Providing a harmonious and productive work environment that clients and customers will be happy to engage with is central to any business success.
So why is it that so many business fail to take full account of this, preferring instead to seek new technologies, systems and processes in the belief that they alone will trigger the success they envisage?
This ‘push’ for new technologies and demands require businesses to keep changing in order to remain competitive … and increases pressure on employees to learn new skills and take on greater workloads.
Yet they are often expected to work in environments that have remained static for years, meaning little thought is given to designing an environment that employees want to be a part of, leading to …
Stress related illnesses
Irritability and friction
Reduced efficiency Absenteeism
Health concerns
Employee dissatisfaction
Rapid & constant staff turnover
Fortunately, a great deal of discussion globally is beginning to focus on the need for staff wellbeing to ensure success moving forward … but organizations, especially smaller concerns, are not yet understanding the full impact of ignoring this message. Times are not changing … they have changed.
Employees represent a great investment for any business. Happy, healthy, committed employees produce accurate, efficient, consistent work and should be considered a company’s greatest asset.
With the above in mind, the four aims of ‘Business Feng Shui’ are to provide:
calmer workspaces
a healthier environment
an efficient working environment
an atmosphere conducive to good decision-making
When a business premises has these four elements, employees will be content, work will be productive, business practices will be efficient, and appropriately progressive and increased profits will follow.
Good Feng Shui design works towards a solution in which the building and man-made elements are integrated with landscaping and natural elements as a total design. Simplicity, economy and practicality with a sense of the aesthetics should be the principles of design. The business layout should be adapted to living conditions and social patterns its employees recognise and associate with.
To ignore the values, beliefs and expectations of its employees is inviting an organization to be left behind as more and more people are looking for personal value, respect and satisfaction at work rather than purely financial gain.
To discuss the ‘mechanics’ of Feng Shui design principles in depth (ie layout, physical design and so on) is beyond the scope of this short eGuide. The reader is encouraged to explore this in greater depth as a means of growing their business effectively moving forward, regardless of size or location. Instead, the remainder of the article will focus, at a high level only, at supporting employee wellbeing from a Feng Shui perspective.
The astute reader will recognize a number of more commonly accepted ‘ergonomic principles’ already in place within organizations, though they may not have, to date, aligned these with good Feng Shui design.
The heart of the workplace
This is the area where people gather to chat and socialize, eg a staff room. This area is important as it nourishes the sense of warmth and connection between employees. For the wellbeing of staff this area should be not neglected, and kept clean, in good repair, and represent a pleasant place to spend a few casual minutes with fellow workers.
Workspaces
This involved arranging a workspace so that the least amount of physical, mental and emotional stresses and strains are put on the workers.
Chairs should be comfortable, adjustable and supportive.
Desks should have a good height and shape for the person using them.
Computer screens should be at eye level and straight ahead, computer keyboards square to the body and at a comfortable height.
The arrangement of telephone, papers, reference materials–anything used in the work environment—should be carefully thought out.
Lighting
Lighting should be effective and enhance space and colour, and not a source of glare. Colours control the level and distribution of reflected light. The interplay of light and colour should afford optimum conditions of vision for work, making it physically and mentally easier to perform tasks.
Plants
Plants are excellent in a working environment. They bring in fresh energy and help counteract the
effects of office pollutants. They are especially important in sealed buildings where windows do not open, and all air is supplied by air conditioning units.
Plants are particularly energizing for people ruled by the need for creativity, harmony and engagement.
However, those ruled by a desire to be more nurturing, insightful and caring may become drained if there are too many plants in the office.
Ventilation
Wherever possible there should be access to natural ventilation. Air conditioning circulates only 10% fresh air and is very dry. This can cause fatigue and headaches ,and can spread illness throughout a workforce.
If windows do not open it may be possible to install vents.
Plants, water features and negative ion generators can all help.
Whatever the case, there is no substitute for the beneficial energy brought by fresh air.
Access to filtered water
The use of filtered water is an effective way of encouraging beneficial energy and of combating malign influences.
It also help health and concentration by supplying moisture to employees in an otherwise potentially dry office atmosphere and/or by adding negative ions to the air (negative ions are responsible for the fresh feel of the air at the seaside).
Clutter
Clutter can make the working day stressful and unproductive. Consider …
Removing old calendars.
Removing any papers that aren’t currently useful.
Fixing/disposing of broken things; keeping things clean and well maintained.
Emptying wastepaper baskets regularly.
Employing working practices and filing systems that meet user needs.
Not storing unwanted or out of date things.
Strategies for health
It is important to consider lifestyle strategies that help maintain health and concentration. For example:
Take regular short breaks away from the desk and computer. Walk around and get some fresh air.
If work is sedentary, regularly stretch shoulder, legs and neck. Rest eyes by blinking and looking away from detailed work regularly.
Eat a natural, healthy lunch. Don’t heat lunch in the microwave. Whenever possible, eat outside.
Don’t ignore messages from the body. Aches, pains and muscle stiffness should be attended to with stretching or massage before they become permanent problems.
Poor health, lower productivity and other dysfunctional results can occur from a number of sources. For example:
Air conditioning and central heating can lead to insomnia, blurred vision, numb fingers, and dizziness
Overly cold air conditioning contributes to aches in the head or body, diarrhea, cramps, chills or fever
Too much heat can produce headaches, hot flushes, irritability, sweating and chronic thirst.
Too much tea, coffee, alcohol, sugar-laden drinks or sweets (all so often consumed in workplaces) Can lead to immune deficiency, diabetes, adrenal, spleen or pancreas problems.
To overcome these negative effects, breathing exercises can be practiced. This has the positive result of invigorating the whole body and restoring the body’s natural biorhythms. Additionally, negative ion generators remove pollutants and give the body the energy it needs.
Wherever possible, using natural ventilation, lighting, and products that do not exude chemical vapours is very beneficial.
Colour
In Feng Shui, the significance and symbolism of colours are important in designing and implementing connection, harmony and productivity in the workplace.
Red ... Warm, exciting, passionate, welcoming; increases heart rate and blood pressure; should be used sparingly as too much red can be aggravating.
Yellow ... Mentally inspiring and stimulating; conducive to happiness and vitality.
Orange ... An attention getter with the strongest impulse value and impossible to ignore.
Blue ... A good background colour that cools and promotes peace and quietness; good to use for balance; decreases heart rate and blood pressure (though large amounts of blue can cause headaches).
Violet ... Has little impulse attraction value.
Purple ... The colour of royalty, statehood, scholars, denoting influence, depth, sensuality and richness.
Pink ... Strong pink denotes happiness, joy and harmony in employee relationships.
Green ... Denotes stability, tranquillity, sense of purpose, hope, health and nature.
Brown ... Sophisticated, warm, restful and fairly neutral.
Grey ... Doesn’t produce an emotional response; denotes dignity, function, safety, common sense, conservativeness; can be depressing.
Black ... Elegant and formal, and useful for definition.
White ... Neutral, denoting clarity and purity, though too much can feel cold and clinical.
Productivity, decision-making and job satisfaction increase positive energy in any work environment. Indeed, a harmonious and healthy environment created with Feng Shui and good interior design techniques increases employee satisfaction and maximizes the company’s greatest asset … its people.
When good Feng Shui principles are applied within any workplace, regardless of size, location or industry type, staff will be healthier, less irritable, and able to think and work calmly and productively.
Employees, if not organizations themselves, are becoming increasingly aware of the role environment plays in job satisfaction. For many, a good working environment is as important as salary. A company with a great working environment attracts the best employees in the job market, which in turn provides the greatest service to its clients / customers.
At the end of the day, as employees they know that healthy, contented and focused members of staff, not systems and processes, is what will drive the business through their sense of wellbeing, grown out of an organization’s commitment to providing real value to its most vital ‘business tool’ … its people.
Want to learn more about how you can access and grow
a vibrant wellbeing culture in your business?
Contact us on
or
Click Here to organize a 30 minute discovery chat.
コメント