Would you like to work in a team that tackles creative and unconventional challenges, where employees are friendly, smiley, and creative, where they are satisfied with their work, aim to be effective and successful, and where there is a spirit of a true team that is continuously evolving?
Of course, yes.
We deal with management, labor organization, and HR issues. Our specialization is teams and companies that create intellectual products. Our clients want to work in such teams, build such teams, and manage such companies.
Also, because such companies have greater operational efficiency, profit per employee, and higher chances of success in competitive battles. These companies are also referred to as teal organizations.
And this is where we start.
We often begin with questions about managing the work environment.
The concept is simple: there are factors that hinder work — they need to be gradually mitigated, and there are factors that promote work — they need to be included and gradually activated.
The key word is gradually. Step by step. Systematically.
Details below.
Of course, we know about Kanban, dashboards, KPIs, project management, and SCRUM.
But there are fundamental factors that can bring us closer to friendliness, creativity, and the effectiveness of the team and company more quickly, easily, and cheaply.
Of course, without canceling SCRUM.
So, the questions about managing the work environment.
First question. What about the microclimate?
No, not in the team. But in terms of the physical and chemical characteristics of the air in the office?
The problem is that in good and very good offices in Moscow, it is usually warm, dry, and has low oxygen levels. Why? Cultural habits or the typical settings of the ventilation and air conditioning systems, or climate features where for 9 months a year either heating or air conditioning is in operation.
Let's take a closer look. Air temperature.
The optimal temperature that stimulates active brain activity is up to +21°C.
A typical office temperature — above +23°C — is ideal for falling asleep, but not for working.
For comparison: in offices in Shanghai, Singapore, the UAE, etc., it is quite cool according to our standards — below +20°C.
Relative air humidity.
Typical office humidity, especially with air conditioning or heating in operation, is less than 50%.
Normal for a healthy person: 50-70%.
Why is this important? When humidity is low in the respiratory tract, the rheology of mucus changes (it becomes dry), local immunity decreases, and consequently, susceptibility to respiratory infections increases.
One humidifier in the office saves at least one working week spent battling ARVI (when calculated over a year).
About carbon dioxide. As the concentration of carbon dioxide increases, the human CNS gradually becomes depressed, causing a kind of sleepiness. Why is there so much of it in offices? Because ventilation and air conditioning are different things. And the first often doesn’t work.
The second question. Water.
The water-salt balance is a very significant factor in the functioning of the brain and the entire body. 80% of the drips given in hospitals worldwide are saline solutions. And they help.
Most offices have drinking water, though not always.
But there are nuances. Psychological and cultural.
Imagine: the cooler is in the next office, five meters away.
Is this a problem? Yes.
People sitting near the cooler consider the water 'theirs' due to a genetically conditioned habit of protecting their source from outsiders. Therefore, going five meters is a stressor for the thirsty and an additional cause of aggression for the 'guards'. This is how interdepartmental confrontations begin, genetically predetermined.
Cultural nuance. In Russia, it is not customary to drink water. A person drinking water attracts close attention: something is wrong with them. Drinking tea or coffee is normal. Water – not so much.
However, coffee and tea have a marked diuretic effect – that is, they effectively remove water from the body. As a result: the more coffee without water, the worse the brain functions. Although American and European habits of carrying water not only for fitness but also for meetings are gradually taking root.
Conclusion: water must be freely available to everyone without 'guards'.
The third question. Where can you eat?
This topic is so obvious yet poorly addressed.
I don’t want to delve into the specifics of healthy eating, but the theses with which most specialists agree are as follows:
- you should eat often and little;
- sweets are not the foundation of healthy eating;
- thinking is an energy-consuming process.
A typical Moscow "solution" looks like this: there is a café/canteen/restaurant within 15 minutes that offers business lunches and has queues. In the office, there are "cookies" and sweets, along with whatever employees have brought from home. However, eating at the workplace is prohibited, and there is no place to have breakfast or dinner.
Comparing the "typical solution" with the theses above. It doesn't match.
Research from Google clearly indicates: access to healthy food within 150 feet of the workplace is a factor that significantly increases employee satisfaction and productivity.
Let's add from Russian experience: ordering food for a couple of hundred rubles per employee per day (excluding corporate discounts) adds an hour to an hour and a half to their active work time.
Know-How. In one Russian IT company, breakfast ceased to be served exactly at 9:50 AM, and dinner began at exactly 7 PM. It's obvious how this affected discipline.
The fourth question. Do you see the sun?
Example: Skolkovo, Technopark.
A model and benchmark for office and innovative design.
However, in half of the offices, the windows face into a covered atrium.
And for a quarter of the year, half of the employees in the Technopark do not see the sun in the morning (it hasn't risen yet), in the evening (it's already set), and during the day (if they aren't smoking).
Why is this important? The absence of sunlight leads to a lack of melatonin. The quickest manifestations: decreased activity, self-esteem, mood, and the development of dysphoria.
Conclusion: closed balconies, verandas, and roofs hinder productivity. However, walks during lunch significantly enhance it.
By the way, can you walk here?
In the office, in the corridor, on the street? Is it allowed to stand up during meetings?
These questions are not just about physical fitness.
Insights, revelations, intuition, and creativity are controlled by the "kinesthetic" regions of the brain, the same ones that govern movement.
Roughly speaking: capturing an idea is much easier in motion, as well as 'disposal' of excess stress hormones.
Can the desk be moved?
Can seats be changed without management's consent?
Can you sit somewhere else instead of at a desk?
Here, such a phenomenon works: changing the perspective on office space often changes the perspective on the subject of thought. And a view of the horizon is better than a view of a wall: staring at a wall rarely leads to profound thoughts.
Can you sit in a way that no one is behind you?
Someone behind – increases anxiety and leads to burnout.
And there's no escaping this – it's also genetically predetermined.
How important is it to see an employee's monitor if they have a mobile device?
Here we approach the concept of ‘personalization of the workspace’.
A personalized workspace (or office), decorated with toys, amulets, books, posters, and three monitors – is a sign of engagement and work-life balance development. On the contrary, neat and tidy desks are not.
In passing, let's mention noise.
Here are the standards: . See Table 2.
One last question. Is it permissible to sleep at work?
Still sounds provocative. But not always and not everywhere.
There will be a separate article on this topic based on our special research.
So, Here are 7 key factors, defining the work environment:
1. Air.
2. Water.
3. Food.
4. Sunlight.
5. Mobility.
6. Personalization of workspaces.
7. Noise level.
Addressing these simple and ‘domestic’ issues is often sufficient to enhance friendliness, responsiveness, foster a ‘team spirit,’ and provide a good foundation for implementing something remarkable, like PRINCE2.
Managing the work environment as a systematic process.
The concept is simple: there are factors that hinder work — they need to be gradually mitigated, and there are factors that promote work — they need to be included and gradually activated.
And there is practically a universal and systematic mechanism:
- regular (at least quarterly) employee surveys;
- selecting (at least one) action that will improve employees’ lives;
- implementing the decision;
- improving the implemented solution.
Regarding cost economics. Solving any of the described issues leads to increased productivity and returns that far exceed the costs of implementation. All this represents extremely attractive investment projects.
And market and industry leaders have proven this.
Source: habr.com
