How to Start Changing an Unhealthy Work Environment?

An unhealthy work environment has a high turnover rate, which causes low productivity and efficiency due to employees leaving every now and then. People working in such environments are not motivated enough to work; however, it's more of a necessitation that keeps them attached to the company.

In this article, you will learn how such environments can be turned. Read on and find out!

Negative Effects of an Unhealthy Work Environment

Before you turn your unhealthy environment into a healthy one, you need to learn what an unhealthy work environment looks like and the way it affects your workers.

An unhealthy work environment is where you won't find all the necessary equipment required to carry out daily routine tasks. People get stressed and burned out due to uncomfortable seating, low-quality equipment, low communication, pervasive office gossip, and poorly defined core values. In the end, all these factors contribute to the employee leaving the organization. 

Importance of Addressing and Improving Workspace Conditions

Reduces Absenteeism

Improving your workspace will allow you to keep your employees healthy and active. Active and healthy employees are less likely to get absent due to health issues. This would not only keep your workforce consistent for a longer period but also increase their productivity and efficiency throughout the day.

Increases Employee Morale

Employee morale is the most essential element that needs to be sky-high the moment they enter the office. This is only possible when you provide them with an office environment that keeps the employees motivated and ready to work.

Reduces Stress Levels

Stress is one of the signs of an unhealthy work environment. Working under stress not only affects the overall quality of work but also affects the way the stressed employee interacts with others in the office. The stressful mindset is then spread, and the whole office environment gets adversely and severely affected. A healthy environment with an adjusted workload solves such problems effectively.

Decreases Healthcare Costs

Healthcare costs are quite high in most of the firms these days. These healthcare costs can be reduced drastically if your employees are fit and healthy. They would claim fewer medical bills and produce more quality work for you.

Decreases Turnover Rate

High turnover rate is one of the consequences and examples of an unhealthy work environment. A satisfied employee working in a healthy work environment would never prefer to leave his or her place. You will notice a drastic decrease in turnover rate once the solutions mentioned below have been implemented.

Encourages Collaboration

It is important for employees to have good communication and collaboration with each other. It opens opportunities for new ideas and creative ways to solve a problem. Working in groups also allows your employees to improve their teamwork and understand each other well, and a healthy environment provides the perfect platform for it.

Solutions for an Unhealthy Work Environment

Use Ergonomic Furniture

Ergonomic office furniture is made specifically for the comfort of your employees. Furniture items such as standing desks and ergonomic chairs provide comfort to the workers by keeping the spine in position and the body in perfect posture to work for long hours. You can also use desk mats and leg rest for better blood circulation, allowing you to stay on the desk for longer periods without getting tired. On the other hand, standing desks allow your employees to work while standing as well. This activates the muscles and keeps the body moving and active.

Implement a Sit-Stand Schedule

Implementing a sit-stand schedule is absolutely crucial in maintaining a healthy work environment. Working while standing to burn more calories and keep the body active. However, your employees can’t stand or sit all day. So, you need to set a schedule for your employees to follow. The golden ratio for sit/stand is 3:1. For people with age 40 or above can drop it down to 3:2 sit/stand.

Hire People That Matches Your Culture

Always try to hire people that match the culture you want to build in your office. People with similar mindsets are more likely to work together and collaborate. If you keep the culture factor aside, you are more likely to notice clashes between employees, which will disrupt the whole office environment.

Reward High Achievers

The high achievers should be rewarded with a medal or something that increases their recognition among others. They can also be rewarded with some bonuses to encourage them to work more. A reward system is the best way to keep your employees motivated.

Understand Your Employees

To understand your employees, make sure you are resilient and flexible to avoid an unhealthy work environment. Making your office environment healthy needs you to be caring as well. The balance of hard and soft tones makes the employee focused and dedicated to his or her job.

Change Destructive with Constructive Criticism

Destructive criticism breaks the person from the inside, so make sure you turn it into constructive criticism. The choice of words to explain or rectify a mistake of your employee matters the most in these situations. This is a key factor that affects the growth of your employee at his job.

Encourage Healthy Diet

Physical health is as important as mental health, and it can only be ensured if you get a proper diet. Encouraging your people to eat a healthy diet in the office would increase their capacity to work and prevent an unhealthy work environment.

Manage Workload

Managing the workload is one thing that most people seem to neglect. Working over time and more than your capacity may sound profitable when it's actually not. Make sure to manage your workload by giving yourself and your employees breaks during the day. It will not only make them feel fresh and active for the work ahead but also improve the quality of work produced at the end.