Human behavior is highly unpredictable; however, it can be influenced in several ways. Perhaps, you might be able to improve your team’s productivity by offering tools to keep them organized, but you may be able to boost morale and efficiency by changing your office environment. 

Your working environment has the power to shape not only how you work, but also your mood and disposition. Take a look at these six factors that can affect your team’s productivity.

1. Lighting

Several studies have shown that constant exposure to bright light, especially to natural light, makes people happier, reducing anxiety, stress and depression. If possible, choose an office space with big windows that allow natural light in. In case this is not possible, an alternative is to install blue-tinted, bright lighting to ensure your team has enough lighting to work productively. 

2. Ambient Noise

Research shows that exposure to constant noise like nearby conversations and loud service announcements could decrease productivity by 66%. However, total silence isn’t necessarily good for productivity either. By providing ambient noise, at a consistent volume, you can cover up distracting noises and maintain your team’s productivity.

3. Music

The world is divided into individuals who believe that music is truly effective at improving productivity and individuals who see it just as a distraction. Research has shown that low volume music can have positive effects on employees’  productivity. However, music with clear lyrics rather than being beneficial can be distracting. 

It is important to notice that music personally preferred by an employee will have more effect in increasing productivity. Therefore, allowing your employees to wear headphones at work might be beneficial for your company.

4. Air Quality 

Air quality can be as impactful on your employees’ productivity, as the presence of ambient noise or the lighting in your building. According to a report on Pub Med, poor air quality can decrease productivity by 6% to 9%. Providing exposure to clean outdoor air, air circulation and air filters can be beneficial in improving indoor quality.

5. Temperature 

The different individual preferences can make finding the right temperature for your office a bit complicated; the perfect temperature for some individuals might be too cold or too hot for others to work comfortably. 

Studies have found that the average temperature for peak productivity is around 71 degrees F. However, it might change depending on the nature of the work and as a mentioned before, the individual preferences. You could experiment and adjust from this average to find the ¨ideal¨ temperature for your team.

6. Color 

Evidence suggests that different colors can have different effects on employees’ morale and productivity. For instance, blue is associated with stable and calming environments, helping workers to de-stress and feel more relaxed. Green is supposed to reduce eye fatigue and help employees remain efficient. While red is linked to emotion and passion. You could try using different colors to see how they affect your team’s productivity and work ethic. 

Taking care of these six factors can improve your team’s productivity. However, you must keep in mind that happy employees make the company thrive (link). It has been shown that having happy and satisfied employees can boost productivity up to 25%. Remember that you should provide a working environment adapted to the people and not the other way around.