In today's marketplace, money is hard to find, businesses are bursting at the seams, and stress is running high. There are survival instincts kicking in and employee contributions have increased. Can you still create a positive and productive environment where people want to work? How can other businesses better their workplace experience?

Here are some tips to help you do just that:

Offer plenty of space
Plenty of companies have a relaxation room focused around meditation and stress management techniques. When you let your employees relax when they want to, it bumps up productivity. The room is a place that lets people decompress for a while.

Volunteer
Research has shown that when employees are part of something enlightening, their level of happiness and purpose increase. You have to find a charity which your office is passionate about and do something for it. A sense of honor and duty is a powerful tool and a great stress reliever.

Fitness & Recreation
You should create a fitness program where you bring in a fitness guru to come into the office one day out of the week. Research shows that exercising together can work as much as the leading anti-anxiety medication. It also boosts employee morale and productivity.

Build a sports team
Everyone should join in a group sport such as volleyball or kickball. You play against other local businesses. When your employees have a common goal and they're working in partnership with each other, it builds up your morale. It's also a great way to network and get to know more people in your industry.

Use a comment box
Place a comment box somewhere public. This will be for both complaints and compliments. When you see someone doing something right, let everyone know by writing about it on a piece of paper and casually putting it in the comment box. At the end of the week, there can be a entertaining drawing to see who gets to exercise a couple of office perks or have a lunch break with the CEO.

Use an office advocate
Plenty of small businesses do not have enough employee advocates. It's a pretty important to assign someone who can report on feedback right from the battlefront and help you decide what to do.

Talk it out
You should open the channels of communication in your company. Try to find that one employee who will give you honest answers about what's going on in your business. Always encourage a sense of openness.

I just have to say as someone who has spent time in the corporate environment some of these suggestions are just terrible. I come to work to earn a paycheck not work out together, volunteer for charity, or spend my free time playing sports together. Trying to create an environment where all suggestions are welcome and can be offered annonymously that's great but some of this other stuff is just not.

I have to agree with Learnsfast about some of these most employees whether they participate or not cannot stand these "extracurricular" work activities and in my experience they don't do much to promote teamwork in the workplace. Usually they help to re-emphasize the "us" and "them" mentality at least in a larger business environment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Learnsfast

I just have to say as someone who has spent time in the corporate environment some of these suggestions are just terrible. I come to work to earn a paycheck not work out together, volunteer for charity, or spend my free time playing sports together. Trying to create an environment where all suggestions are welcome and can be offered annonymously that's great but some of this other stuff is just not.

Can we ask, do you enjoy your current job?

detailedreams is probably referring to an ideal scenario. Certainly not every company would go to that extent, but those that do create a much more pleasant working environment and are able to retain their best talent as a result.

I love my current job I am a freelancing work at home mom but I have worked for both small businesses and large corporations alike and while those things may have their place the workplace usually isn't it. If you want to retain your best talent you would be much better served offering competitive wages and benefits, and actually showing and telling your employees that they are appreciated. Company perks are great like a discounted membership or something to a gym but most of these other things are taking your employees away from their families and personal lives even more than the work day does already which most people feel is more than enough.