Building a Productive Work Environment [Opinion by Lucas Melo]

The most important aspect leading to the organic and rapid growth of a company is the environment it promotes. For the past two years, I have been obsessed with companies work-spaces, I do my very best not to miss the chance to visit a new office, and during those visits, I'm always excited to see the new cool conference rooms and coffee break areas around the building. From my visits, I have been able to find trends in work-spaces that promote a productive environment. Two aspects that promote productivity are schedules, or the lack of a schedule, and the work-space itself. 

Having visited a number of offices, and read about various others, I have noticed that offices providing “basic” amenities tend to promote a greater productive environment. Amenities such as snack-bars spaced out across the office, a decent selection of food for breakfast and lunch, a recreational area with an assortment of games, and most importantly, common work areas. Most people might think that all these amenities are there due to the time-saving benefits that it will bring its employees but they actually serve a greater purpose, they allow employees to socialize and create a stronger bond while working together; The food will allow an easy option for you and your coworkers to sit down together for a meal, recreational areas will allow employees to have fun together, and the common areas will allow employees to sit around people from other departments and brainstorm together. Amenities in the work-space allow employees to stay inside the building longer and meet new coworkers gaining a broader understanding of different departments within the organization and build stronger relationships with co-workers.

A flexible schedule is the second aspect that will promote a productive environment. Companies should not keep track of the number of hours worked per week, they should instead focus on employees' achievements and ability to deliver projects within the deadline, of course, this strategy will work more effectively on a salary based employment plan. Allowing employees to create their own schedule will allow for the time spent at work to be richer, I experienced this first hand at Amazon.

During my time at Amazon I remember being able to work from 8:30-4:00, leaving to go to the gym, coming back home for dinner and working a bit more, I was able to work 10-11 hours a day and not feel overwhelmed. Locking employees at their offices for long periods of time will only decrease productivity in the long run, while giving them freedom will showcase trust and allow for a more dynamic environment. Many believe only large corporations can benefit from what was mentioned in this article due to the false belief that it takes a lot of resources to create a productive work environment. 

The false belief that you need a vast amount of resources to benefit from the aspects of a productive environment bugles my mind. Throughout the past two years, I have seen dozens of small corporations with less than 100 employees, and some with less than 50 employees, who were able to create an environment which, in most cases, exceeds large corporations.

Companies who strive to create a good environment for their employees are able to surpass competition due to the will of its workers. To create a productive environment you must trust your employees and allow them to work on their schedule as well as provide them with the resources needed to succeed. During the past two years, I have noticed where people tend to be happier and work harder, it usually is at a company that allows a flexible work schedule & provides a work-space guided towards teamwork.