Ruminations

Sitting In The Sun

I like to work outside when the weather is nice. With the sun doing its best to remind me of when playing outside was as good as it gets. I do some of my best thinking outside. The sun seeps in and works its magic. I call it thoughtmosis. And it doesn't matter if it's real or imagined because it works for me. I am more productive, especially on some of my most difficult projects.

Also, I always have music playing. When I'm outside I wear earbuds; at my desk I use quality speakers. But music is always part of my work environment. Even as I write this while sitting in the sun.

Each person's work environment is important. It's the foundation upon which their productivity is built. I learned this while working on an assembly line in my late teens. Most of my shifts were spent putting screws into metal plates. About 3,000 screws per shift. The workstation was designed specifically for our task, with the pneumatic screwdriver hanging down from above on a springy hose. We did not suffer a Frankenstation, and our environment was not an afterthought. We had those old full-cover earphones for music, and they supplied us with all the gum we could chew. They kept us comfortable, in a groove and productive.

Making sure your employees have a good work environment is important. The work environment is often interpreted as a measure of respect. Those swanky corner offices aren't just for working — they are a status symbol.

The work environment leads to comfort, which leads to better morale. And better morale leads to better individual productivity and better teamwork. Too crowded? That's never good — no sense of personal space. Too hot? Ugh — sticky, lazy and maybe even smelly. Too Cold? This can be the worst, and the most common (even during Summer).

Time for some quick math. Let's say adequate temperature control costs a small business an extra $200 per month, and they have 20 employees working full time. That's $50 per week. So $50 ÷ 20 ÷ 40 gives us $0.0625 per employee per hour. Would you spend 6.25¢ per employee per hour for better productivity? Would you spend that much for better morale? Well, you can get both for the same price.

I realize that not all small businesses can accomodate letting employees work outside, listen to music, enjoy the sensation of a pneumatic screwdriver on a springy hose, or even have their own swanky corner office. But we all can make the effort to keep staff comfortable and morale high. And let them know that they are respected and valued, even if it is only valued at an extra 6.25¢ per hour.

---