The Office Atmosphere Impacts Productivity: Behavior, Appearance and Comfortability

By Lyndi Catania , business.com writer | Last Modified Jul 29, 2016

The complete atmosphere of an office or workplace correlates with employee productivity. This includes three large areas:
behavior, appearance and comfortability.

When it comes to workplace behavior, all employees come into play. It's not only about how the manager treats his or her
staff, it's also about the relationships of individual workers, as well as departments.

Behavior
A work environment should be a mature setting, one where each and every employee is respectful of one another. While
respecting one another, employees should make it a point to get to know their coworkers. Participating in team events and
team building activities is a beneficial way to accomplish this.

Employees are also more productive when they're aware of their value and feel appreciated, which is why it's important
for managers to express that. Recognition Source states, "As working the same job, day in and day out, can grow tedious
over a long span of time, many corporations use corporate awards to let their employees know that they are valued and
provide them with an incentive to deliver top performance at all times." While it's unrealistic for working adults to expect
constant recognition, I agree that providing an occasional incentive or sign of appreciation has the power to increase self-
esteem, motivation and productivity.

Appearance
As mentioned above, furniture placement, lighting, and desk clutter fall into office appearance. The overall set-up of an
office has the ability to impact the way workers act, feel and engage in the workplace. Sometimes this depends on the type
of work that's being done within the office, and sometimes it depends on what the employees prefer.

According to Valley Lighting & Home Decor, "Overhead lighting is good in moderation, but too much of it can be an
unnecessary strain on your eyes. Depending on whether you’re working with computers, reading, or doing some other
task. Try to rely on other light sources if possible, such as lamps or natural lighting from windows." Overhead fluorescent
lighting has its benefits, but it's best to take advantage of other sources, rather than one large, harsh source.
When choosing the best way to illuminate the office, take these elements into consideration: natural light, wall color and
desks. "An open desk allows space for a desk lamp while a computer style desk with a hutch is the perfect spot for under-
cabinet lighting." Lighting professionals also advise layering lights.
"Try setting pendants at different heights, use a dimmer on overheads or diffuse your lighting by angling it toward the
ceiling. This is especially helpful if your desk has a high gloss finish that would create a glare if the desk were directly
under a ceiling fixture."
Comfortability
There's not much more to comfortability than providing the proper workplace comfort. The elements of comfort include,
but are not limited to:

Some of these elements differ depending on the season, location or individual, but they're all of high importance. The
office atmosphere as a whole impacts productivity. If employees aren't happy, healthy and comfortable (both physically
and mentally), the office atmosphere may have to be altered.
 The dangers of working in an office

30 April 2015 By James McIntosh


 The office here at Medical News Today HQ is a pleasant place to work. It is a largely tranquil place (until somebody
decides to use the shredder) where the tea is plentiful and occasionally a passing dog can be spotted through the window.
Posture is crucial to keeping healthy when working for long periods of time at a desk.
On the idyllic surface, it seems as though it would be a perfectly safe and healthy place to work. There are certainly no
obvious hazards of the kind that are commonplace on construction sites or in factories, and many office workers enjoy the
benefits of rigid working days, rather than having their body clocks thrown by changing shift patterns.

But offices are not without their hazards, even if these are not as overt as those in other environments. One significant
problem comes from being sat at a desk for most of the day. A recent study has suggested that the amount of time spent
sitting each day is associated with a higher risk of various diseases.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), around 21,638,470 people are employed in jobs defined as office
and administrative support occupations. However, this figure does not include other occupations, such as management
roles, business and financial operations occupations or computer occupations that are also likely to be based in office
environments.

Chained to your desk

As mentioned above, sitting for long periods of time every day is bad for your health. While sitting reduces the amount of
time individuals can spend exercising, researchers have demonstrated that prolonged sitting time is associated with poor
health outcomes regardless of the amount of physical activity performed. Office workers are advised to get up and move
around whenever they can. The nature of many office jobs, however, usually results in long periods of sitting down. If you
are going to be sitting down at a desk for any length of time, it is a good idea to get the basics right.

"The number one thing that gets people into trouble as far as a downgrade in their health is their posture," says Luis
Feigenbaum, a director of sports physical therapy at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine, in conversation
with ABC News.
Computers: one-eyed monsters of the office
These days, most people sitting at a desk will have a computer sitting right in front of them. Although they make a lot of
jobs easier, they also make keeping healthy in the office a lot harder
Firstly, where a computer and its related hardware are positioned can drastically influence posture. The height of a
computer monitor will affect the height of an office chair - a monitor should be positioned directly in front of the user,
about an arm's length away, with the top of the screen just below eye level.

To avoid eye strain, both the computer monitor and the office lighting need to be addressed. The screen should be
adjusted so that its brightness and contrast levels suit the lighting conditions in the room, which should not be too bright.
How to improve your fitness at work
Although the office can often be a comfortable place to work, it is important that workers do not allow unhealthy practices
to become comfortable and routine. Remaining sedentary, using office equipment incorrectly and eating unhealthily can
eventually lead to debilitating health problems that could stop individuals from working altogether.

Want better sleep? Leave your work at the office

 Monday 23 April 2018 By Maria Cohut

it will come as no surprise that taking your work home with you ups your stress levels and impacts sleep quality. But
here's the catch: "work" isn't just about what you do in the office. It's also about other work-related "baggage," such as
experiencing rudeness, which may prove extra difficult to leave behind. "It's been a hard day's night, and you've been
working like a dog," as the Beatles' song very aptly puts it.
Now you're in need of some well-deserved peace and quiet.

Studies have found that being unable to completely shut off your working brain can have serious negative consequences
on your health and overall well-being. For instance, as recently as last year, researchers have shown that individuals who
find it hard to unplug are frequently more exhausted.

What happens when we don't ignore out-of-hours e-mails, or when we turn on our laptops at home to see if we can do a
little bit of extra work, is that we don't give ourselves enough time to recover from the pressures of work before resuming
said work the next day. And the next. And the next.

This pattern of giving into the temptation of staying productive even outside of normal work hours can affect our health
for years to come, researchers say.

And it's not just about the work that we put in; it's also about the mental baggage that we take with us, argues a new study
that was conducted by researchers from Oakland University in Rochester, MI, Portland State University in Oregon, and
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service.

Don't bring stress home with you

The study — published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology — suggests that people who tend to linger on
bad or stressful work experiences outside of working hours report more frequent insomnia than those who can
successfully shut off these bothersome thoughts.

"Sleep quality is crucial," says lead study author Caitlin Demsky, "because sleep plays a major role in how employees
perform and behave at work."

That's why, she adds, "In our fast-paced, competitive professional world, it is more important than ever that workers are in
the best condition to succeed, and getting a good night's sleep is key to that."
Make relaxing activities routine
However, letting go of work-related stress is no easy feat. After all, if your manager thinks that you haven't done a great
job this week or the teammate you've been working with on a project throws you under the waggon and blames you for
everything that went wrong, how can you "let go" of that?

There's no simple solution, but finding an activity that relaxes you and engaging in that after work might help you to
shake off negative experiences that, in turn, will lead to a better night's sleep.
"Incivility in the workplace takes a toll on sleep quality. It does so in part by making people repeatedly think about their
negative work experiences. Those who can take mental breaks from this fare better and do not lose as much sleep as those
who are less capable of letting go."
-Caitlin Demsky
Does painting relax you? Or taking a long walk in the park? Don't deprive yourself of these small pleasures; they might
just make the difference between reaching a state of burnout and setting healthful work-life boundaries.
However, the responsibility to promote well-being doesn't just lie with employees. The researchers also urge employers to
be more sensitive about the impact that work-related stress can have on employees.

Managers should therefore avoid sending work-related e-mails after work has officially ended for the day. They should
also look into joining programs that promote healthful work cultures and environments.

Personality Traits to Become a Secretary

 by Beth Greenwood

A secretary must be properly educated and have the necessary skills for the job, such as typing, computer skills, writing
skills and knowledge of filing systems. Personal characteristics, on the other hand, are not something you learn in school,
yet they have a large impact on your ability to be effective in your work. For example, a secretary who cannot keep
important information confidential is not trusted by the boss. Some important personality traits for a secretary include the
ability to manage time wisely, excellent judgment and interpersonal skills that facilitate working relationships.
Keep Things Confidential
The ability to keep information confidential might be one of a secretary’s most important traits, according to an article on
the Legal Secretaries International website. A breach of confidentiality could mean giving away business secrets to a
competitor, allowing rumors to affect employees in an organization or cause a legal case to go awry. Medical secretaries
may be entrusted with private patient information that could cause harm if it became public, and which must be kept
confidential under the law, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Staying Organized
The ability to organize daily tasks is another important personal characteristic. Secretaries routinely have to keep track of
many tasks and projects, such as scheduling meetings and appointments, taking and transcribing minutes, handling phone
calls, making travel arrangements for one or more superiors, filing and many other responsibilities. A disorganized
secretary can create chaos in an office. Board members who don’t have the necessary information to review prior to a
board meeting cannot make good decisions. When the boss arrives late at the airport and misses a plane -- because the
secretary gave the wrong information about the flight time -- that secretary is likely to face disciplinary action or even
termination.

Communication is Critical
Secretaries deal with many different people and must be adept communicators. A secretary should have the ability to
make visitors feel at ease by being gracious and welcoming or able to smooth the ruffled composure of someone who
must wait because of a temporary emergency. You need to be able to communicate important facts quickly and logically,
while creating a positive working environment. You also need the judgment to share only what is appropriate in a given
situation. Executive secretaries, for example, may have complex responsibilities across several departments in an
organization and be privy to information that should not be shared with a junior secretary.

Be A Team Player
You must be a team player to be effective as a secretary, according to an April 2008 article in the “Florida Community
Association Professionals Journal.” Your job is to support your boss in any way you can, and this calls for flexibility. You
may need to work late from time to time or come in early, take on a project you’ve never done before or generally go the
extra mile. Your ability to anticipate the needs of your boss or other people to whom you provide secretarial support
promotes their success. Make sure you keep your boss informed of important matters and give her all the information
necessary to do her job well.

References (4)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

Legal Secretaries International, Inc.: Proud to be a Legal Secretary

Florida Community Association Professionals Journal: Ten Qualities of a Great Administrative Assistant

The Definitive Personal Assistant and Secretarial Handbook; Sue France