{"id":935973,"date":"2019-07-05T05:12:40","date_gmt":"2019-07-05T12:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/customerthink.com\/?p=935973"},"modified":"2019-07-05T05:12:40","modified_gmt":"2019-07-05T12:12:40","slug":"4-ways-casual-work-environments-boost-employee-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/4-ways-casual-work-environments-boost-employee-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways Casual Work Environments Boost Employee Productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

It doesn\u2019t feel that long ago that I remember going with my mom to the office for a \u201cbring your child to work\u201d day. I remember walking through the isles of gray cubicles set under dim yellow-ish fluorescent lights, filled with women wearing high heels and men wearing suits and ties, all the while wondering what that stale smell was. I remember asking myself: \u201cIs this what I had to look forward to?\u201d Fortunately, I lucked out. <\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2019, more and more offices seem to be changing for the better. Picture Google\u2019s headquarters, for example. Open workspaces, casual attire, game rooms and even quiet places to nap are quickly becoming the norm. However, while many people might be quick to jump on millenials for this type of radical change, we actually have tech companies from the 1980\u2019s to thank. Businesses like Apple were more focused on getting results rather than following the old processes it took to get there, which fueled a new wave of casual work attire that has now evolved into casual work environments. So, how does a casual work environment encourage employee productivity? Here are 4 ways:<\/p>\n

#1. Restrictive work places restrict creativity <\/h2>\n

For many people, their job requires them to be creative in some way or another. Whether they\u2019re writing blog posts, programming an app, trying to craft the perfect email response to a potential customer, or even finding innovative ways to deal with angry customers<\/a> – creative restrictions can seriously hinder an employee\u2019s performance. <\/p>\n

As a business owner, you don\u2019t necessarily have to create the most casual work environment<\/a> or spend tons of money on having a game room to help boost your employees\u2019 productivity. Here are some tips that are low-cost and easy:<\/p>\n

  • Allow your employees to wear casual clothes (including PJs!)<\/li>\n
  • Give your employees the freedom to decorate their work stations<\/li>\n
  • Cover a wall or two with chalkboard paint that employees can use to jot down ideas, write inspirational sayings or to create a tally for their next bonus mark<\/li>\n
  • Allow your employees to listen to music at a low volume to help stimulate the creative process<\/li>\n

    #2. Employees feel less burnt out<\/h2>\n

    While it may seem like casual work environments can lead to laziness and employees slacking off, it\u2019s quite the opposite. When employees have the freedom to wear what they want<\/a> and not feel confined to a stuffy office, they\u2019re less likely to feel burnt out day in and day out, which leads to a better work performance overall. <\/p>\n

    Additionally, business owners that encourage a casual work environment typically have better relationships with their employees. Great office relationships help reduce turnover rates, help increase the overall team bond and can help encourage staff members to work harder as they actually care about the work they are doing, and who they are doing it for. <\/p>\n

    #3. Casual offices are more stimulating<\/h2>\n

    Gray walls, gray cubicles, and gray everything embodies the perfect recipe for a gray mindset. If you want your employees to feel energized and motivated to work hard and produce genuine results, they need to stop living in a black and white world and get away from the everyday humdrum of a mundane office environment. Here are some ways to help stimulate your employees:<\/p>\n

  • Give the office a face lift and paint some walls bright colors like green, blue or orange. <\/li>\n
  • Ditch the confining cubicles and create a more open workspace <\/li>\n
  • Buy a dart board, mini basketball net or other games for cheap that employees can play with when they need a break<\/li>\n
  • Encourage employee individuality and allow them to express themselves in a way that works for them<\/li>\n

    #4. Going to work doesn\u2019t feel like a chore<\/h2>\n

    No matter how much you love your job, it\u2019s still a job and can sometimes feel like trudging through mud. However, when your job is set in a casual environment as opposed to a standard boring office, it feels less like something you have to do, and more like something you want to do. For example, my office is incredibly laid back and for that I am thankful. Is every day easy? No, but I also don\u2019t dread coming to work. I look forward to what the day will bring, because every day is different. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    It doesn\u2019t feel that long ago that I remember going with my mom to the office for a \u201cbring your child to work\u201d day. I remember walking through the isles of gray cubicles set under dim yellow-ish fluorescent lights, filled with women wearing high heels and men wearing suits and ties, all the while wondering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14798,"featured_media":897961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[128,92,83],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935973"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14798"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=935973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/897961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=935973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=935973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=935973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}