Creating a healthy workplace

Your employees spend more than half their waking hours in your workplace, so it makes sense to ensure they are as comfortable and productive as possible while they're there. Kat Knight investigates how to give your premises a health check

All businesses are legally obliged to carry out a health and safety risk assessment of their premises once a year. But in addition to this check of the basic safety essentials of your premises, think about other steps you can take to improve the working environment for your employees.

Making your workplace healthier and more pleasant to work in can reduce absenteeism and improve morale among your employees. But behavioural scientist Graham Wilson advises caution if you're only considering making changes for short-term gain. "Don't see this as just a cheap way of increasing productivity. You must have the right attitude and do it because of a genuine concern for your staff and as part of a long-term strategy," he says.

Cover the basics

Carry out a review of your premises and think about how the state of your workspace might be affecting employees. Simple ways of improving it include:

redecorating;
de-cluttering, by installing more efficient storage systems;
making sure the environment is always kept clean and tidy;
supplying fruit as snacks at meetings instead of biscuits, or installing a water dispenser; and
ensuring the heating and lighting conditions are at an optimum (for example, are you making the most of the natural sunlight available at your premises?)

Wilson encourages sensible expenditure on this process, such as investing in high-quality ergonomic chairs for office-based staff. "These outlast cheaper versions and are safer and healthier to use. If your employees see you spending cash to improve their working environment they'll feel valued and be more productive and committed as a result."

Involve your staff

Consulting your employees about what to change is crucial. "Give people the opportunity to come up with the ideas themselves," says Wilson. "They may have a better idea about aesthetics and what they need, and giving them control over their working environment is the important thing - it's this that increases performance and reduces health-related absence."

Talking to your staff should also give indications of how you can improve their mental well-being. Being over-worked or stressed can manifest itself in physical illness, although as a good manager you should already be monitoring your employees' workloads. Encourage staff to take their breaks and rearrange workloads where possible to avoid excessive overtime.

Why does it work?

"People are vastly more positive and dynamic if they have some degree of control," says Wilson, "which is why it's important to involve them when you're improving your workspace. Without control they won't believe they can affect anything at work so they won't be motivated to try."

Improving the physical aspects of your premises - better lighting and seating, appropriate temperatures, ensuring the space is clean and tidy - can have a direct impact on the health of your employees. Reducing stress and ensuring employees stay motivated will also positively affect their health.

"The benefits of improving the working environment will be obvious," Wilson concludes. "If you've done it right you'll see improved performance in your staff, less absenteeism due to health, and happier, more positive employees."

Visit the Health and Safety Executive website to read information for SMEs on improving health and safety in the workplace
Contact Workplace Health Connect for free advice on workplace health and safety through their website