Page 73 - Anne Bruce - Building A HIgh Morale Workplace (2002)

To Boost Morale, Alter the Environment 53

about art deco furniture and pretty wallpaper. The message is
this: love your people and they’ll love where they work.
Managers caring about people at every level in the organiza-

tion, treating them with respect and dignity, and caring about
their families is often enough to create an atmosphere that nur-
tures joy, employee satisfaction, and higher employee morale.

Spruce It Up and Shine It Up

Making people feel as comfortable as possible at work is a good
thing. So invite employees to polish up their work areas. If you

don’t have the budget to hire someone to make that happen,
ask your employees if they’d like to pitch in and help make
their workspaces more enjoyable, livable, inspirational, uplifting,
and brighter. Most managers quickly discover that employees
will jump at the chance to make their environment more attrac-

Pointers on Altering the Environment
Here are some tips for altering the work environment for a
more pleasing experience for everyone.
• Reduce noise levels when possible. Show your employees you’re
aware that noises can be distracting.When possible, use sound barri-
ers or sound-deadening board (available in most hardware stores) in
walls or cubicles. It’s OK to ask employees to keep the racket down
when others are trying to concentrate or meet a deadline.Talk to
your louder employees about their volume. Lots of times an
employee doesn’t even realize that he or she is talking too loudly
and distracting from the work environment.
• Give ’em their space. If you can’t alter or enlarge the spatial area
around each employee, then at least try to maintain some areas of
large, uncluttered, open space, where employees can go to take a
breather.A larger, less cluttered space gives people a feeling of relax-
ation and counteracts any feelings of claustrophobia.
• Cheer things up. If the workspace is getting a little old and looking
run down, ask employees if they’d like to have a work party to
brighten things up.You’d be surprised what a fresh coat of paint,
some cool picture frames, and a simple window treatment or two
can do to calm nerves, reduce stress, and create a generally more
pleasing environment—and all for a reasonable amount of money.