8 Business Renovations That Improve Employee Comfort

When you design your office layout, you probably pay attention to factors such as the total cost and how various equipment will impact overall productivity. What about your human infrastructure? Keeping employee comfort in mind when planning your office renovation can boost their output.

Recent scientific literature reveals how the environment impacts productivity and the report card for many modern offices isn’t good. However, that means there’s an opportunity to improve during your next renovation.

What changes mean the most for your workforce — and, ultimately, your bottom line? Here are eight business renovations that improve employee comfort.

1. Upgraded Flooring

Warehouse-style designs came into vogue roughly around the time of the Industrial Revolution. Since then, people have learned a lot, which savvy business owners reflect in their renovations. Have you ever tried to concentrate amid the din of high heels on a concrete floor and the echo of voices bouncing off high ceilings? It’s enough to give the most patient folks a raging headache.

Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a fortune to improve your floor. Vinyl and laminate are softer than wood, tile or concrete, dulling the din so your workers can hear each other speak without shouting. They’re easier to keep clean than carpets and are similarly easy on the feet and joints. Harder surfaces can lead to foot, knee and back pain from the impact, resulting in missed work days. These options are also among your most affordable.

2. Lighting Enhancements

Do some of your employees complain of frequent headaches? The reason for their pain could lurk overhead if you have the standard fluorescent lighting that appears in many office complexes. Instead, opt for softer track lighting in warm tones that minimize eye strain. Desk and floor lamps provide additional illumination where you need it.

Better yet, use natural light whenever possible. Research shows exposure to nature increases performance and vitality, helping employees thrive in the workplace. Even gazing at such scenes reduces stress and boosts productivity. What if your location lacks windows? If you can’t install skylights, consider smaller solar tubes that let in natural sunlight while being simple enough to DIY.

3. The Return of the Office

Open floorplans promise to increase collaboration, but too often, they only up the number of distractions your workers manage each day. Many complexes have modified or eschewed such designs, returning to the standard office layout.

However, tradition doesn’t reign supreme. When designing your renovated business, explore multiple workspace types for various activities. For example, you might have a collaboration center that replaces the conference table with cozy couches and coffee tables for brainstorming, relocating the long and intimidating seating to another room reserved for hybrid meetings with clients and remote personnel.

What if you have to stick with a cubicle-style layout for cost reasons? Take care to make these soundproof and you could enjoy a more productive staff.

4. Ergonomic Furnishings

Seating plays a significant role in overall employee comfort. After all, most of your staff spend most of their days at their desks.

Allow employees some choice in their workstation layout. If possible, let each worker select their chair in person. Furthermore, direct your HR department to say yes to requests for alternative seating — and make this option known to your staff. Some people report considerable back pain relief from variable-height desks, while others prefer to alternate a regular chair with an inflatable fitness ball for stretching their lumbar vertebrae.

Help your staff use the tools you provide. For example, distribute a fact sheet that explains the optimal monitor placement for reducing eye strain and headaches. Some people find ergonomically designed mouse pads and wrist guards musts, while these devices drive others crazy — offer options.

5. HVAC Upgrades

If COVID-19 made one thing clear, it’s that indoor air quality matters. A lot. A filthy HVAC system can recirculate germs around your office. One person gets sick and the next thing you know, the entire staff calls out at once, leaving you with a staffing nightmare.

Follow your manufacturer’s instructions for changing your filters and performing recommended maintenance. While experts disagree on the value of interior duct cleaning, many people advise it for commercial buildings where multiple strangers pass each day. Although it’s unlikely to pose severe risks, dirty ducts can increase coughing, sneezing and generally feeling ill — symptoms likely to make the COVID-wary call out sick. It’s worth doing if you don’t know who last owned or rented your space and how well they maintained the system.

6. Access to the Outdoors

Remember, the outdoors improves your employees’ creativity and well-being. You should provide access to a sunny courtyard — you get bonus points if there’s a park adjacent to your office. However, what if you’re in a downtown high-rise?

Have you looked up? Green roofs are all the rage, providing the perfect spot for an employee lounge spilling over with plants and sunshine. Such designs also reduce the urban heat island effect, lowering utility bills and making the planet cleaner and more comfortable for everyone, not only your staff.

7. Bathroom Remodels

Using the bathroom at work can be uncomfortable. Do you want a simple upgrade that’s sure to boost morale? Install stalls with doors that close all the way to prevent the unpleasant peep-through-the-crack that disrupts people in their most private moments. The psychological boost alone is enough to make some workers with intestinal issues reconsider taking a sick day.

You don’t want your staff to linger in the bathroom, but that doesn’t mean leaving these spaces unpleasant. Electronic odor eliminators clear the air without leaving a lingering chemical scent. Softer bulbs prevent staff from looking in the mirror and sighing, “ugh” — and you work better when you feel better.

8. All the Extras

Do you have a little extra in your budget and want to splurge on a workplace your employees will love? Here are a few suggestions for additions you can add that can improve their comfort:

• Daycare: Working parents will adore being able to check in on their little ones during the day.
• Gyms: Physical activity can bust stress and healthy workers are less likely to call in sick.
• Game rooms: Everyone needs to blow off steam occasionally. A game of foosball can settle nerves at crunch time.
• Improved break rooms: Waiting for the one office microwave is a drag.

Improve the Office to Encourage Your Team Members

Why should you worry about employee comfort when you renovate your business? Workers who feel better will work harder for you and are less likely to take sick days, which impacts overall productivity. You can’t neglect your human infrastructure if you expect to thrive.

Consider these business renovations that improve employee comfort when it’s time to upgrade. You’ll reap the rewards of higher productivity and a staff who wants to report to the office.