Would you like to work in a team that solves creative and non-standard tasks, where employees are friendly, smiling and creative, where they are satisfied with their work, where they strive to be efficient and successful, where the spirit of a real team reigns, which itself and continuously develops?
Of course yes.
We deal with management, labor organization and HR issues. Our specialization is teams and companies that create an intellectual product. And our clients want to work in such teams, create such teams and manage such companies.
Also because such companies have more operational efficiency, profit per employee and more chances to win in the competition. Such companies are also called turquoise.
And that's where we start.
We often start with questions about managing the work environment.
The concept is simple: there are factors that hinder work - they must be gradually leveled, there are factors that promote work - they must be turned on and gradually activated.
The key word is gradually. Step by step. Systemically.
Details under the cut.
Of course, we know about kanban, dashboards, KPIs, project management and SCRUM.
But there are basic factors that will bring us closer, faster, easier and cheaper to the goodwill, creativity and efficiency of the team and the company.
Of course, without canceling SCRUM.
So, questions about managing the work environment.
Question one. What about the microclimate?
No, not in a team. What about the physical and chemical characteristics of the air in the office?
The problem is that good and very good offices in Moscow are usually warm, dry and have little oxygen. Why? A cultural habit or typical settings of the ventilation and air conditioning system, or climate features, when either heating or air conditioning is on for 9 months a year.
Let us consider in more detail. Air temperature.
Normal, stimulating active brain activity, temperature - up to + 21C.
A typical office temperature - above +23C - is ideal for falling asleep, but not for work.
For comparison: in the offices of Shanghai, Singapore, UAE, etc. by our standards, it is quite cool - less than + 20C.
Relative humidity.
Typical office humidity, especially when air conditioning or heating is running, is less than 50%.
Normal for a healthy person: 50-70%.
Why is it important? With low humidity in the respiratory tract, the mucus rheology changes (it dries up), local immunity decreases and, consequently, susceptibility to respiratory infections increases.
One humidifier in the office saves at least one working week spent in the fight against SARS (in terms of a year).
About carbon dioxide. With an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide, the central nervous system of a person is gradually inhibited and he, as it were, falls asleep. Why is there a lot of it in offices? Because ventilation and air conditioning are two different things. And the first often does not work.
Question two. Water.
Water-salt balance is a very significant factor in the functioning of the brain and the whole organism. 80% of droppers that are placed in hospitals around the world are water-salt solutions. And it helps.
Most offices have potable water, although not always.
But there are nuances. Psychological and cultural.
Imagine: the cooler is in the next office, five meters away.
This is problem? Yes.
People sitting near the cooler consider the water to be “their own”, due to the genetically determined habit of protecting their source from strangers. Therefore, a hike for five meters is stressful for the thirsty, and an extra reason for aggression for the "keepers". And so begins the confrontation of departments, genetically determined.
cultural nuance. In Russia, it is not customary to drink water. A person drinking water is of keen interest: something is wrong with him. Drinking tea and coffee is fine. Water - no.
However, coffee and tea have a clear diuretic effect - that is, they effectively remove water from the body. As a result: the more coffee without water, the worse the brain works. Although the American and European habits of carrying water with you not only for fitness, but also for meetings, are gradually taking root.
Conclusion: water should be freely available to everyone and without "custodians".
Question three. Where can you eat?
The topic is so obvious, how poorly solved.
I don’t want to go into the specifics of a healthy diet, but the theses that most experts agree with are as follows:
- eat little and often;
- sweets are not the basis of a healthy diet;
- thinking is an energy-consuming process.
A typical Moscow "solution" looks like this: in 15 minutes there is a cafe / canteen / restaurant where there is a business lunch and queues. The office has "cookies" and sweets, and what the employees brought with them. But you can’t eat at the workplace, and there’s nowhere to have breakfast and dinner.
We compare the "standard solution" with the theses above. Doesn't beat.
Google research is unequivocal that access to healthy food within 150 feet of the workplace is a factor that significantly improves employee satisfaction and performance.
Let's add from the Russian experience: ordering food for a couple of hundred rubles per employee per day (excluding corporate discounts) gives an increase of an hour and a half to their, employees, vigorous activity.
know-how. In one Russian IT company, breakfast stopped serving at exactly 9:50 in the morning, and dinner began at exactly seven. It is obvious how this affected the discipline.
Question four. Do you see the sun?
Example: Skolkovo, Technopark.
Sample and standard of office and innovative design.
However, in half of the offices, the windows face the covered atrium.
And for a quarter of the year, half of the workers in the Technopark do not see the sun in the morning (it has not yet risen), in the evening (it has already set) and in the afternoon (if they do not smoke).
Why is it important? Lack of sun means lack of melatonin. The most rapid manifestations are a decrease in activity, self-esteem, mood and the development of dysphoria.
Conclusion: closed balconies, verandas and rooftops interfere with productivity. But walks at lunchtime - quite increase it.
By the way, can you walk?
In the office, down the corridor, down the street? Can I get up at meetings?
These questions are not only about the physical form.
For insights, insights, intuition and creativity, the “kinesthetic” parts of the brain are responsible, the same as for movements.
Roughly speaking: in the movement it is much easier to “catch an idea”, as well as to “utilize” excess stress hormones.
Is it possible to move the desktop?
Swap places without management approval?
Sitting not at the table, but somewhere else?
The following phenomenon works here: changing the point of view on the office space often changes the point of view on the subject of thinking. And a view of the horizon is better than a view of the wall: looking at the wall rarely leads to global thoughts.
Is it possible to sit so that there is no one behind you?
Someone behind your back - increases anxiety and brings burnout closer.
And you can’t get away from this - again, it is genetically determined.
Is it really important to see an employee's monitor if he has a mobile?
Here we are approaching the concept "Personalization of the workplace".
A personalized workplace (or office) decorated with toys, amulets, books, posters and three monitors is a sign of involvement and the development of work-life balance. And clean and tidy tables - on the contrary.
In one line, we mention noise.
Here are the standards: . See Table 2.
Last question. Can you sleep at work?
It still sounds provocative. But not always and not everywhere.
There will be a separate article on this topic based on the materials of our special study.
So, here are 7 key factorsthat define the working environment:
1. Air.
2. Water.
3. Food.
4. The sun.
5. Mobility.
6. Personalization of jobs.
7. Noise level.
Solving these simple and "everyday" questions is often enough to increase goodwill, responsiveness, the development of "team spirit" and a good basis for starting the implementation of something wonderful, for example, PRINCE2.
Work environment management as a system process.
The concept is simple: there are factors that hinder work - they must be gradually leveled, there are factors that promote work - they must be turned on and gradually activated.
And there is an almost universal and systemic mechanism:
- regular (at least quarterly) staff surveys;
- choosing (at least one) that will make the life of employees better;
- solution implementation;
- improvement of the implemented solution.
About cost economics. The solution of any of the described problems leads to an increase in labor productivity and a return that is many times greater than the cost of implementation. All these are extremely attractive projects from an investment point of view.
And the market and industry leaders have proven this to be true.
Source: habr.com