The Work Environment
How profoundly does it impact job performance and business profits?
The work environment has as much of a profound impact (if not greater) on job performance and satisfaction as does management, salary, personality, knowledge and skill. It influences every aspect of our being and directs our actions and reactions. Color, air, lighting, sound, and work station all play a major role in productivity, quality of performance, attendance, and interpersonal relationships.
We are not usually conscious of these affects but our physical and mental/emotional well being are dictated by our surroundingsAs our body and mind take in color, we are drawn to behave according to the dictates of its energies and affects. The Mc Donald's corporation purposely chose the colors of red and yellow because together, they provoke the desire to eat. An action and a reaction found to be quite profitable. The color yellow was deliberately chosen for our nation's warning signs because yellow incites the intellect, gets the mind's attention and provokes thought. Hospital systems and prisons use certain colors to stimulate appropriate responses and reactions. The colors we see, ingest and wear influence every aspect of our existence.
The air we breathe can seriously impact our physical and mental/emotional well being. A toxin such as mold can create chronic and sometimes serious illness. It also can have an affect on mood and thought processes. Ultimately these create issues with attendance, performance and job satisfaction while increasing insurance costs.
Lighting and sound can also hold negatives. Either or both can affect the ability to concentrate and focus, which in turn creates an opportunity for mistakes and ultimately costs both employer and employee. Inappropriate lighting and distractive sounds can also create health issues and affect mood.
A workstation that is too crowded or confined can stifle creativity and thought processing. If the furniture is uncomfortable or hard on the body all aspects of work performance will be affected.
Since we spend a great deal of our lives in the work environment, neglecting this aspect can prove to be quite costly. For businesses it means a high rate of turnover, less than quality performance, lower productivity, and higher costs. For employees, it can make the difference in our overall job performance as well as hold a great impact on our lives in general. In our quest to find the perfect job, we might consider the environment as important as salary and benefits. Business owners would do well to consider this aspect as well, with regards to budget, production and performance.