How to Make Your Workplace Safer and More Attractive
If you’re looking to give your business a much-needed boost, you might want to consider making it both safer and more attractive. The happier your employees are, the more productive and motivated they’ll be.
Here, you’ll discover the best ways to make your business safer and more attractive.
Making Your Business Safer
Health and safety should be a number one priority for your business. Making your workplace safer won’t just lower the risk of injury-related absences, but it will also save you a lot of money and provide reassurance to your employees.
There’s a range of things you can do to increase workplace safety, including:
- Regular safety meetings
- Provide equipment safety training
- Provide the right equipment and tools
- Create clear safety guidelines
- Invest in high-quality components and equipment
Regular safety meetings are something the majority of small businesses don’t do, yet they can prove extremely beneficial. Not only do they give you the chance to ensure your staff are up to date with the latest safety guidelines, but they also allow you to address any immediate safety concerns and follow up on recent safety changes.
Training is another effective way to ensure workplace safety. If your employees aren’t properly trained, how can you expect them to know how to work safely? As well as initial safety training, you should look into adding a regular training program; especially if you introduce new equipment and machinery into the workplace.
Similarly, it’s important to ensure you’re providing the right tools and equipment for the job. These should also be created to a high standard. While it may be tempting to seek out cheaper materials, you should never compromise quality for cost. Take your stairs for example. Even the components used to secure the staircase should be made to a high standard. Therefore, you should choose a company renowned for their top quality, their safe and attractive range of components.
Finally, having in-depth safety guidelines will help employees know what is expected of them. All businesses, regardless of which sector they work in, should have clear safety guidelines that have been handed out to employees to be reviewed at any time.
Making Your Business More Attractive
So, now you know how to make your business safer, what about ways to make it more attractive?
Take a good look around your work premises. Does it make you happy? Does it inspire you to work hard? Do you look forward to coming to work every day? If not, it’s time to remodel!
Reduce the number of desks. In office environments, it’s recommended you have fewer desks than there are employees. But this doesn’t make sense; surely every employee should have their own work desk? Well, according to research, having fewer desks actually benefits employees, and your business, as it encourages more collaboration and social interactions between colleagues. It also prevents employees sitting and staring at a computer screen for hours on end. This is much better for their health and will boost productivity.
Pay attention to lighting. Another thing you’ll want to focus on is the lighting. Did you know that artificial lighting can cause all kinds of health-related issues? If you’re not already using them, be sure to switch to energy-saving or daylight light bulbs. These won’t just make the workplace look better visually, but it will also save you money, both on utility bills and by reducing employee absence due to light-related health issues.
Speaking of lighting, if your workplace doesn’t have a lot of natural light, it can help to create more of an open plan design. Consider using glass partitions and doors, too, as this not only provides a more open feel, but it also helps to maximize the natural lighting.
Add a little greenery. You don’t have to spend a fortune to make the workplace more attractive. Even just adding a few plants could do the trick. Plants brighten up the space and also make the air in the room cleaner because they pump out oxygen. Plants in the office will help to boost employee energy levels and help everyone feel more focused on the task at hand. Just be sure to keep plants well watered and maintained.
Give it a fresh design. Finally, make sure the workplace has an up-to-date design. If it hasn’t been decorated in a while, now’s the time to change that. It’s estimated that by 2025, 75% of the UK’s workforce will be made up of millennials. They aren’t going to want to work for a company with out-of-date décor and equipment. Make a few changes now so you can secure and retain top talent in the not too distant future.
Regardless of your current budget, there’s always something you can do to ensure that your employees are happy, safe and productive.