Along with all the other hurdles 2020 has thrown at us, the pandemic presents its challenges when it comes to ensuring staff productivity and job satisfaction stay on the up.
According to CNBC, 2 out of 3 employers claimed that maintaining employee morale during the pandemic has been a challenge. 

*Spoiler alert* This means that your success in the new normal will largely depend on how much compassion and support you are willing to offer your employees.
Not to worry, though. Keeping your staff top of mind is actually a lot more straight forward than it seems. Below are our five mantras we recommend you action in the brave new world to boost your team - and in effect, your business - forwards. 

Encourage social interaction 

Did you know it is psychologically proven that humans benefit from interaction?
A sense of ‘self-actualization’ - achieving one’s true potential and feeling a sense of belonging - ranks in Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs along with security, safety and basics such as food, water, warmth, and rest. 

Author of How To Be Happy At Work, Annie McKee observes:
“One of the ways we can make ourselves happy and feel more fulfilled in our        workplaces is to build friendships with the people that work with us, for us and even with our boss.” 

As the experts explain, encouraging your employees to catch up on a personal level, nurture friendships, and laugh are all simple yet effective ways to boost morale and productivity. One way to do this is to providing collaboration zones - also known as Activity Based Work solutions in your workplace.
Social interaction doesn’t just boost productivity actively, but it reduces absenteeism and has other health benefits. According to the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER), Adults who receive strong social support at work have reduced risk of health problems ranging from depression, high blood pressure and unhealthy body mass index. 

 Cancel out blame-culture - replace it with creativity. 

Withhold criticism and encourage off the wall ideas! 

• Prepare and circulate agenda’s in advance. 

Any company hoping to retain its best talent should celebrate its wins and own its failures as a collective. A big part of this is encouraging a ‘safe-space’ ethos at work - cultivate the creativity of the people working around you.
The Harvard Business Review observes how important it is for Management to take an active role in driving creativity among their workforce. They note that it’s important to draw on the right minds at the right time and to encourage input across the ranks. The findings wisely credit creativity as an important business lever, 

“Rather than simply roll up their sleeves and execute a top-down strategy, employees must contribute to the imagination.” 

Cultivate a there’s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-idea mentality moving forward.

 Hold a weekly quiz.

Who doesn’t love a quiz? Make it around your industry, themed, or general knowledge. Other proactive ways to boost staff morale are escape rooms, office trivia, and team breakfasts. All encourage your staff to be engaged with your industry and can help establish a community vibe in the workplace.
If you’re in a position to, why not offer incentives or prizes? Find out what work perks your employees value and deliver on them regularly to entice your employees back to work. Flexible working patterns and pawternity have proven popular in our recent studies. 

Use technology to its full potential.

We know 2020 has been rough, but we're far from the dulcet dial-up tones of internet connections in the late 90s. Waiting for technology to load, send data or update is just a no-go today. And yet, Sharp electronics found that the average UK office worker loses a whopping 21 days a year to slow or outdated technology - longer than some's paid annual leave! 
Our advice? Invest in your technology and watch your team reap the benefits. Here's a few easy but rewarding things to implement for starters: 

• Provide alternatively lit and heated zones at work. 
  These can go a long way to ensuring you're providing as many staff as possible with a comfortable office space. 
• Show your staff you're taking their safety seriously. 
  VisionID systems integrator have even developed a track-and-trace software to illeviate the woes of social distancing in the workplace. 

Ensure you’ve got a robust wellbeing support scheme in place.

We spend 30% of our life at work. It impacts our daily mood, enjoyment and overall happiness and in 2020 this is more apparent than ever. Many workers are having to balance the demands of personal and professional life more so than before thanks to increased remote-working.
We recommend you implement the following:

• Support your HR Team. 
  Something as simple as regularly surveying your staff and actually asking them what you can do to support their productivity is a great start. Office counsellors are increasingly available and can be an efficient way for staff to communicate honestly what they feel can be improved at work.
  

• Encourage physical exercise 
  Cycle to work schemes have seen the biggest increase in 2020 since their decade-ago inception. A 2005 study on aerobics creative potential revealed that not only does physical exercise boost serotonin levels short-term and boost staff morale, but it has lasting positive effects too. 

• 
  The bottom line…
  We are entering a new era in the way we work and that means adapting how you motivate your staff. All you need to do is lead by example: foster employee engagement by following those 5 simple steps and watch your people and business thrive. 

We at Flexioffices are no strangers to adaptability at work. With over 20 years experience, we have watched working habits change and we will again. For free advice regarding your workspace plans, don't hesitate to contact us.