It is not surprising that employees regard salaries as the number one factor that makes them professionally satisfied these days. What is surprising is that the comfort and nice appearance of their physical workplaces almost is related with benefits in the second place. With an increasing number of people spending more time in their workplaces, the work environment has become increasingly important.
Last year, the American Society of Interior Designers commissioned a nationwide study called “Recruiting and Retaining Qualified Employees—by Design”, and it revealed that:
● Employees who were pleased with their physical workplaces were 31 percent more likely to say they were satisfied with their jobs.
● The physical workplaces would impact 41 percent of employees and job seekers to accept a position.
● The quality of their physical workplaces would influence 51 percent to leave a company.
● More surprisingly, 73 percent were not satisfied with the physical workplaces at their current jobs.
In order to attract those valuable employees or potential applicants, it is necessary for employers to make small, yet meaningful adjustments to their work environments. “In this competitive marketplace, it is increasingly more important to focus on the appearance of the workplace,” explains Todd Imholte, president of Environmental Graphics, a company that produces wall murals for home and office. “Studies have shown that employers who care about their employees and their work environment have more motivated and productive employees,”said Imholte.
“We know that there is a strong relationship between motivation and productivity in the workplace. Employees who are motivated will be more careful, dependable, and therefore more productive,” said Dr. Denise Ones of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
The Toyota manufacturing facility in Georgetown, Ky. recently installed 44 Environmental Graphics’ wall murals throughout their production facilities, labs and conference rooms. According to the safety manager Karen Wells, “The murals help bring the outdoors in, making the work environment a more positive and motivating place for the employees. When people look up at the wall, they see pleasant scenery instead of a boring wall. We even let the employees choose them.” Environmental Graphics’ murals are nature-inspired, reflect positive Feng Shui elements and cost around $100. Popular designs include Serenity, Oriental Garden, Hawaiian Sunset,
Clouds, Morning Forest, Lake in the Woods and Desert in Bloom, as well as the company’s newest addition, Lighthouse Cove. These murals have made a big improvement on the workplace environment.