New Year’s Resolutions to Create a Great Workplace Environment

We set New Year’s resolutions mainly for self-improvement, but resolutions can also aid in creating a great workplace environment. Here’s a list of our favorite resolutions that will create a workplace environment your employees will love.

Improve communication

Poor communication leads to poor work, conflict, gossip, and wasted time. In contrast, clear communication contributes to quality work, collaboration, efficiency, and a happy workplace. Set a resolution to improve communication by ensuring your company determines clear expectations for projects, that each employee understands their role, and have a timeline for completion in place.

Also, be sure to read over emails before sending!

Redecorate your office

Is your office dimly lit and monochromatic white?  It may be affecting the flow of communication, collaboration, and inspiration of your employees.

Color and lighting elicit certain feelings and responses. If your office could use a perk, opt for both cool and warm tones. Cool tones are calming, but to keep your space from feeling too icy, incorporate warm tones through furniture or accent walls. Wood tones and beiges work if you don’t want your office to look like a rainbow.

Also, be sure to equip your office with adequate lighting- natural whenever possible- to avoid eyestrain and headaches as well as to improve productivity.

Looking for a quick fix? Bring in some plants. They add moisture to the air, reduce stress, and improve air quality.

Say goodbye to sad desk lunches

We’re referring to the poorly executed, thrown together packed lunch or the quick take-out that’s often eaten in a rush at your desk.  Instead, say hello to corporate lunch catering, a benefit more companies are offering.

Corporate lunch catering encourages employees to eat together, which leads to team building, and a healthy lunch has been proven to increase productivity in employees.

Get a move on

They say sitting is the new smoking, but you don’t need an on-site gym to counter these effects. Hire a fitness instructor to lead weekly exercise classes, or offer your employees a membership to a local gym.

Simpler ways to add movement to your workplace is to set a timer for every hour and leading employees in a stretch session, offering standing desks, and encouraging your employees to workercise.

The benefits of movement and exercise include boosts in energy, alertness, and positive moods.

Gratitude

Expressing gratitude is the ultimate way to create a positive workplace environment. Giving and receiving gratitude has been linked to positive emotions, less stress, a greater sense that goals can be achieved, fewer sick days, and higher job satisfaction just to name a few.

Acknowledge employee accomplishments often, and always convey your gratitude for their work. Encourage thank you note writing (especially among managers to employees) and hang a gratitude board where employees can write what they’re grateful for.

We believe that New Year’s resolutions should extend to the office. Set a few of the recommendations listed above and watch your workplace environment shift to greatness.

Meet Rootasters:

Meg is a dreamer, entrepreneur, and homesteader based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She loves her cats, feasting, and road trips in her green VW Bug.