Businesses can often get caught up in providing the latest technology for their employees and offices, focusing on the tools they provide instead of the working environment they create. But firms that want to excel in the future should make sure they’re thinking about the human experience of working for them.
That’s according to EMEA vice-president at Twitter Bruce Daisley. Speaking at the Employee Benefits Live conference in London recently, the workplace culture expert stressed that companies need to learn about the psychological factors that influence how people work as part of a team, think, relax and settle into a new role, Personnel Today reported.
“When we’re thinking about the future of work, we need to think about how we bring the humanity back into our jobs,” he asserted.
Mr Daisley went on to provide five examples of how businesses can bring the joy back into work – and improve productivity in the process.
He stressed that it’s essential to think about burnout and productivity. Look at people’s work days objectively. If someone is in back-to-back meetings, when are they going to have the chance to do any actual work, for instance. Notice potential issues like this and explore ways to fix them.
Another thing he pointed out is the need to take sufficient breaks from work. Allowing employees to not only take plenty of breaks, but to take them together, will help boost their productivity.
He cited research from the Bank of America, which found that there was a 23 per cent increase in productivity when staff took breaks together.
The reason for this, Mr Daisley explained, is that they had a chance to talk about their role and things they had learned with their colleagues. This helped them better understand and learn new techniques that they could then apply to their jobs.
When you’re looking for new Liverpool office space, pay attention to how much space you have to use as breakout areas and think about how you can make these comfortable and inviting for your team.
Staff also need to feel like they belong at an organisation, Mr Daisley said. Cultivating this sense of belonging can help improve a business’ retention of employees, he explained.
These are far from the only areas it’s worth considering if you want to have a happy and productive workforce. Training Journal recently suggested that firms which fail to embrace flexible working will find themselves left behind.
It cited a survey, which found the majority of UK workers would be willing to make sacrifices for greater flexibility in their work. For example, three-quarters are in favour of working a four-day week. That’s even the case if they have to fit five days worth of work into four.
Almost 50 per cent of those questioned also said that they’d be willing to take a pay cut if it meant they could just work a four-day week.
But flexible working also includes allowing people to work from locations away from the office, whether that’s at home or somewhere totally different. Tackling the stigma surrounding working from home will be essential for organisations to give their staff the flexibility they want in the future.