When a person spends most of their time in an office, it can have a huge impact on how they feel and how they perform. A negative work environment can have a seriously negative effect, leading to reduced productivity and staff members looking for new jobs. However, a positive work environment will lead to greater engagement from employees, better job performance and less staff turnover.

Creating a happy work environment in your office should be one of your top priorities as an office manager -- it’s not something that just happens organically. However, by implementing the right strategies and techniques, you can create the kind of working environment that inspires employees and lifts their spirits on a daily basis. If you want to bring some joy back into your workplace, keep reading to discover how you can create a happy work environment in your office.

Create transparency and a sense of inclusion

If employees feel like they have no idea what’s going on within the company, they are unlikely to feel very happy in their job. Creating transparency in your organisation will help to reduce this feeling of uncertainty while also creating a sense of inclusion among your employees. When everyone knows what’s going on at all times and has the same information, this helps to promote a sense of equality.

For example, if there is a restructure or a new initiative is being rolled out, make sure that all employees are made aware of the changes. This shows that management is being transparent about what’s happening and that everyone is being treated equally -- no one should be in the dark when it comes to company changes.

Hold regular team meetings

Regular team meetings are a great way to promote transparency, communication and a sense of inclusion in your office. Holding weekly or bi-weekly team meetings can help you to stay organised, foster collaboration and boost morale. In these meetings, you can set goals and use them to track progress, discuss problems, celebrate wins and solve issues that might be affecting your team. You can also use these meetings to give feedback, lift spirits and celebrate the good work that everyone on the team is doing.

Use Organisational Values 

You may be wondering, what are organisational values? Organisational values are the reasons why an employee would want to work for you or your business, such as the excellent work that your business does and what it may do in the future. Your business’ values should be made clear to your employees and made a part of their everyday lives, as this will keep them focused and motivated in their work. Organisational values can also give employees a sense of pride in their work.

Celebrate small wins

Achieving big goals is great, but celebrating small wins can also be a really effective way to boost morale and create a happy work environment. Whether it’s something simple such as holding an ice cream social or something more substantial such as treating employees to dinner or a day off, making an effort to celebrate small wins can have a big impact on how employees feel.

You can celebrate wins in a variety of ways, so you have plenty of options to choose from. However, make sure that you have a system in place for celebrating wins so that you don’t forget about them -- and make sure that the celebration is meaningful enough to lift spirits and make employees feel appreciated.

Encourage collaboration and teamwork

A happy work environment is one where employees feel like they are working as a team and helping each other out. This can be done by implementing regular team bonding activities, making sure that everyone on staff knows each other’s names - this creates a culture of open communication. You can encourage collaboration and teamwork by setting up social events for employees to attend. This can be anything from a bowling night to a company sports team or a volunteer day.

By bringing people together, you can break down the barriers between colleagues, as well as make people feel more connected to one another. Open communication can be achieved through things such as a regular suggestion box or by creating a meeting culture where people can ask questions and voice concerns.

Provide ample break rooms and lounges

Employees who are always stressed and on edge are more likely to make mistakes, take more sick days and have low morale. However, employees who have a place where they can relax, unwind and take a couple of minutes out of their day to destress are likely to be a whole lot happier and more productive. Make sure that your office has ample break rooms and lounges -- as well as a few soothing plants. You can also consider having a meditation room -- or at least make sure that employees know they are allowed to take a break whenever they need to.

Offer flexible working hours

Flexible working hours are likely to make employees feel more appreciated, valued and happier at work -- and they can also help to boost productivity. This is because people who know that they can work at their own pace and according to their own schedule are much less likely to be stressed and less likely to take sick days. You can offer flexible working hours by offering staff members the option to work from home on certain days. Alternatively, you can make it standard practice to have Fridays off -- or allow people to come in at a different time on Fridays.