With every new year comes the chance for new beginnings in the workplace, whether that means creating new opportunity or refreshing existing processes and responsibilities.
While many may make New Year’s resolutions for personal improvement, an individual’s working life can benefit from such goal-setting, too. Workplace resolutions can also be applied to an entire team, office or business – the sky is the limit! Just ensure they’re a) achievable and b) beneficial to your overall goals.
Here are four potential workplace resolutions that could be applied on an individual or wider level, to create a more efficient and harmonious working space for 2018:
1. I will tidy daily
Think tidying your desk at the end of each day, or introducing a clear desk policy, or maybe taking charge of meeting rooms and keeping them in good order. The idea of tidying daily is to take inspiration from the saying “tidy room, tidy mind” – except in this circumstance, the room could be any number of areas in your workplace (or even, if you’re up for challenge, it could be a number of them).
2. I will utilise space more effectively
Whether this means simply re-organising furniture or embarking on a complete office re-design, eliminating un-used space can help to save money and boost effectiveness for your business in 2018. Studies have also shown that more effective workspaces can bolster employee creativity and productivity (source), so there is little reason not to explore your design options this year (whatever your budget).
3. I will go green
An easily-implemented and measured workplace resolution, going green could be anything from encouraging employees to be more responsible with electricity usage to investing in power-saving technology and lighting solutions. Get creative – introduce plants for better air quality and reported increase in employee happiness levels (source), or consider recycling schemes.
4. I will get smarter
Smart technology is here to stay, and as we move into the era of the smart building, it makes sense to commit to smart solutions for the workspace. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a large investment – there are cost-effective solutions available for small businesses. There is no limit to the potential benefits of smart technology in the workplace, but you must ensure that the outcome is one that is useful to your own workspace, otherwise, it may end up a time-consuming or costly misstep.
