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Colors of Productivity and Hues as Determinants of Employee Behavior

Colors of Productivity and Hues as Determinants of Employee Behavior

 

Colors of Productivity and Hues as Determinants of Employee Behavior

Colors of Productivity and Hues as Determinants of Employee Behavior

From the color found in logos and company branding down to those found in office walls and cubicles, picking colors isn’t only based on color theories or personal preference. In fact, there’s a science behind them; what they mean and how they actually stimulate our behavior and emotions.

Defined as ‘the study of hues as a determinant of human behavior’, Color Psychology is widely used in various disciplines. They are used in influencing a person’s perception to underlying aspects such as the taste of food and other goods or services. In addition to this, marketers also use it in terms of branding.

Yet there seemed to be a misconception that each color invoke the same feelings from one person to another. The effects differ from one another and factors such as age, gender as well as culture affect how a person perceives a color.

Painting it Productive

Improving Productivity with ColorsThough the effect of each color has different meaning from one person to another, Color Psychologist Angela Wright said that there are four primary psychological colors; red, blue, yellow and green.

The color Red is a powerful color that invokes strong emotion and passion. It is a stimulating color that increases your heart rate and pulse. Red is great for those who engage in tasks involving physical activity and those who aren’t easily bothered by stressful situations.

Opposite of Red, the color Blue is a soothing color that aids concentration and calms minds. It is universally known as an excellent color for increasing productivity and is usually used as a base color inside offices paired with other hues as accents.

Radiating energy and positivity, Yellow is used to uplift emotions and confidence levels. Seen as the strongest psychological color, it stimulates creativity and helps get your creative juices flowing.

Best for those who work long hours, especially call centers and outsourcing agents, Green harmonizes and helps keep calm. The color does not strain eyes and is the perfect balance among the primary colors. It is helpful in particular situations like when you are feeling overwhelmed by all the tasks you need to accomplish.

Angela Wright also adds that picking color alone isn’t enough, finding the right intensity and saturation is the key for a color to stimulate a person’s behavior. Pick the appropriate color for your call center workplace or private office, then choose a balanced brightness that will improve your productivity levels. You can also create color combinations so that each individual in your office can benefit from it as well.

Improving Productivity with Colors

The rest of the world is starting to recognize the importance of colors in general office designs which further leads to productivity and efficiency. Modern serviced offices are now being designed with creativity and collaboration in mind. Closed office layouts are now being inverted to open office floor plans to aid in achieving better communication among employees. Startups who used to nestle themselves in their respective homes and garages are moving to flexible offices for lease, hoping that this type of setup can improve their work ethic. Moreover, the amenities and overall ambiance of this type of workspaces have been observed to increase the happiness of employees.

Virtual Office Plans for The Digital Nomads of Today's Workforce

Virtual Office Plans for The Digital Nomads of Today’s Workforce

Virtual Office Plans for The Digital Nomads of Today's Workforce

Virtual Office Plans for The Digital Nomads of Today’s Workforce

Nomads of the First Century

The term nomad was first heard in the early years of civilization as groups of people or communities who move from place to place instead of settling down in one. Unlike migration, major and permanent move from one location to another, nomadic people annually and occasionally return to their original locations. Nomads would usually be hunter-gatherers, pastoral or those who raise herds, and peripatetic or those who offer trade wherever they go. Since then, they have evolved.

Societal developments caused a change in their lifestyle and nomadism has then become a minority lifestyle. But for this young generation, a new kind of nomads have developed, instilled in them is the same culture of moving from one location to another in order to make a living.

Digital Nomads

Defined by Wikipedia as individuals who use telecommunication technologies to earn a living and, more generally, conduct their life in a nomadic manner, ” Digital Nomads” are those who work remotely from home, coffee shops, or public libraries to accomplish tasks and goals that traditionally takes place in a single stationary workplace. More and more people want to break away from the 9-to-5 working hours and be able to go on an adventure. This generations’ workforce sees freedom as the ability to travel the world while being able to live and work from anywhere; which is the ultimate goal. Digital nomads are distinct in the sense that they are not solely about changing location constantly but rather want to rid of the restrictions, time, and place given when it comes to their working environment.

Versatility

With the objectives of developing professionally in their chosen industry and having the freedom to travel aimlessly, digital nomads practice versatility and mobility. It is necessary for them to have the ability to work anywhere in the world and to be able to transfer from one place or another. Nomads could be sipping cappuccino at a nearby coffee shop as they work, be in France the next day, and still earn.

Finding a temporary workspace equipped with all the facilities a standard office can offer and a stable internet connection in a foreign country is so much easier than one could imagine; and as the numbers of remote workers grow, virtual offices rose. These types of offices are workspaces that you can take advantage of for short or long-term use. First seen in the US, the sudden boom of this market resulted in several serviced office providers offering this type of office solution globally.

Reaching a middle ground between functional mobile workspace and a traditional office, virtual offices offer not just internet and business address. It also comes with training and even meeting room amenities if you happen to need them. These virtual workplaces can be accessed wherever you are across the globe. Depending on the nature of your business, you can choose from staying outdoors or at home while working but it’s still important to present your company in a professional way. Today’s technology allows startups and young entrepreneurs to have everything they need to work and operate right at their palms.

Though it seems like this is just a phase, experts say that digital nomads are here to stay. With such a diverse community, this growing industry seems to be for everybody, and yearly, more and more members of the workforce are becoming nomads.

Are you a digital nomad? Planning to be one? If you’re looking for a virtual office plan, we can introduce you to a service provider with the most aggressive packages!

 

Call Center Productivity & Flexible Serviced Office Design

Call Center Productivity & Flexible Serviced Office Designs

 

 

Call Center Productivity & Flexible Serviced Office Design

Call Center Productivity & Flexible Serviced Office Design

At this day and age, we have learned to acknowledge the fact that good design has enough power to influence the way we think and behave. And as today’s call center businesses finally see the value of employees truly engaged in their work – a good example of encouraging certain patterns of thought and behavior – they finally realized that maybe they should be paying more attention to their overall office design.

Environmental psychologists are mavens of design for the scientific world. They are the ones who concentrate their attention to sensory experiences, psychosocial factors, psychological drives, and how it influences the effects of being in one space or another. A large number of environmental psychologists are moving what early scientist have learned about how humans experience space into design practice where it can help make people’s lives better.

Among the factors that they focus on is how design affects one’s mood. Through a series of psychological chain reactions, mood influences worker engagement – meaning, a positive state of mind results in enhanced levels of engagement and productivity. So in order to create engaging environments, BPO organizations need to design a workplace that emits positive mood.

Call center employees who work in offices as such convey to their colleagues that their employers value their presence in the team and the contribution that they make to their company – and the good feeling they get from being respected enhances their engagement. Admittedly, it’s easy to come up with mission and vision statements that go on such great lengths to discuss how much professionals are prized by those handing them their paychecks; so instead of paying attention into these proclamations, they focus on interpreting the messages sent by the environment they are placed in. BPO organizations spend tons of their budget on their respective call center workspaces. Hence, it’s no surprise that what they are communicating to the members of the workforce carry more weight than easily generated passages.

Workspaces indicate respect for its users when it supports them as they do their jobs – employees want to do their work well and this creates a big influence in one’s self-identity.

Generally speaking, designers speak to the employees who will work in that space regarding their jobs and how it can be designed in such a way that would optimize their performance. Unfortunately, those offices built out of the said conversations often don’t align. More often than not, it gets designed to look good – to resemble that one workspace seen by the CEO from some magazine spread.

Instead of copying some other aesthetically pleasing space, the main aim of its design should be to be able to help workers do well in contributing to their respective companies. Most workers need acoustical focus in accomplishing certain tasks – a feature that’s hard to achieve in a field of cubicles or amongst a sea of faces sitting at long tables.

One good idea is harnessing the power of color. Whenever people are doing tasks that require a lot of mental work, their environment should be relaxing, and when work is relatively easy, energizing spaces are needed. Individuals feel relaxed around colors that aren’t very saturated but are relatively bright. A moderate visual complexity works best – meaning that space should only have few colors and patterns.

Another suggestion is for call center organizations to leave enough room for their employees to control both their environment and work day. Workers should have a say on the lighting and temperature of their workplace. In addition to this, professionals value companies that allows them to utilize a variety of workspaces depending on their needs.

The design has enough power to enhance an employee’s productivity. Moreover, sincere spaces that reflect their needs and concerns is something that today’s workforce values. One good example of this is the growing number of professionally managed offices such as call center seat leasing and flexible private offices. Though the movement admittedly has gained a lot of critics, there’s no denying that modern professionals lean towards work conditions that help them reach their goals. In addition to this, it gives ample room for recreational activities so that they can take good care of their personal lives too. These are the types of environments that keep them engaged.

And in case you’re in search of a new home that would be beneficial to your team, talk to us today, and we’ll show you a few engaging serviced offices.

Plug and Play Workspace: Startups Made Easier With Seat Leasing

Plug and Play Workspace: Startups Made Easier with Seat Leasing

 

Plug and Play Workspace: Startups Made Easier With Seat Leasing

Plug and Play Workspace: Startups Made Easier With Seat Leasing

Business is a gamble.

Placing your faith in the implementation of an idea – that you most likely formed through a drunken conversation with your friends – and hoping that it’ll put food in your stomach and a roof over your head, is a gamble.

But there’s just something exhilarating and noble in starting something from scratch.

There’s the excitement of creating a to-do list; building revenue models, marketing languages and the technologies needed for it to work. Endless hours would be spent on how this idea would be implemented, how it would work and how it would be advantageous to everyone. But as discussions move to more concrete details and as challenges start to show up, the excitement grows weaker.

Things get harder and harder as you and your team make sure that the idea doesn’t die.

More and more concerns would arise and you would find yourself wondering why you ever thought this was going to work, yet you’d remind yourself of the potential benefits it could give and hold on to that enthusiasm you first had.

With so much frustration, you toil through the least exciting parts of the project. This phase is a necessary evil to break away from half-baked plans – it’s the final chance of getting something done and ensuring that there’s a tangible result to all of our efforts.

And now that you’ve covered the basics, it’s time to get the ball rolling.

Kickstarting and Startups Made Easier

Though establishing a business isn’t easy, a significant growth among startups have been observed in the last couple of years. Teams of all kinds, sizes and specializations manage to become fully operational despite having low resources and even manpower.

Operating a startup is now made easier with the advancements in technology and the flexible office solutions offered today. In addition to this, outsourcing firms have dominated the industry. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms offer back office outsourcing, internal business functions as well as office space solutions – all of which provide a helping hand to those who want to start a brand new site or bootstrap their first enterprise.

The most known service offered by outsourcing firms is its office space solutions widely known as Seat Leasing.

Mixing the functionality of traditional office with the versatility of flexible workspaces, Seat Leasing equip startups with capacious workspaces inclusive of quality computers, reliable internet connection and other necessary facilities for operations to run smoothly. It allows its clients to lease the number of seats they need, exactly when they need it with their ‘plug-and-play’ facilities.

Seat Leasing give startups numerous advantages other else than competitive offices at an affordable rate.

One advantage that attracts most young entrepreneurs to opt for seat leasing services is the time it saves them from dealing with legal papers and permits needed to establish a startups’ first office. In addition to this, it also lessens waste on expenses from unused office space. A client can lease one seat for the first 6 months and expand to leasing a whole floor.

Most seat leasing providers can also be found in major cities of the country like Mandaluyong, Ortigas, Makati and Quezon City – making businesses more accessible to clients and employees as well.

 

Sustainable Office Set-up Solutions Through Seat Leasing

Sustainable Office Set-up Solutions Through Seat Leasing

There seems to be a continuous rise of call centers and BPOs in the main cities of the Philippines like Manila, Makati, Cebu, and Davao. And because of this, organizations and businesses are showing more leniency towards outsourcing and seat leasing deals. Local and even foreign enterprises have given great feedback to these types of office space solutions, to the extent that some may say that it makes more sense than building your very own facility.

You, yourself may probably be thinking of jumping on the trend. But before doing so, here are some important basics on seat leasing.

Origin

As of writing, there is no record of when, where and how the trend actually started. With the increasing number of providers, many may claim that they are the ones who pioneered it when in reality, none of us actually knows.

It could be because of the need of businesses from the United States to survive and grow during the recession of their economy. It can even be because of opportunities entrepreneurs saw in countries like India and the Philippines.

Though one thing is for sure, seat leasing is continuously helping the economy prosper

Types of Seat Leasing

There are two types of seat leasing – Warm Seats and Cold Seats. The better you understand the differences between them, the more likely you are to make the most out of the deal you are about to make.

Warm Seats are usually an all-in-one package with agents and employees that will help you with your operations. These group of individuals work for you but instead of directly reporting to you, they are managed by an offshore lead. All the while, Cold Seats would usually offer office space and infrastructure.

2 Types of Seat Leasing: Warm Seats and Cold Seats

Premium Equipment and Maintenance

Aside from office spaces, seat leasing also comes with high-end PC’s fit for your needs and well-ventilated function rooms for the convenience of your staff. Moreover, seat leasing providers take care of maintenance including technical support and troubleshooting errors in units.

And with the Philippines considered as one of the most technically wired country in Asia Pacific, your organization can compete with other countries in terms of technological advancement in information and communication.

Focus

With the convenience offered by seat leasing, you are given more time to focus on business operations and shaping future plans and strategies for your business. This sustainable office set-up saves you the time of procuring legal requirements needed for office construction.

Savings

Seat leasing offers business solutions at a very affordable price. Instead of acquiring a new infrastructure, you can rent the needed seats for your operation – setting aside your funding for more essential aspects of the business. In addition to this, there is no long-term commitment required. You can specify how long you intend to stay.

Operation at any time

Most seat leasing providers operate 24 hours a day, 5-7 days a week – giving you the opportunity to scale your business operations in order to maximize business efficiency.

Now that we’ve tackled the very basics of seat leasing services, let’s talk  about why seat leasing may just be the best decision your company will ever make.

The Philippines Ranked as Third Happiest Country in the World

The Philippines Ranked as Third Happiest Country in the World

It is a well-known fact that the Filipino people, together with its beloved homeland, went through several bleak circumstances the past year. With the rampant war on drugs and the various political disputes that they have witnessed firsthand, one would assume that these individuals would be pessimistic about the coming year.

Yet it seems that this is not the case at all.

According to the Gallup’s annual global End of Year Survey, the Philippines ranked third as the happiest country in the world following Fiji and Columbia – a completely stark contrast to the results of the 2017 World Happiness Report wherein the Philippines found itself all the way down to the 72nd place.

Orchestrating an opinion poll amongst 55 countries, the aforementioned research covered the overall optimism of the participating countries for the coming 2018. The Philippines garnered a net rate of +84 in the study’s happiness index and a net rate of +40 in its hope index, classifying it as the 9th optimistic country in the world.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a conference last Wednesday, January 3rd that the current administration would see to it that the Filipino people’s happiness will have a strong foundation by ensuring improvement of the economy and of the government as well.

Economic Optimism, Hope, and Happiness

Going further, the study reported a decline in economic optimism over the last months. Results showed that though 28% of the world now possess a confident outlook towards the year 2017, economic pessimism remain to be 2 points higher. A downward trend has been observed since the end of 2015 down to the end of 2017.

As for hope, a bit less than 40% of the surveyed population believe that 2018 will surely be better than 2017 – 13 points down compared to last 2016. An alarming 23% expect an even worse year and 32% believe that things will remain to be the same as 2017.

Lastly, over two-thirds or 59% of the participating communities claim that they are happy – almost 10 points lower in contrast to twelve months ago. And though the past year was deemed to be a tough one with numerous terrorist attacks around the world, majority of all the respondents are happy.

Third Happiest Country

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque says that the country’s ranking didn’t surprise him. In a statement to Inquirer, Roque said that Filipinos are known to be happy, resilient people who manage to smile amid difficulties. Hence, it’s not much a surprise to him that the Philippines ranked 3rd in the global happiness index.

The Filipino people’s inborn nature of hospitality is one of the major characteristics that attract foreigners besides its beautiful beaches and scenery. Digital nomads is sure to have an easy time settling in with the help of its friendly locals. In addition to this, plenty of coworking spaces can now be found scattered among the islands. These shared offices is home to several passionate resident professionals always ready to welcome new members with open arms – another crucial factor that captivated the hearts of remote workers.

Freelancers and entrepreneurs fell in love with the country’s happy nature for it helps them overcome loneliness that is often felt by independent workers. According to a 2010 YouGov poll, a vast majority of homeworkers suffer loneliness and isolation as they don’t have the presence and support of colleagues and workmates.

Recently, an alarming increase of the number of affected workers have been observed, resulting to psychologists and scholars highlighting the potential danger it possess. A study from the University of North Carolina reports that loneliness can elevate an individual’s risk of heart disease, stroke as well as cancer – making it as menacing to your health as the lack of physical activity. Majority of us have undermined loneliness and isolation for years, unaware of how treacherous it could actually be.

Experts says that in order to alleviate this, collaborating with other fellow professionals is suggested rather than isolating oneself. By doing so, it gives them the opportunity to have a helping hand in terms of tasks and even someone to confide during bleak days.

Nowadays it’s become one of the most contributing factors as to why the coworking movement continues to rapidly grow. The Philippines’ contagious happiness and relentless hospitality have made it even a more desirable country to cowork in.

Want to catch a dose of the happy virus? Talk to us today on how to find the perfect spot in the third happiest country in the word!

Millennials are Shaping Today’s Office Design Trends

Millennials are Shaping Today's Office Design Trends

The rumors seem to be true, the traditional workplace is slowly fading – making way for unconventional spaces such as coworking spaces and serviced offices.

The emerging trends and today’s technology seemed to be the reason why more and more organizations are turning their backs against traditional offices. Experts have stated several studies that highlight the deterioration of conventional offices due to the pressure of rent escalations and the fluctuating office space density per worker.

There’s also a rising demand for balance between work and life coming from today’s workforce. A survey conducted among more than 2,000 adults during the year 2015 have reported that 38% of employees missed live events because of a bad work-life balance.

Amongst all the aforementioned factors, there is one major reason that drives and pushes workspaces to innovation – the Millennials.

The Millennial Generation

By the year 2020, Millennials would take up to one third of the global labor force and by the year 2025, 75% of the global labor force will come from this generation.

Born from between 1980 and 2000, the Millennials are arguably the most tech savvy generation in history and though highly educated, they face debt and global competition for the best jobs. They entered the market with fast-changing business cycles and increasing demand for new skill.

Despite of this, a survey conducted by Manpower Group have said that two-thirds of their participants are optimistic about their immediate job prospect. And though they are being shaped by the world of labor, they are redefining the employer-employee relationship. Moreover, they have made a big impact to today’s traditional workplace and office design trends.

Trends Driven By Millennials

Over the past year, we saw several companies take quite the unconventional path in terms of office space. The world marveled at the flexibility and creativity coworking spaces brought to the world with its alternative work areas and synergistic layout. These communal areas allow employees to choose where and when they work, a variety of desks and workspaces are made readily available so that they have the freedom to choose what suits them best.

More and more businesses are adapting designs such as dynamic spaces and homestyle comfort design to cater both the needs of its operations and their employees.

Majority of the demand for unconventional work areas were driven by the Millennials’ knack for atypical offices. They favor flexible furniture over mundane cubicles for it allows them to collaborate more with their colleagues. Moreover, they find flexible work arrangements to be more likely conducive to productivity, innovation and engagement. Experts’ call this as ‘work casual’ integrated into the physical designs of offices.

Though constantly undergoing advancements, Millennials know that the technology is here to stay. Hence, designers and architects are incorporating technology into modern office furniture such as docking stations, cable management systems and easy to use power points.

With today’s technology and the increasing demand for a healthier environment, work is changing. It always had and always will, yet in the end, each and every one of us – no matter what generation – simply want to work in a space that somehow reflects our personality and allows us to be more productive.

To Millennials, there are other far more important things than just the paycheck. Hence, they are demanding for a flexible and well-appointed workplace.

Think your office already has what it takes to attract Millennials? If not, we’ll show you the perfect workspace for the young generation!

Importance of Successfully Nurturing Culture in the Workplace

The Importance of Nurturing Culture in the Workplace

The word “culture” have been thrown around aimlessly over the past decade. It was Merriam Webster’s most popular word during the year 2015. All the while, companies use this buzzword to attract more talent and to appeal as humanly as possible to its customers. They talk about their space and the cool amenities they have; how these ping pong tables, brightly colored walls and stylish furniture highlight the culture of their company. And with numerous coworking spaces claiming the same thing again and again, the distinction of culture from one company to another gets blurry.

But what is culture anyway? Is it working in a well-lit room with walls covered with inspirational quotes?

Defining Culture

Culture is not the quirky features these communal areas have. Yet at the same time, it is. Defining it can be quite difficult, it’s somewhat an indefinite word. There are those who define it as “what happens when nobody is looking” and there are those who see it as a multisensory experience. Successfully nurturing culture involves complex set of behaviors, values, systems and rituals that define an organization. It can be seen through a team’s enthusiasm, behavior and their workplace itself. The culture of an organization is what sets them apart from other companies and plays a significant role in the overall success of their business.

Why It’s Important

A 2010 survey conducted by Time magazine have said that employee satisfaction boosts productivity and creativity. The study also reported that engaged and satisfied members of a team drive innovation and success. In addition to this, several research have said that overall happiness and satisfaction of a person is greatly affected by the culture embedded in their respective workplaces. The stronger the culture, the happier and more productive people become, which in return, contributes to the identity and value of your organization. And as the global economy grows more competitive over time, understanding how a company can improve their employee experience in order to successfully attract and retain talented employees is now a top priority.

Nurturing Culture

Well-known enterprises like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Zappos have remained strong in nurturing culture within their teams. Each of the aforementioned company offer perks and benefits that may be similar to one another but are different on their own. And as recent years have passed, more and more companies have followed suite.

Some encourage individualism and team work. They embrace the diversity that everyone brings to the table with their ideas and approaches in solving problems. Executives believe that bringing a person’s “whole self” to work can inspire creativity and can help shape innovation in the company. It’s also important to foster communication among the members of your team, this gives lee collaborations and discussions the leeway to flow freely within your workspace. In addition to this, it helps create a kind of healthy competition that builds goals and a support system.

With so many kinds of culture going around, it’s important to remember that the perfect culture does not exist in one single rubric. Each of them work differently from one another but in order to create one that would help you in the future, a strong and consistent set of values is needed.

The Art of Workplace Communication is The Language of Leadership

The Art of Workplace Communication is The Language of Leadership

American author and presidential speechwriter James Humes once said that the art of communication is the language of leadership. And though certain leadership characteristics are inherent traits, effective communication is a learned skill.

For an organization to be successful, good communication practices are needed. It is the foundation of every aspect of the business. Whether it’s a large scale company inside private offices or startups in coworking spaces – no matter the size, without it, the basic functions of the management such as planning, organizing, motivation and controlling will not go smoothly.

Miscommunication is an error most of us are already familiar with. Even in our daily lives, we tend to miscommunicate with one another. From the errors between the sender and receiver, to the ambivalent language used to words that has multiple meanings and connotations; a lot could go wrong in a simple conversation between two people.

These drawbacks, though simple, can majorly affect business operations. Poor communication can hit both customers and suppliers. Staff morale can go down when relevant information aren’t relied timely. It can increase absenteeism by impacting motivation and can escalate levels of stress.

According to a survey conducted among 1,400 corporate executives and employees, eighty-six percent of the respondents have said that the lack of collaboration or ineffective communication contributes to workplace failures. In addition to this, the aforementioned study also discusses how common these issues are to various industry sectors. Its authors says that these miscommunications can slow down projects, productivity and has the ability to ultimately impact both client and employee relation.

Data from other reports have showcased how costly poor communication can be. Over an estimated $37 billion are spent on employee misunderstandings regarding company policies and business processes are in both the US and UK and companies lost a cumulative cost of $26,041 per worker per year to productivity losses resulting from communication barriers.

Why You Should Communicate

Conversely, the abovementioned report stated statistics demonstrating the positive impact of good workplace communication.

Companies who practice highly effective communication among their leaders receive 47% higher total returns to shareholders over the past five years compared to those who have least effective communicators. In addition to this, American electronics provider, Best Buy found out that high employee engagement scores result to better store performance – for every percentage point it raised employee engagement, there was a $100,000 increase in the operating income of their individual stores annually.

Improved workplace communication has the ability to change the game for your business. Several studies have said that this can deliberately increase a worker’s productivity.  Effective work group communication can lead to significant improvement in the overall performance of a company. Moreover, experts have found a strong link between organizations observing effective communication and the productivity ratings of their employees.

It increases employee job satisfaction by empowering the workforce with upward communication – information flows upward and would usually entail feedback. The more employers are able to listen to their employees, the better. Job satisfaction can also decrease rates of absenteeism and turnover.

Improving Workplace Communication

There are several ways businesses across various industries can improve the communication within their workplace.

Assessing the current communication utilized can give you an idea on the areas that needs to be improved. For example, your team is struggling to keep up with conversations through email. Why not try social intranet solutions and collaboration tools. Listing down your workplace communication methods can give you a clear idea on what to do next.

Internal communication is essential so it’s only apt to check in with your employees regularly. You can set meetings with them to discuss their thoughts on a project and task. By doing this, you are somehow implementing an open door policy between you and your employees – they are likely to feel more comfortable to bring matters to your attention.

Startups and teams in coworking spaces can take advantage of the open plan layout to improve their communication. Unlike in traditional workplaces, members of the team can easily approach their superiors to discuss tasks and project updates with them. Readily available communal areas can set a relaxed vibe during discussions.

The group’s internal communication can be strengthened by attending weekly happy hours or team-building events. In addition to this, each member can improve their communication skills by interacting with other members within the vicinity.

As per James Humes, leadership’s language is the art of communication. It is a skill that can be learned and improved throughout one’s life time – just like swimming and biking.

Hone your skill and communicate with us today!

The Makings of a Healthy Office

The Makings of a Healthy Office

A lot has been said about the importance of a workplace that cares for the well-being and health of its employees. Moreover, there’s an increasing number of overworked employees from today’s workforce, each one demanding for a better working environment and a healthy office.

Several reports from last year have said that workplace burnout have reached epidemic proportions. On a survey conducted among 614 US human resource professionals, 95% of HR leaders said that burnout is ruining workplace retention. When asked on the main contributors to burnout, respondents said that unfair compensation (41 percent), unreasonable workload (32 percent) and too much overtime (32 percent) ranked the highest.

The millennial generation have also made it clear that they want companies to be more attentive of their health. Experts have said that companies need to develop workplace wellness programs in order to attract more talents from the younger generation.

Due to the complexity of workplace culture and company policies, it became very hard for one to know whether or not his/her workplace is a healthy office.

HR.BLR defined workplace wellness as workplace health promotion activity or organizational policy in support of healthy behavior in the workplace and improve health of the employees. Companies can either incorporate medical screenings, on-site fitness programs or allot time for exercise sessions.

Dr. Carmella Sebastian of the WELCOA (Wellness Council of America) says that though it’s hard to quantify, a company’s investment on the well-being of its workforce can increase their morale, loyalty and engagement – all of which are good for both parties. She also adds that as the generation of Millennials start pouring in to talent pools, proactively engaging them is deemed to be a smart move.

But before anything else, there are certain things a company should take into consideration in developing its very own workplace wellness program.

Making It Healthier

Before implementing any changes or new regulations, it is only right to assess what you’re up against.

Taking into consideration that healthcare and associated costs can differ from company to company and from one industry to another, organizations need to know their population. Among your employees, how many of them are active smokers? And who among them are desk-bound?

Assessing the health of your employees through medical examinations can give your real time information on your population. In addition to this, it’s also important to know what activities and health topics they will be interested in. Create surveys and analyze what they would like to in terms of improving their health.

After gathering all the data needed to get a picture of what your company’s wellness is like, challenges will arise. For example, majority of your workforce are chronic smokers and the rate of bronchitis as well as lung cancer within your organization have gone above average.

Go for the low-hanging fruit and start turning your organization into a smoke free enterprise. Start executing policies that prohibits smoking in front of the building or anywhere near its proximity. By doing this, you are decreasing your workforce’s smoking rate by 6 percent and can result to people quitting.

Dr. Carmella Sebastian says that companies need to win their employees over and make it known that their health and overall well-being matters to the whole organization. Incentivize their efforts for participating and make them see that it matters to the company that they take good care of themselves.

And as your program flows through, celebrate your successes. Share with them the setbacks and challenges they conquered and the goal they have reached. Through this, you are increasing their morale.

A Healthy Office

Private companies aren’t the only one’s taking care of the health of today’s workforce. Serviced offices like call center seat leasing, private offices, and outsourcing spaces are taking into consideration the impact the workplace has on a person’s wellness. From spearheading events such as health fairs to designing their facilities to be healthier – installing bright lighting and ergonomic chairs and desks – providers are making sure that their members’ health are prioritized.

The discussion is yet to be over and there’s still more to cover. Day by day, our idea on how we work are changing and though these changes are deemed unorthodox, all of them are necessary for us to be better in our respective fields.

Change for the better and see what a healthy office looks like.