If your business has office staff, chances are, they’ve been working from home over the past year and a half or so. The rapid rise and spread of coronavirus and Covid-19 saw huge changes in the way that we work. Governments implemented rules and measures that encouraged people to stay home as much as possible, meaning that many office staff, able to work from their laptops or computers from home, switched to working on a remote basis. For some businesses, this has worked. Staff have been able to complete their work effectively and efficiently without the need for an office space, and businesses have reacted by switching them to permanently remote contracts. However, if you’re eager for your staff to return to the office, you’re going to have to make an effort to ensure that the office space is safe and pleasant for them to return to. Here are some suggestions that can help you to achieve this, creating a quality workspace for your employees.

Deep Clean

First and foremost, you need to conduct a deep clean of the office before staff members’ return. Chances are, the office has been unoccupied for a long time now and dust and dirt may have built up. You also need to make sure that your staff are comfortable returning to the space and feel that it is clean, safe and hygienic. Deep cleaning is best carried out by professionals. There are a number of cleaning companies out there to choose from who will be able to get your workspace up to a good standard. You may also want to consider additional services, such as antiviral fogging, duct cleaning and more. You can learn more about this here.

Update Hardware

Over time, the computers, laptops and other pieces of equipment your staff use will become outdated and better versions will appear on the market. Of course, you don’t need to update every single time there’s a new release. But every once in a while, it’s a good idea to update your team’s hardware to ensure that they have working equipment to complete their work from. This can streamline processes and increase productivity, as older hardware can hinder your staff, taking longer to load and potentially shutting off without saving.

Update Staff Facilities

Most offices will have a space for staff to take a moment away from their desk and relax. This may be a kitchen, break room or anything else. Whatever you offer, it’s a good idea to update it every once in a while. Things that get used on a day to day basis may get run down, so replace them as and when needed. Perhaps you need a new coffee machine or kettle in the staff kitchen. Maybe you could do with a better quality television in the break room. On the grand scale of things, these aren’t massive investments, but can greatly increase staff satisfaction.

These are just a few suggestions that can serve as starting points to improve your workplace for your business and for your staff. Hopefully, some will speak to you and you’ll be able to implement the changes sooner rather than later!

The past year and a half have been extremely detrimental to the vast majority of brick and mortar businesses. The coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic has spread across the world, leaving havoc, pain and countless issues in its wake. In a bid to slow the spread of the virus from one person to another, governments in the vast majority of countries have implemented all sorts of measures that have been designed to limit our physical contact with one another. Most brick and mortar stores have been forced to close their doors for periods of time, resulting in difficulties generating profits, paying bills and overheads, maintaining staff and generally keeping afloat. If you had any hopes of opening your own store, chances are, these were put on hold. However, with vaccines being rolled out around the world, and with life slowly returning to normal, those business minded amongst us are seeing more opportunities arising in brick and mortar retail and you may be considering getting your store opening set off. Here’s some information that can help you to achieve this!

Choosing the Right Commercial Premises

Where do you want your store to be? Location can make or break a new business, so it’s important to be certain of where you want to be located and how much footfall is in the area. Do you need a prime location with plenty of footfall or will customers travel to you? Do you need to be located somewhere that your target demographic frequents? Next, consider elements such as size. Do you need a large store? Will a smaller store be better suited? Do you need additional space for stock or store rooms? Staff break rooms? Managerial offices? Shop around until you find something that fits perfectly.

Fitting the Premises Out Well

Of course, many premises come completely empty, serving as a blank canvas for you to work with. This is beneficial, as it allows you to create your own branded aesthetic within the store and also allows you to create a layout that works for you, your staff, your stock and your customers. Take every aspect of your space into consideration. Do you want it to be bright and open plan? Do you want high ceilings or low? Do you need the ability to mount shelves or rails? Professionals in retail design solutions will be able to help with any questions you may have and can make recommendations that fit your business well.

Signage

Every store should have a good quality sign. The design of this will depend entirely on your brand, however, it should use branded colours and maybe your logo if you have one. There are great sign designers out there and companies who will craft a sign that will look perfect above your storefront.

Of course, you’re going to face a whole host of focus areas when opening your store up. But some of the questions and options highlighted above should help get your thought process going in the right direction to undertake this tasks successfully!

Studies show that being close to nature has a positive impact on our overall wellbeing and can help to increase productivity. People are generally more relaxed and focused when they are exposed to nature, which means that they do better work. This is something you should consider when designing your own home office. 

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Working from home has its benefits but it’s also very difficult for a lot of people to find a good work-life balance because they don’t have a clear separation between their work and personal lives. It’s important that you find ways to manage stress and improve your mental health in your home office, and introducing natural elements is a simple way to help with this. These are some of the easiest ways to incorporate natural design into your home office. 

Use Natural Materials And Textures

When choosing materials to use in your home office, always look for natural options. If you create an office that is all metal and plastic, it feels very clinical and it’s hard to create a relaxing atmosphere that is conducive to productive work. So, look for natural materials and textures like wood and stone. The floor is a great place to start and wooden flooring installation is affordable and simple. Wood is a great material because it’s durable and hard-wearing, but it also looks great and helps you introduce that natural element into the room. 

It’s not just about the big fixtures either, you should also focus on natural materials and textures when adding small accessories and finishing touches. That doesn’t mean everything has to be wooden, but you should always try to use wood and stone over metal and plastic wherever you can. 

Add Nature Inspired Wall Art 

Wall art is the easiest way to brighten up your workspace, and it also gives you another opportunity to bring nature into the space. When choosing wall art, look for designs that are inspired by greenery and nature, or things that use natural colors and tones. If you want a cheap way to make some nice wall art features, buy some wallpaper samples and a few cheap frames and you can get the same effect. If you have a large blank wall in your home office, you could consider creating a feature wall with lots of great nature inspired pieces. 

Let More Natural Light In

Being stuck in a dim room with lots of artificial light is not great if you are trying to stay productive. Natural light, on the other hand, has been shown to increase productivity, so you need as much of it as you can get in your home office. When you are designing the space, look at where the light naturally falls for most of the day and place your desk accordingly. Using glass furnishings in the room is also a good way to reflect light and brighten up a small space. 

Once you’ve got all of these elements right, just top it off with a few plants and you can create a beautiful natural work space.