The holiday season can often cast a shadow over the typical office – empty desks, unused meeting rooms and communal areas overcome with the debris of office celebrations.
While the impact may only be temporary, it can have an effect on employees’ morale and attention span – after all, research suggests a more pleasant working environment has a positive effect on productivity.
{{cta(‘5d66c3f7-b38e-47d5-9196-dc9913f43945’)}}
Taking charge of the situation is simpler than you may expect; with some pre-planning and thought, you can keep workspaces as dynamic as possible:
Utilising empty space
If many employees are absent over Christmas and New Year, it may be worthwhile to reevaluate desk and workspace usage to consolidate seating, particularly if your business is only operating with a skeleton staff throughout the period.
It may also be a good idea to consider temporarily closing off large areas that are completely empty – this may save on energy and cleaning costs, as well as allow present employees to feel less disconnected from each other.
Introducing flexibility
To bring about some holiday cheer, and to help you best take advantage of the resources available to you, you may want to allow employees to follow a flexible working scheme. This could mean working from home, or setting non-standard working hours – for example, letting parents of little ones attend Nativity plays, and catching up on work in the evening.
{{cta(‘201f7fb0-788d-4731-89c2-46a1593cde3d’)}}
Space for rent
Do you have ample space in the office? Many businesses take advantage of quieter times and rent out workspace – particularly meeting or function rooms that are more separated from main working areas.