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Your physical environment affects your mood, no matter how much you try to ignore it. Spending your work days in a dark, cold room is depressing for everyone. A poor physical environment in the workplace does more than depress your workers: their productivity is also affected. Comfortable, happy employees not only appreciate their workplace, but they also get more done. Improving the workplace environment costs money upfront but delivers excellent long-term returns. You'll build a stronger and more profitable team when you pay attention to these issues.

Fluorescent lighting is a poor substitute for natural light. In addition to the poor lighting, many offices and factories have few windows that allow in sunlight. Dim, dark interiors have a negative effect on workers, leading to low levels of , a hormone that helps regulate mood. Lack of sunlight can also cause low levels of vitamin D, which is needed to maintain bone health and to fight off various diseases, including certain cancers and digestive conditions.

You will get healthier, happier workers if you let the sunshine in. Something as simple as sunlight can boost your employees moods, sleep (ironically), blood pressure, and promotes weight loss. The benefits of a little sunshine can definitely improve your workplace as well as your employee's productivity. Think of your employees like plants that need sunlight and water to produce growth!

Workers also prize sunlight in their environment. In fact, a recent shows that they prefer access to sunlight over a workplace cafeteria and onsite childcare. And giving them light benefits you. The availability of natural light can raise productivity by approximately two percent.

Temperature

In a large work environment, finding a temperature that everyone agrees on is impossible. However, when employees are sweating or freezing, they simply are not being as productive as they could be. As important as it is to save money on energy bills, it's just as important to maintain the temperature of your office to increase productivity.

Although experts disagree on what the best temperature for workers is, it should be noted that the low to mid 70s seems to keep employees happy. OSHA recommends that the temperature remains somewhere between 68 and 76 degrees. One tip to follow can be communicating between your employees and asking how cold or hot they'd like the office to be. This way, you'll be able to gauge what temperature to leave the office at thus creating a productive work environment.

Too many property owners choose bland for every wall in their building, often out of convenience sake. These bland colors can induce depressive emotions which in turn de-motivates employees.Humans naturally yearn for color, and adding various shades to your physical plant can help your employees remain more alert and productive. Colors offer subliminal symbolism that boosts the environment as well as moods of recipients.

Yellow and orange exudes energy therefore, considering it in moderation within your office can improve productivity. Greens and blues add visual interest but are also soothing and relaxing, perfect for when employees feel the stress of meeting deadlines. Too much beige and off-white can be oppressive, so using these colors in splashes may be nice.

Some people function well in a noisy environment, but many others do not. And the open floor plan of many businesses means the noise can simply get out of hand, increasing stress and lowering productivity. While you cannot create a silent workplace, you can take steps to lower the volume. You might invest in noise-canceling headphones or create areas in the office where workers can go to work in quiet. Just be aware that too much noise means your workers cannot reach their peak of productivity.

Creating a worker-friendly environment means creating a pleasing physical space as well as a positive work culture. Your workers are affected by their surroundings. If your business is dim, cold and beige, their work will suffer. Even a small increase in worker productivity can have a significant impact on your company's profits. So take the time to evaluate your physical space and make it pleasant to ultimately help your employees feel more productive.

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Changing the Work Environment to Improve Productivity - USAFact, Inc.

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Your physical environment affects your mood, no matter how much you try to ignore it. Spending your work days in a dark, cold room is depressing for everyone. A poor physical environment in the workplace does more than depress your workers: their productivity is also affected.

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Being a team player is a sought-after quality by employers and recruiters, but do you know what type of team player you are?

Click here to take our quiz

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Being a team player is a sought-after quality by employers and recruiters, but do you know what type of team player you are?...

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Please select a country in the dropdown menu below to see the values for the 6 dimensions. After a first country has been selected, a second and even a third country can be chosen to be able to see a comparison of their scores.

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Want to boost recruitment and retention? Make sure you offer your employees a fun, supportive and highly creative work environment.

Many creative professionals are right-brainers who see the world a little differently than others, and they often invest themselves emotionally in their jobs. So, their work environment needs to be an engaging one that allows them to stretch their skills, find inspiration, and do their best work throughout the entire project life cycle.

What does the ideal creative work environment look like? As you probably guessed, there's not one right answer. But if you toured the offices of some of the most successful creative agencies and in-house teams, you'd likely notice some commonalities.

What might those commonalities be, and how can you use them to establish a space and culture that fuels employee fulfillment and innovation? Consider the following seven elements of a highly creative work environment.

For creatives, the ideal workplace …

1. Celebrates people and their work

The greatest driver of happiness for creative and marketing professionals is doing worthwhile work, according to research published in The Secrets of the Happiest Companies and Employees, a guide from our company that you can use to increase satisfaction levels in your office. The second most important factor for creatives is feeling appreciated for their work.

Be sure your staff feels valued, and regularly remind individual employees about how essential their contributions are to helping the team achieve its big-picture goals.

A supportive work environment is also one where success is lauded. For instance, does your office have a "brag board" where people can post projects they're proud of? Are employees recognized for going above and beyond? Do you encourage team outings to celebrate a big completed job? These are low-cost, easy-to-implement approaches you can adopt immediately.

2. Reflects employees' interests

Creative staffers often come from different backgrounds, possess a wide range of skills and pursue a variety of activities outside work. Whether you allow employees to bring their dogs to the office, tackle individual or team-focused side projects, or express their personal fashion style, the ideal work environment celebrates this diversity and lets creatives be themselves and feel at home.

3. Encourages collaboration and communication

Creative work rarely happens in a vacuum; it thrives on collaboration and the cross-pollination of ideas. The ideal office is set up to make it easy for team members to work together, with ample communal space for people to meet up and swap ideas.

On a related note, nothing throttles the creative process like the failure to communicate. In a work environment where top-quality creative work and openness are valued, even difficult conversations and critiques are welcome. Maintain an open-door policy and keep the communication lines clear.

4. Allows ample time for projects

You can’t rush the creative process. Pad in enough time for your team to deliver its best work. Nearly half of advertising and marketing managers surveyed by The Creative Group said the planning phase of a project is the most labor-intensive and time-consuming. So be sure to develop timelines appropriately. (View the full survey results in the infographic below.)

5. Sets a tone of risk-taking

Many creative professionals feel their organization doesn’t take enough creative risks. In the same survey, 53 percent of advertising and marketing managers said their team plays it too safe with projects. Risk is an inherent part of a creative process that's intended to produce brilliant ideas. Don’t micromanage employees — rather, empower them to make bold decisions and push the envelope when appropriate.

6. Fosters innovation

The most prolific idea generators are those who understand the importance of refilling their creative wells. They know that creativity stems from gathering a wide variety of experiences, engaging with an array of people and making connections between existing ideas to create something new and impactful. The ideal work environment sparks inspiration by encouraging staffers to get out of the office to explore and even pursue creative passion projects.

7. Promotes learning and teaching

In the optimal work environment, employees are encouraged to grow by learning from their colleagues and taking on projects that introduce them to new techniques or skills. Whether it’s paying for staff members to go to industry conferences or allowing them to attend training events during work hours, make sure you support employees in their professional development pursuits — and then ask them to share what they learn with their colleagues.

Considering how much time you and your employees spend on the job, it’s important that the work environment where everyone spends those hours is filled with positive energy and happiness. These seven tips can guide you in creating the ideal creative workplace!

Does your office design fuel inspiration? Check out our post on creative workspace solutions now!

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7 Elements of a Highly Creative Work Environment

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Want to boost recruitment and retention? Make sure you offer your employees a fun, supportive and highly creative work environment.

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Igniting creativity to transform corporate culture: Catherine Courage at TEDxKyoto 2012

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HERE ARE SOME EXERCISES I USE WITH SCIENCES COM SOME COULD BE USEFUL

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HERE ARE SOME EXERCISES I USE WITH SCIENCES COM SOME COULD BE USEFUL

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one of Matt beall s favorites

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audio

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THIS CAN BE DONE PERIODICALLY ; iT GETS THE STUDENTS TO CHOOSE A TOPIC IN THE PRESS AND PRESENT TO THE REST OF THE CLASS; IGNITES DEBATES VERY QUICKLY

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DIFFERENT ROLE PLAYS AND METHODOLOGY

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SOME ADVICE ON HOW TO PRONOUNCE DIFFICULT WORDS

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A POEM TO HELP THEM THROUGH....