) 

What you’re going to be looking at all day is, of course, very important. Your backside’s well-being is arguably more important, however! You need to be comfortable while working. If you’re not comfy, then you’re going to be heavily distracted all the time. There’s nothing worse than having to constantly shuffle around in your seat because your back is sore and you need to relieve the stress a little. 

Again, you can look online for some of the comfiest office chairs around. Unfortunately, some of the best ones can cost an absolute fortune, but you can get some good quality seats for less than three figures. Like before, if you’re currently using a basic, cheap chair, then you’re not going to be too bothered about the specific quality because the quality will undoubtedly be better than what you currently have.  

Purchase Great Software 

We all like new things. If you have old stuff on your computer, then you’re not exactly going to be inspired by it. Newer and more powerful equipment and programs do the complete opposite for us, though. Whenever a new technology comes out, we feel compelled to get stuck into it. Perhaps you could buy some new equipment and get it installed on your workstation. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a project management system or a piece of accounting software—if it’s new and exciting; you’ll enjoy it. 

Personalize It To Your Taste

You’ve cleared the place out, painted it, and added furniture. Now that all of the necessities have been installed, it might now be time to add a personal touch to the whole place. If you’re not really into the idea of customizing, then that’s okay; it’s not for everyone. If you are, though, then you could bring in all kinds of ornaments and decorations. Adding a little personality to the office stamps your name firmly onto the room. It should make you feel more comfortable, especially if you’re working on your company’s office. 

Do Something About The Lighting

If you’re sitting in a pretty dreary and dark place, then that’s only going to lower your mood altogether. If you can’t do anything about the windows in terms of natural light, then you could get a few more lights installed. Either that or buy a lamp for your desk! The darkness can really put you off – try to avoid is as much as you can!

Get Stuff Done In There 

We’ve talked about how to change up the aesthetics and the overall feel of the office. There’s one final way you can become more interested in the office, however, and that’s by completely lots of tasks in there already!

If you sit in a room all day struggling, then you’re going to associate that room with struggle. If you get lots done, then you’re going to bounce into it the next day. Knuckle down and get your work done, even if you’re having a bad day. There’s nothing like completing work and being productive with your time! 

Please note, this article contains affiliate links.

Why You Should Add Beauty To The Workplace

Photo Credit: Chimene Gaspar from Pixabay

Photo Credit: Chimene Gaspar from Pixabay

When people talk about adding beauty to the workplace, they are often referring to the old fashioned views of women wearing lipstick and high heels in the office to make it a beautiful environment. However, while you can dress however you want (within reason) in the workplace adding beauty to the office and to your work can mean something totally different and rather than being for sexist reasons there are many other reasons why you should add beauty to everything you do. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes - in people or in offices, beauty has changed throughout time, various cultures and the vast different perceptions of the world and it has been defined in so many ways. 

Think about it, the average full-time employee works forty hours per week which is nearly a quarter of their time, so it’s important that their place of work should be an inspiring and pleasant environment to be in. According to the American Society of Interior Designers employees who like their office environment were 31% more likely to be satisfied in their job.

A similar study by Metro Design showed that of 100 employees “almost half (49%) said that an office makeover would increase their productivity and more than half thought a better working environment would make them more organized and enable greater job satisfaction. 

If that’s not enough of a reason to make the office look beautiful, then it’s a good job, there are more. Adding some greenery to the office not only makes it look beautiful but it can make your office cooler, make your employees more relaxed if there are surrounded by beautiful plants, show that you are an eco-friendly organization and having indoor plants is also really good for yours and your employee's health. Plants are great for maintaining air quality, and they also add an organic element to your decor. 

Adding some color to your office not only makes it less clinical and boring but also enhances and complements your brand which will make a good impression to any clients but also remind your employees of your brand and the common goal you are all working toward - even if it is subliminal. Additionally, if the walls and ceilings of your workplace are just plain, it shows that your office has no creativity, so try to decorate these as much as possible. 

It’s not just about colors either, having a beautiful and spacious layout is very important as it affects how your employees interact with each other. A large open plan office is great for communication and interaction. Lighting is another important consideration; large windows let in lots of natural daylight and are preferable to tiny windows that look out onto brick walls. 

While you also want your employees to stay on brand when it comes to presentations and work, it is also important to give them the tools to get creative and add beauty to their work. Give them access to the presentation software that is used by innovators, the design tools that big brands use, teach them how to use it and you’ll have a workforce full of creative and skilled employees who can add beauty everywhere they go. 

Having an attractive office will also mean you will attract better and more talent when recruiting. Workers want an up-to-date office design, so if you put yourself in the shoes of the talent, imagine walking into an office with dull colors and poor lighting - will this look like fun and attractive place to work. You don’t have to break the bank and invest in high-end furniture. 

Beauty can also come in the form of having a healthy workplace, for example creating a healthy snack bar in your office stocked with some of your favorite items to eat, including mixed nuts, protein bars, and fresh fruit. Having good coffee in the kitchen and nice mugs and plates for everyone makes all the difference. All these things help to elevate peoples’ moods and help them to concentrate. These little touches can turn an ordinary workspace into an extraordinary workspace.

Once you have a beautiful setting, then it’s also important for both you and your employees to add beauty, personality, and their own stamp to their own space. Let your employees turn their workspace into an area where they want to work. Allow them to move around the items on their desk to suit them, bring in a fan, or a lamp or photos if it makes them feel comfortable and makes them work better in a pleasant working environment. This can really make a difference to your employees’ morale and help to increase job satisfaction and productivity making for a more successful, happier business. While we’re here, it’s important they should also have some good shoes on their feet, to make sure their working hours are as comfortable as possible! If you want your employees to move seamlessly from station to station, check out some The Good Feet Store Reviews and feel free to recommend a few pairs. 

How You’re Going To Keep Morale High In The Workplace

Photo credit: Unsplash.com

Photo credit: Unsplash.com

In the majority of instances, a business’s level of success and growth is dependent on how well the staff works together. If the employees are performing at a high level, the company as a whole is going to experience fantastic results and flourish faster. Adversely, if they aren’t hitting the required standards, the company won’t reach anywhere near its potential. It could stand still or maybe even go backward, which could lead to failure. 

Sometimes there’s a secret formula and a method that means everything in a particular workplace flows so very smoothly, but the majority of the time it’s down to hard work and concentration. We all know that hard work gets us what we want in life. We also know that motivation and initiative can be hard to come by sometimes. If we were all able to stay switched on like robots, we’d probably all be millionaires, or maybe even billionaires! 

So if you’re the boss of a firm, and you need to keep your staff focused, motivated, and willing to get things done in a fast manner, what can you do to achieve it? Every single person is different, and they all have complex thoughts happening in their heads, so not everything will work for all of them. There are little things you can do, and little changes you can apply that may give everyone a boost, though. Let’s take a look at some.   

Keep Your Work Space Clean and Sanitized

A clean and healthy environment is one that will likely create a lot of productivity. There’s no reason why you should have to attempt to get things done whilst surrounded by ugly and dirty items, sticky furniture, and other work-related bits and pieces. If you’re in an unsanitary place, workers are likely going to be distracted by the unpleasantness. You’ll need them to be focused fully on their jobs. Get everything cleaned up. If you have the funds, you could hire cleaners to come in a few times a week to make sure the place is consistently kept fresh.

Be Organized

The workplace won’t operate to its potential if there are constantly bumps and kinks along the way. A lack of organization could result in slow work and, thus, be an annoyance for all staff members. Make sure the desks or workstations and neatly arranged. Make sure also to remind each individual to assemble their stations efficiently. 

Keep Your Work Space Safe for Employees 

Similar to cleanliness, the staff is going to work with a lot more confidence and peace of mind if they know that they’re safe and comfortable in their surroundings. You’ll want to make sure the place is secure from any problems in terms of criminals and the building’s condition. 

Installing security systems such as CCTV cameras and alarms could deter robbers from breaking into your office or warehouse. You could also build a gate or fence, hire security guards, or buy large locks for the doors. 

The premise itself needs to be safe to work in, otherwise, your staff will not want to go to work. Check to see if all of the utilities are working correctly. Be sure to check that none of the fundamental parts are shoddy or damaged. If they are, you could also get in contact with contractors and handy people that can fix those issues. If you need an electrician to rewire parts of the systems, or roofers to provide a commercial roof replacement, it’s probably wise to get in touch sooner rather than later.   You just want to be sure the entire office or warehouse is in working condition and up to the city or town’s code.

Spread Positive Vibes to Everyone on the Team

Finally, make sure that everyone on the team is satisfied. Do this by cultivating a laid-back attitude and welcoming work environment. A stressful or toxic work atmosphere only leads to burn out, which negatively impacts attendance and productivity. You could also provide your staff with rewards, incentives, bonuses, and perks such as holiday and thanksgiving gifts for employees to show your appreciation. An employee will be as grateful for a gift as much as you take the time top tap them on the shoulder and say “thank you.” 

Please note, this article contains affiliate links.