16/05/2019

Workplace design and the employee engagement effect

A global study has shockingly found that only 13 percent of workers across the globe are highly engaged and highly satisfied with their workplace^[1]. But what is employee engagement and what effect does it have on a business?

What is employee engagement?

It’s not hard to see why an engaged workforce is a benefit to a business. Engaged employees believe in the work they are doing and are more present, focused and energised which leads to a motivated, productive and efficient workforce.

Why engagement is important

With competition for the best talent in the job market fiercer than ever, finding ways to entice the best and brightest workers is a key consideration for many employers. However, perhaps even more important is retaining that talent.

Taking into consideration the cost and time it takes to train new staff; employers can’t afford to continuously lose new employees. However, if workers aren’t engaged with their job, there is every chance of a high staff turnover.

Even if they don’t leave in search of greener grass, employees not completely present and focused won’t produce their best work. Not fully utilising your employees’ talents is a huge mistake as engaged employees can be the difference in making business endeavours successful.

So, what can businesses do to encourage employee engagement?

Improve facilities

To improve your workspace, consider the facilities available. When looking at creating a break out area for staff, including an advanced drinking water system will bring with it many benefits. It’s no secret that drinking more water increases concentration, reduces downtime and fuels creativity, all while keeping staff happy and healthy.

A well-designed kitchen with a mains-fed filtered drinking water system at the centre can act as both a place for work and socialising; creating a setting where conversation can flow, and ideas can be nurtured.

With a Zip HydroTap, employees no longer have to wait for the kettle to boil and queue for drinks – another great way of increasing productivity. Our HydroTap range allows you to select your preferred combination of instant filtered boiling, chilled and sparkling drinking water. You can even opt for our WRAS-approved HydroTap All-in-One Arc, which offers all of the above plus unfiltered hot and cold water – all from a single tap. 

Additionally, our advanced filtration and energy efficient technology will help to ensure staff get all the benefits of the most advanced drinking water system on the market in their workplace.

Flexible design

Maximising engagement with office design isn’t just about colour schemes or a token sofa – it’s about creating separate or multifunctional spaces built to suit a variety of working styles.

Introducing private spaces, meeting rooms and breakout areas will all help to enhance your office space; creating a flexible work environment. Quiet, perhaps even soundproof areas will benefit those who need solitude and an area to focus, meeting rooms that can double as a place to brainstorm ideas will help get the best creativity out of a team and relaxing spaces stop employees from burning out.

In fact, a survey carried out by Dale Office Interiors saw one in five respondents saying that having a dedicated space to relax at work would help them to be more productive.

Creating a breakout area for staff to relax and have informal meetings away from their desks encourages a more engaged and collaborative culture within the company where staff can comfortably share skills and knowledge in an open space as well as recharge away from their screens.

Workplace design and engagement

In a flexible workspace, employees can choose the environment they work in to best suit the task they need to complete. Without having to compromise on their working conditions, levels of happiness and engagement can only increase. In fact, studies have shown that the more control employees have over where and how they work the more engaged they are.

Creating a flexible work space that can adapt to your staff and their needs is a simple way to ensure higher levels of employee engagement. An office that successfully utilises workplace design and facilities to fit the different day-to-day requirements of the workforce will see a boost in productivity, teamwork and take an invaluable step towards creating a more cohesive culture, all of which leads to a more profitable business.

You can view our full range of drinking water systems for the office and workplace.

 

[1] https://workplaceinsight.net/employee-engagement-role-workplace-design/