Productivity
We always ask ourselves if the workspaces in which we practice our professions influence our way of working and, therefore, our productivity. We cannot forget that more than half the day is spent at work. Therefore, if we put so much effort into decorating our home to feel more comfortable, why not apply this to our professional space? A comfortable space makes us feel better and therefore helps us to be happier. Happiness is a source of creativity and, therefore, of productivity.
Essay about productivity
Andrew J. Oswald, Eugenio Proto and Daniel Sgroi, professors from the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick (United Kingdom), published in 2015 Happiness and Productivity, an essay on increasing productivity in workers who were systematically happier than the rest of his colleagues, specifically 12% more fruitful. After carrying out different analytical studies with the personnel of different companies, they concluded that the workspaces directly influence the well-being of the workers and automatically increase their productivity. Therefore, they invite human resources teams and company managers in general to devise a space where their employees feel good.
The factors that make up a happy space are not only the decoration, natural light, fresh air, neutral colors and touches of color…but also the people who live in it for 8 hours a day of their lives. Caring for the human team and encouraging them to achieve goals, and being rewarded for it, somehow makes them feel happy, feel fulfilled and therefore produce more.
We are not going to develop a research on how to decorate your office, nor are we going to display a psychology tutorial in the company. We simply launch a call to this factor, often forgotten, but so necessary to take into account if we want to be efficient in what we do.
Some tips to improve workspaces in your office
– Air quality: it is always recommended to ventilate the space where we stay for a long period well. Try to open the windows every so often during the day to renew the air.
Communication: spaces where you can have a coffee or set up a room for lunch…it facilitates interpersonal relationships and in this way the ties between the team are unified. What is nowadays called team building, but at a basic level.
Lighting: natural lighting is always better but, if this is not possible, at least try not to get the reflection of the spotlights on the face.
Furniture: it is important to ensure adequate furniture for spending long hours in the office: properly regulated chair, allign the screen at eye level, etc.
Noise: avoid noise when projects that require a high degree of concentration to guarantee productivity are to be delivered.
Temperature: extremes are always negative for everyone. Between 23 and 25 degrees in summer and 20 and 24 in cold months. It is a mistake to put the air conditioner below 20 degrees. Apart from consumption and damage to our natural resources, it has been proven that it can increase the number of failures in our work.
“Productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run it is almost everything”
Paul Krugman