Business leaders are beginning to recognize the importance of fostering positive company culture because it defines the personality of your organization. People tend to work more productively in an environment where they enjoy spending time and when they feel appreciated by their employers. Carefully selecting your office supplies, furniture, and setup can help to reinforce your brand identity, improve communication, and motivate employees to work more effectively.
Here are seven ways that simple office supplies can boost company culture.
1. Offer the Latest Tech
The quality of the software and equipment your company uses reflects the level of professionalism of your company and indicates to employees how seriously you take your business. Keeping up to date with the latest tech not only appeals to the newest generation of employees entering the workforce but also ensures everyone is using the same software version to minimize compatibility issues and maximize productivity.
Ensure your software is updated regularly and that the IT hardware your company uses is optimized frequently. Also, try to maintain consistency in terms of the brands of equipment you use throughout the office. For example, if one department uses a Brother printer and ink, provide all departments with the same to ensure consistency throughout published documents. Or, if one department had obsolete IT hardware replaced, do the same in all other departments.
Up-to-date tech across the entire company ensures consistency and compatibility for better workflow and also shows your employees that you value each member of the team equally.
2. Facilitate Collaborative Work
Collaborative work is the backbone of corporate culture, but sharing ideas and feedback is achieved more efficiently with a dynamic workspace. Gone are the days of office cubicles and anonymous rows of desks. Staff members need to freely communicate with each other to facilitate more effective collaborative work.
Shared tables or grouped workstations allow employees to quickly ask questions of their colleagues and get back to work. This is the ideal situation for departmental teams or groups working on a specific project.
Modular furniture can be rearranged for times when colleagues need to collaborate, and then moved back when employees are focusing on individual tasks.
3. Encourage Creativity
In a competitive industry, creative thinking can give your company an edge, which is why businesses prize creativity in their employees. One of the best ways to nurture a creative work environment is by providing employees with access to the right office supplies to express their ideas.
Something as simple as having whiteboards and markers available for brainstorming and visualization encourages a creative mindset in your employees. The latest interactive Smart Boards also offer collaborative capabilities to let your employees share their best creative ideas in real-time.
4. Supply Reliable Office Equipment
There is nothing more discouraging than trying to do your job and not having the equipment you need to do it. Something as simple as a jammed printer conveys the message that your company doesn’t care about their employees, which can significantly impact both productivity and company culture.
Show your employees you care about their work by providing reliable office equipment like dependable printing supplies, quality office furniture, and ample stationery. Ensure that equipment is maintained so that it is always available when your staff needs it.
5. Provide Flexible Work Hours
Offering flexible work hours shows your employees that you understand that different people work better at various times throughout the workday. While some employees are at their most creative before the sun rises, others work best late into the night. It also shows you understand your employees have a life and obligations outside of work, and it is important to you that they achieve a good work/life balance.
The right office supplies can keep everyone on track even while working at different hours of the day, in different locations. Collaborative software and apps such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Trello, Asana, HipChat, or Google Apps for Business, as well as video conferencing tools like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Skype, enable colleagues to communicate and collaborate remotely with ease.
6. Build Company Pride
Having pride in the company improves morale, encourages employees to work harder, and helps to foster a feeling of belonging. Promotional products and office supplies that feature the company logo are a simple way to build company pride and improve company culture from the inside.
Give promotional products that align with your company’s ethos and mission statement. If your company is focused on sustainability, try giving reusable coffee cups that reinforce the eco-friendly values of your company.
7. Prioritize the Well-Being of Your Employees
Health and well-being play a critical role in the happiness and productivity of your employees. Studies suggest that employees who reported feeling happy at work were 12% more productive than the typical worker. Prioritizing your employees' health and happiness by fostering a culture of well-being can give your business a significant return on investment, and one of the key ways to promote a culture of comfort is by offering equipment and supplies that promote wellness.
Standing desks and ergonomically designed workstations minimize employee injury, improve posture, and promote better health by encouraging unintentional activity. Offering a designated “wellness area” equipped with comfortable furniture and calming interior design elements allows employees to decompress from stressful work situations throughout the day and to refocus.
Providing complimentary wholesome and satisfying snacks in the break room can also boost employee wellness by improving nutrition. Snacks such as yogurt, granola bars, or fresh fruit, as well as on-trend healthy beverages, in addition to water, coffee, and tea, allow your staff to refuel and re-energize for improved morale and productivity.
Final Thoughts
Company culture is a determining factor in the success or failure of your business and can help you attract and retain talent. A good workplace culture boosts efficiency and effectiveness for everyone. Just ensure your company culture aligns with your mission, values, ethics, and expectations and, with a few simple changes, you can increase productivity and reaffirm your employees’ dedication to your brand identity.
