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When you run your own business, time is money. And you can only hope to be profitable if you squeeze the potential out of every single minute your doors are open. That’s why you’ve worked hard to assemble an all-star team of smart, dynamic, imaginative and highly motivated employees. But even the best of us can find that our productivity flags when we have to work in an environment that’s not conducive to productivity. Whatever the nature of your startup, your workspace plays a vital role in getting the best out of your team all day, every day.

With that in mind, here are some essential productivity-boosting components that you’ll find in all optimal workplaces…

Natural light

Harvard Business Review calls natural light “the ultimate office perk” and there’s no denying the effect it can have both on productivity and employee morale. When we have access to natural light it affects our mood much more positively than yellow or fluorescent artificial light. What’s more, natural light means a view. And when we can see trees, grass and plants it helps us to feel calmer, more focused and happier making us more productive. 

Healthy food

You wouldn’t expect your car to run on cooking fat. You wouldn’t try and charge your phone by leaving it in direct sunlight. Yet too many of us think that we can get the best out of our employees by putting the wrong fuel in their bodies. 

So many workplace vending machines are chock full of high-calorie, low-nutrient processed foods. Serve your employees something fresh and loaded with nutrients. Think “more plants, less of everything else” and you can’t go far wrong. Here are some of the best foods for sustained productivity.

Cleanliness 

It’s not impossible to be consistently productive in a workplace that is dirty, cluttered and untidy, but it’s certainly challenging. Thus, any steps you take to make your workplace easier to clean is a bonus. From equipping employees with desk tidies to laying down easy to clean epoxy floor coatings and getting your AC unit serviced regularly, it’s up to you to sustain a clean and tidy working environment.

Cleanliness not only helps the mind to stay focused, it also reduces the chance of employee absenteeism due to the illnesses that can develop in unclean working environments. 

Efficient storage

When employees struggle to gain access to the equipment they need it can slow them down significantly. We’ve all known that mad dash from office to cupboard to the boss’ office just to try and find a single ball point pen that works. Invest in efficient storage solutions and make sure everything is clearly labelled so that employees always have access to whatever they need to do their jobs well. 

Plants

Finally, who could forget the natural mood boosting power of plants? Plants help to bring the outdoors indoors. They oxygenate your workspace and lend not just aesthetic beauty but a feeling of peace and calm. Here are a list of some of the most effective productivity boosting plants that deserve a space in your business.