How to Create a Great Work Environment for Every Employee

Defining a Great Work Environment

We define a great work environment as a place where everyone feels valued, connected and fulfilled. So how can a physical space meet these emotional needs? The best answer (as always) comes from your employees. Ask about their best office experiences. Specifically, what did the offices look like, and how did they make them feel? Energized? Creative?

We’ve helped office managers and interior designers create great work environments, simply by moving furniture to create a new office layout, and by making more dramatic changes like relocating offices – all driven by employee responses like these:

There was always an appropriate place to get things done – even personal tasks.

There was no visible hierarchy. Everyone was genuinely interested in each other and the work we were doing.

It was so well organized and up-to-date! We never wasted time searching or waiting for what we needed to move forward.

The office adapted to my work-style, not the other way around.

In other words, every aspect of the physical office – space, design, and layout – contributed to the experience of being a valued employee.

Here’s what we see facility leaders doing to create great work environments:

Prioritizing Well-Being

Offices are notorious for bad lighting, dead air, and uninspired decor. So it’s no surprise much of the work we’re hired to do changes all that. Whether our clients are renovating or moving to a new office, they are doing it with their employees’ well-being in mind by:

• Upgrading to ergonomic and active office furniture
• Allowing more natural light
• Adding fitness amenities
• Incorporating environmental elements into their design
• Designing outdoor spaces for meetings and breaks

Designing to the Work

Every business has a natural flow. Top employers design ‘zones’ to maximize this flow – providing a place for everything, so everything can take place… at the office. Appropriate work zones often include:

• Open collaborative areas that foster teamwork
• Quiet rooms for private or contemplative work
• Casual, relaxed spaces for informal discussions
• Communal eating areas that encourages people to get out from behind their desks

Integrating Management Teams

Leaders don’t separate management from the the day-to-day bustle of the office because they know the office – not the quarterly meeting – is the primary place for meaningful interaction. People are more comfortable talking about how things really are when they see each other every day. So whether it means taking down walls, adding windows, or moving staff between floors, the dynamic of your entire office will change for the better with management’s daily presence.

Expanding Meeting Spaces

The basics: everyone should be seen and heard. Everyone should have a place to sit and comfortably take notes. Overcrowding people makes them less inclined to participate (and more inclined to just get it over with) to the detriment of personal and business results. Use the entire office if you have to, but make ample meeting space a priority to foster participation and valuable experiences.

Making the Right Resources Available

Sometimes the difference between a good and a great work environment is nothing more than a technology upgrade. If you’re equipment isn’t up to snuff, your employees will waste time and opportunities frustrated by the lack of appropriate technology to connect and share their ideas. At worst, inferior resources will infringe on their personal time making your them resentful of having to stay late or bring work home. When you remove inferior office equipment you open the door to focus on initiatives that can put your business over the top.

Call on Experts to Help

Think about who could help you strategize and create a quality space. Start with your own staff – those people who are great at getting others to share their ideas. Be sure to also engage the people who are most likely to have an opposing view. Hear them out. Who has experienced the current office the longest, and who has the most diverse office experience? Then consult designers, architects, project managers and professional office movers for their practical expertise.

Designing for productivity alone is not enough. Your employees have to be engaged. In order to do that, they need to feel valued and fulfilled by their work. And your physical office plays a key role in making that happen. If your office isn’t a place people want to show up to, it’s time to improve the quality of your office environment to provide every employee with the best experience possible.

Consult the Pros Early On

Start by reaching out to the moving companies you’ve shortlisted, even if all the details of your move aren’t ironed out yet. A professional office mover will be able to tell you the important things to cover in preparing an RFP/RFQ, alert you to any potential issues you may encounter with your move, and offer other helpful office moving tips. The right partner will continue to work with you along the way.

Streamline the Quoting Process

It helps to provide prospective moving companies with an inventory estimate up front so that they can provide you with the best plan and most accurate quote. In some cases, it’s even a good idea to invite all contenders for a walk through your facility at the same time. This is an efficient way to make sure everyone receives the same information at the same time, ultimately making it much easier for you and your team to compare proposals.

Hire Based on Value, Not Price

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten” -Benjamin Franklin.

While price is always going to be a key factor in selecting a vendor, be sure to consider things like experience, technology, testimonials, and breadth of service as well. What you expect to save may actually end up costing more in delays, damages or additional expenses. Well before moving day arrives, you will reap the benefits of having chosen a strategic partner and not simply the least expensive option.

Keep Staff in the Loop

The success of your move depends almost as much on your team as it does on the team of office movers you hire. Let employees know what is happening, when, and what their roles are. Set clear expectations for staff participation in packing and labelling to avoid confusion and double work. Recruit one person from each department to represent staff members at meetings, and pass along information and timetables. This essential preparation and communication separate successful moves from near disasters.

Be Present and Accountable

Be available on moving day to field questions and offer direction when needed. For all the planning that goes into a move, there will still be unique challenges and changes along the way. Dealing with these situations head on, you can overcome any hurdle in a timely and appropriate way.

The Bottom Line On Office Moving Tips

Facility Managers can have a positive impact on relocation projects well in advance of the physical move. It’s all in the planning. Find the right partner and you will already be well on your way to a successful office move.

This post was adapted from an article written by Office Move Pro Managing Partner, Scott Goodbrand and Commercial Account Manager, Andrew Jeffrey. The article entitled ‘Site Selection and Relocation’ was originally published in Canadian Facility Management and Design magazine.

photo credit: Kris Krug via photopincc