6 ways to work better
Office interior and minor changes in habits can increase productivity by up to 30%. To understand how to better equip your workplace, how to dilute working life and what to expect from your current or potential employer, it is worth exploring the research and how they are taken into account in the life of companies and their inhabitants.
Its importance was proved by Harvard scientists, whose research demonstrated the dependence of the efficiency of human labor on air quality. In the "fresh" premises, employees work 61% better, and in some cases double.
By the way, temperature standards for workplaces are regulated by law. If the thermometer reaches 28-32 degrees or falls below 20, you can safely demand to reduce your working day. In fact, this is unlikely to work, but you can take the risk. In any case, this right you give sanitary standards.
Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory in one of its studies has proven the positive effect of daylight on human productivity. So, choosing a workplace do not hide in the far corner, and sit closer to the window, it is desirable that it had blinds in case of bright sun. Working exclusively with artificial light, you risk feeling lethargy within a couple of hours after the start of the working day.
There are more and more open offices in the world. The risks of getting into them and working under the sounds of typing on a computer keyboard and conversations of colleagues increase with each passing day. Of course, there are advantages in open space, for example, there is always someone to talk about with or without business. A significant minus is that notorious office noise, the negative impact of which is proved by the empirical study Stress and Noise in an Open Office, published in the scientific journal Journal of Applied Psychology. In the experiment, all subjects were divided into two groups of 20 people. The first twenty spent several hours in a room with office noise. The remaining 20 were more fortunate - they sat in silence. A couple of hours each of the subjects were given to solve puzzles. People who were in conditions of noise gave up very quickly, which cannot be said about those who were in a calm atmosphere - they showed more persistence in solving puzzles.
Office layout does not always allow to minimize noise or find a quiet corner, but this should be pursued. For example, it is possible to allocate one room for silence in which it will be forbidden to talk. So did the international provider of payment solutions - the company ECommPay. The truth is, in fact, it turned out that people sometimes come to the room to talk on the phone, but if someone came just after the silence, those who like to talk are deleted.
ECommPay Office
“At least 10,000 steps should be done on a day,” scientists say, and we, for the most part, do not listen to them.
Meanwhile, a study was conducted in the UK by the non-profit organization The Social Issues Research Center. It turned out that sport is an excellent reason to talk with colleagues for 53% of the men surveyed and 16% of women. 40% and 47% noted that physical activity has a positive effect on their labor efficiency. Only 3% said that sport destructively affects their productivity. If you do not fall into these few percent - there is a reason to stir.
In our country, most often, employees are offered a choice between insurance and payment of expenses for a fitness club. I am glad that more and more companies are creating corporate gyms right in the office. When you can train in them depends on the company policy. Some go to meet their employees, allowing them to play sports at any time, reallocating working hours, if necessary.
Of course, maintaining a healthy mind in a healthy body is the personal responsibility of each of us, but it's nice to know that more and more companies take care of their employees, unobtrusively encouraging them to play sports. In Yandex, for example, there is a dance hall, at ECommPay, the sports area is equipped with iron and cardio equipment, and various aerobics, yoga and wrestling trainers are invited to the office. Mail.ru generally roll the rink for the winter.
Skating rink in the office Mail.ru
Gym in the office Kaspersky
Social development of the individual occurs in communication. It is in the process of communication that the human psyche develops, its cultural and conscious behavior is formed. When we grow up, nothing changes, therefore, for your personal growth and increase in productivity, you should find time at work not only for everyday activities, but also for communicating with colleagues, and without a twinge of conscience.
The same could be advised to you by Bank of America employees, whose experiment was covered in the Wall Street Journal. As part of the study, employees of a financial institution wore sensors that recorded their movement and time spent in communication. It turned out that the more talkative are more productive, and the silent people are less nimble in the performance of their work duties. After such a discovery, regular networking breaks were introduced in the bank, which increased the efficiency of the organization’s employees by 10%.
In order to have their employees to communicate informally, many companies organize social zones in their offices. The company Odin full of comfortable sofas, in which one wants to fall apart. Microsoft organized the whole VIP lounge with a fireplace and access to the terrace. ECommpay generally singled out the floor of the floor for formal and informal meetings.
Lounge area in Odin
Lounge area in ECommPay
Based on the above, you can strongly advise to communicate at work without guilt. If the company organizes formal or informal events - participate.
Let the need to regularly water the plant does not stop you from buying it and then placing it on your desktop. Researches of scientists from the University of Cardiff showed that greens increase productivity by 15%, and its contemplation reduces stress and tension.
Russian enterprises are now adopting the trend of the European market and “reviving” their offices with hydroponic walls. These are such walls from living plants, more often those that we used to see in pots on our table or windowsill.
"Living" walls in the office of Yandex
During work, they drink a lot of coffee and tea, but with working people water has a more complicated relationship. The results of a study conducted in the States show that 80% of their residents do not drink enough water for their bodies. With a lack of water of only one percent of human weight, productivity decreases by 12%, so drinking is extremely important. In order not to run constantly with your mug to the cooler, get a sports bottle.
Almost all of the above methods are implemented by an effort of will, some require financial investments, others are feasible with the support of colleagues and employers, but you can always start with something simple.
1. Highly efficient climate technology
Its importance was proved by Harvard scientists, whose research demonstrated the dependence of the efficiency of human labor on air quality. In the "fresh" premises, employees work 61% better, and in some cases double.
By the way, temperature standards for workplaces are regulated by law. If the thermometer reaches 28-32 degrees or falls below 20, you can safely demand to reduce your working day. In fact, this is unlikely to work, but you can take the risk. In any case, this right you give sanitary standards.
2. Optimal lighting
Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory in one of its studies has proven the positive effect of daylight on human productivity. So, choosing a workplace do not hide in the far corner, and sit closer to the window, it is desirable that it had blinds in case of bright sun. Working exclusively with artificial light, you risk feeling lethargy within a couple of hours after the start of the working day.
3. Silent places
There are more and more open offices in the world. The risks of getting into them and working under the sounds of typing on a computer keyboard and conversations of colleagues increase with each passing day. Of course, there are advantages in open space, for example, there is always someone to talk about with or without business. A significant minus is that notorious office noise, the negative impact of which is proved by the empirical study Stress and Noise in an Open Office, published in the scientific journal Journal of Applied Psychology. In the experiment, all subjects were divided into two groups of 20 people. The first twenty spent several hours in a room with office noise. The remaining 20 were more fortunate - they sat in silence. A couple of hours each of the subjects were given to solve puzzles. People who were in conditions of noise gave up very quickly, which cannot be said about those who were in a calm atmosphere - they showed more persistence in solving puzzles.
Office layout does not always allow to minimize noise or find a quiet corner, but this should be pursued. For example, it is possible to allocate one room for silence in which it will be forbidden to talk. So did the international provider of payment solutions - the company ECommPay. The truth is, in fact, it turned out that people sometimes come to the room to talk on the phone, but if someone came just after the silence, those who like to talk are deleted.
ECommPay Office
4. Sports during work
“At least 10,000 steps should be done on a day,” scientists say, and we, for the most part, do not listen to them.
Meanwhile, a study was conducted in the UK by the non-profit organization The Social Issues Research Center. It turned out that sport is an excellent reason to talk with colleagues for 53% of the men surveyed and 16% of women. 40% and 47% noted that physical activity has a positive effect on their labor efficiency. Only 3% said that sport destructively affects their productivity. If you do not fall into these few percent - there is a reason to stir.
In our country, most often, employees are offered a choice between insurance and payment of expenses for a fitness club. I am glad that more and more companies are creating corporate gyms right in the office. When you can train in them depends on the company policy. Some go to meet their employees, allowing them to play sports at any time, reallocating working hours, if necessary.
Of course, maintaining a healthy mind in a healthy body is the personal responsibility of each of us, but it's nice to know that more and more companies take care of their employees, unobtrusively encouraging them to play sports. In Yandex, for example, there is a dance hall, at ECommPay, the sports area is equipped with iron and cardio equipment, and various aerobics, yoga and wrestling trainers are invited to the office. Mail.ru generally roll the rink for the winter.
Skating rink in the office Mail.ru
Gym in the office Kaspersky
4. Communication
Social development of the individual occurs in communication. It is in the process of communication that the human psyche develops, its cultural and conscious behavior is formed. When we grow up, nothing changes, therefore, for your personal growth and increase in productivity, you should find time at work not only for everyday activities, but also for communicating with colleagues, and without a twinge of conscience.
The same could be advised to you by Bank of America employees, whose experiment was covered in the Wall Street Journal. As part of the study, employees of a financial institution wore sensors that recorded their movement and time spent in communication. It turned out that the more talkative are more productive, and the silent people are less nimble in the performance of their work duties. After such a discovery, regular networking breaks were introduced in the bank, which increased the efficiency of the organization’s employees by 10%.
In order to have their employees to communicate informally, many companies organize social zones in their offices. The company Odin full of comfortable sofas, in which one wants to fall apart. Microsoft organized the whole VIP lounge with a fireplace and access to the terrace. ECommpay generally singled out the floor of the floor for formal and informal meetings.
Lounge area in Odin
Lounge area in ECommPay
Based on the above, you can strongly advise to communicate at work without guilt. If the company organizes formal or informal events - participate.
5. Greens
Let the need to regularly water the plant does not stop you from buying it and then placing it on your desktop. Researches of scientists from the University of Cardiff showed that greens increase productivity by 15%, and its contemplation reduces stress and tension.
Russian enterprises are now adopting the trend of the European market and “reviving” their offices with hydroponic walls. These are such walls from living plants, more often those that we used to see in pots on our table or windowsill.
"Living" walls in the office of Yandex
6. Water
During work, they drink a lot of coffee and tea, but with working people water has a more complicated relationship. The results of a study conducted in the States show that 80% of their residents do not drink enough water for their bodies. With a lack of water of only one percent of human weight, productivity decreases by 12%, so drinking is extremely important. In order not to run constantly with your mug to the cooler, get a sports bottle.
Almost all of the above methods are implemented by an effort of will, some require financial investments, others are feasible with the support of colleagues and employers, but you can always start with something simple.
All Articles