As an office manager a normal day typically involves overseeing the daily operations and administrative functions of an office. Being an office manager requires a balanced combination of leadership, organisational and communication skills. As well as the ability to manage staff and office operations effectively.
Building healthy relationships and keeping staff moral up is crucial to running a successful office. However due to the pandemic more and more people are choosing to work from home for most of their working week, spending less time in the office. Encouraging staff to come into the office can be a challenge, but it is an easy one to try and overcome. In this blog we will give you our tips and tricks on how to ensure you have a happy, healthy, and well-balanced office environment. It is important to create a space that encourages employees to want to come into the office, rather than forcing them to come in. By creating a positive work culture and addressing any challenges that some employees may have, you can create a workplace that your employees are excited and look forward to being a part of.
What benefits can you offer?
We have put together a list of benefits that you can offer your employees to encourage them into the office. Before making any major changes to the office you can start by making some small changes that will go a long way in increasing the effectiveness of the benefits you plan to offer.
First of all, ensure that the office is clean, comfortable and well-equipped with the necessary tools and resources needed for all employees to do their job productively.
Consider offering flexible work arrangements, such as flexible start and end times, the option to choose the days in which they can work from home or even an extra 30-minute break that can be taken once or twice a week whenever they need it.
Listen to your employees! Make sure you employees feel like they can come to you with concerns or to address any challenges that may make coming into the office difficult for them. Bare in mind that this can include things like transportation, health and safety concerns or even personal commitments outside of work.
Create a positive work environment that encourages social interaction amongst colleagues, this can be through teamwork client tasks, pre-arranged group lunches, team building activities or even after work social events. This will be a massive help in fostering a sense of community in the workplace.
Finally, lead by example. As the office manager you need to set an example, you can easily do this by regularly coming in the office to demonstrate the benefits of being in the workplace. Highlight the advantages, such as the ability to collaborate with colleagues easily and having access to lots of useful resources that may not be available in a home office.
Coffee machines
Adding a coffee machine to the office will create a positive workplace environment and is reportedly known to enhance productivity and reduce stress. Providing your employees with good coffee is sure to give them a boost and make them feel valued. A coffee machine is also very convenient as it allows employees to make coffee quickly and easily at any time without having to leave the office. While getting a coffee machine for the office may have an initial cost, it will hep save you and your employees money in the long run by eliminating the need for purchasing a coffee everyday from a coffee shop.
Snack pantry
Some office managers get worried about the idea of adding a snack pantry to the office for employees to enjoy free of cost. However, statistics show that offering a well-stocked snack pantry in the office all year round is a positive thing, with very few people abusing the kind gesture by taking too much and most employees only visiting the pantry to take things they need as and when. Keeping a well-stocked pantry filled with healthy and delicious snacks for employees is beneficial for both the employees and the company itself. It is known to boost morale, build rapport, and even increase employee productivity, there are not many reasons why this should not be a feature in every office. In addition to promoting healthy eating habits, having a snack pantry can also foster a sense of community among co-workers as it provides the opportunity for employees to interact with each other, share food and take breaks together.
When implementing a workplace snack pantry it is important to consider the preferences and dietary requirements of employees. At Fruit4London we have a variety of healthy snacks and office set fruit baskets that will help keep your snack pantries well-stocked.
Free gym memberships
Offer your employees a free gym membership. Now this may seem like a big cost but it is less than expected as some gyms offer corporate memberships. If you like the idea of this but you don’t have the full budget, employees would still appreciate the chance to have a reduced membership, for example offer a 25% or 50% discount if they sign up to the chosen gym through the company.
While we talk a lot about creating a happy healthy office through food, creating a physically healthy office is just as important as this will encourage your employees to stay active. This is also known to help improve with the following:
- It can encourage employees to look after their mental and physical health.
- Keeps employees healthy and happy.
- Has been known to reduce turnover.
- Helps with fostering a sense of community as the office can bond over this shared experience.
Book or film clubs
A club is great way to involve your employees in a shared experience they can bond over and form deeper connections on. It is also a great way for people to get to know each other better. As we come out the other side of a pandemic people’s social skills are not what they used to be, however with a book or film club the talking points are already in place to help the conversation flow. A book or film club will help increase trust and transparency among team members, discussing everyone’s opinions in the club will allow your team to form a great sense of ownership and team spirit.
Both book and film clubs are a great way to socialise, share ideas and gain insights into different perspectives within your team. They can also be a fun way to discover new books and movies that you may not have considered or otherwise come across.
Please note this should be offered as an optional experience for your employees, do not force anyone to take part in the club if they don’t want to.
Team lunches
As a company you and your staff will reap the benefits from encouraging your employees to eat together. The purpose of a team lunch is to boost morale, employees who share communal lunches are known to have an increased productivity rate. Having team lunches also ensures that people are taking their lunch break and having time away from their desks, this is very important as it helps promote a positive work balance. Taking a break from work to enjoy a delicious meal can also improve wellness and employee engagement. More offices have recommended and encouraged the idea of providing employees with free meals to help ease the back-to-office transition.
A productive workplace
Overall, a healthy and well-balanced workplace is one that focuses on the well-being and satisfaction of its employees, creating an environment where they can thrive both personally and professionally. If you value and invest in your employees and you’ll see the benefits of increased productivity as they become happier in the workplace.
Book an Office Fruit Delivery to motivate your team
If you’d like to arrange an office fruit delivery, to provide your employees with a range of organic, high-quality, healthy snacks, then get in touch with our team today.