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Is your workspace working for you? Research shows that your environment makes an impact on your mood. So it may be time to give your space at the office a makeover to liven up things at work.

“Now you can change your office decor as often as you change the ink in your printer,” says Anna Griffin, designer of the Anna Griffin Inc. line of desk accessories. “A change of color and pattern in your workspace can help to motivate, destress and even improve your disposition.”

The key is to add variety to your area so that you don’t get bored with the same surroundings and decor day after day. Griffin offers the following tips to help you create a pleasing and invigorating work area.

* Clear the clutter. The first step in producing a pleasant cubicle space is to make it clean and organized. This will help you stay focused on your work.

* Accessorize. Disposable desk accessories in fun colors and patterns will add instant pizzazz to your workspace and can be replaced whenever you need a change of ambience.

The “Rose” and “Elsie” collections from Anna Griffin Inc. are fresh, fun and, best of all, affordable. They feature four different patterns in eight coordinating office items, including file sets, magazine and pencil holders, paper, letter bins, journals and photo albums. The Rose Collection is full of rich, vibrant color in Old World floral patterns, while the Elsie Collection is sophisticated and playful, incorporating retro, pastel abstract and floral designs.

* Decorate your workspace to look like home. Because you spend so much time at work, choose a color or style and start decorating. A small area rug can add color and texture to your space, and a favorite lamp or lamp shade can cast just the right light. You can personalize with touches like a decorative basket as an “in box” and fun prints and paintings for the walls. Don’t forget photos of your family, friends and pets. They will bring a smile and help reduce your stress level.

* Just add water. A desktop fountain, fresh flowers or a fishbowl can add ambience and a sense of style and tranquility to your office space.

* Don’t forget the finishing touches. Use a pre-made slipcover to add style and color to that tired old desk chair. Switch out those boring manila folders with decorative patterned ones. They make work fun! Show some individuality with your mouse pad. You can purchase a mouse pad featuring an art masterpiece or cartoon character, depending on your theme and mood. A whimsical clock, fun paperweight or funky plant could be just what you need to make the space more “you.”

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Here are some tips to help you ‘cut the fat’ and improve the productivity of your business. If you apply a few of these, you’re well on your way to achieving greater profit and creating less stress!

1. Cut the Slackers!
“Carrying dead-weight employees? Lose them now!” Ever tried to run a marathon whilst towing an old tire? This is what it’s like trying to grow a productive business with unproductive (or unmotivated) employees. Not only will they not add value to your bottom line, they’ll drag other ‘productive’ workmates to their level. Cutting a slack worker (legally of course) will actually increase the productiveness of other workmates.

2. Cut the Paper!
“Start a war against paper!” Do you need to print that email to read it? Or that brief? Reduce office clutter on desks and encourage better use of digital filing. Ask clients to email files rather than send faxes, and printed media. Use a web based project management or time tracking solution rather than paper based timesheets. Get the drift ? saves trees too!

3. Cut the Time!
“A task can take both 10 minutes and an hour!” Have you noticed that if you give a task (i.e.: write a proposal) to an employee and they have a day to do it, they will, but if you give them 3 days to do the same task, guess what, they’ll take 3 days! Put tight and exact deadlines (i.e.: Wed 3:30pm) on important tasks, and your staff will become more productive.

4. Cut the Expenses!
“Plug all the holes in your cash flow!” Make a list of all general expenses in your business. Next to each one, write one of the following: Need it, Review it, Cut it. Take this list to either a receptionist or employee with some free time. Have them work down the list firstly on the expenses to ‘Cut’. This will create immediate savings. Then have them ‘Review’ the expenses you need, but perhaps could get a better deal on. ‘Trimming the fat’ every 6 months can help you create profit.

5. Target Different Work!
“One project for $20,000 or ten projects for $2,000 each”. Look at the type of work you’re targeting. Is it worth targeting a different type or value of work? Most businesses just ‘do what they’ve always done’ rather than looking for more profitable types of revenue. Think hard about other more profitable work your business can do with its available resource.

6. Don’t Work Late, Come in Early!
“A clear mind is a productive mind!” Outside of work, this time should be used to recharge. Don’t take extra work home, rather just go home, relax, play golf, go for a run, enjoy the family & come in early to do that extra work. Not only will you work better after relaxing, but your family life will improve!

7. Motivate Staff, Offer Incentives!
“Staff priorities are not the same as manager priorities!” Managers, Owners & Directors have different motives and priorities than staff. Just because you are excited about your business doesn’t mean the staff are. Your mind is on the bottom line, whereas staff think of their pay, and they’ll get paid whether they perform or not. Motivate staff with performance related bonuses such as money, time off & job flexibility.

8. Hire multi-skilled workers!
“Enlarge your skill base without the cost!” It’s better to have two designer/developers, than a designer and a developer. Multi-skilled workers, by nature are generally better problem solvers, more flexible and more productive than single skilled workers. You’ll also have more options for work delegation and due to an increased skill base will be able to take on a wider range of projects.

9. Clean your Desks!
“Start the Week Fresh”. Make it company policy that every Friday, before staff leave, all loose paper is to be filed away or organized in racks, drawers, folders or cabinets. A messy workspace is a messy mind. By having staff organize their desks on Friday, when they start on Monday, they’ll get straight info focused work, rather than looking at clutter wondering where to start. More productive time!

10. Clean your Digital Files!
“Make it easy to find information!” Searching hard drives and servers for information can waste a lot of productive time. Designate a tech employee the job of tidying the server. Have them organize files logically into client folders, archive or remove old files, check everybody has good network access and tidy the other staffs’ desktops and PCs.

11. Prioritize Your 20%’ers!
“Do the important things first!” Most people procrastinate on the 20% of the tasks that create 80% of the revenue. At the end of each day, make a list for the next day. If you have 25 tasks, list the 5 most important revenue generating tasks (the 20%’ers), then list the 5 most urgent tasks (usually admin). By working through the 20% items first, you’re working ‘on’ the business (growth), rather than ‘in’ the business (maintenance).

12. Review your Services!
“Your services should be team players, not just expenses!” Do you consider your accountant, or lawyers an expense? Or do they truly add value? A good accountant will save you more money than they cost. With so many accountants, lawyers, printers, couriers etc available, are you sure you are working with the best you could be? Every 6 months you should review your external services with this question in mind: “Are they helping or hindering my business?”

13. Systemize your Processes!
“How can I do it easier, faster, and cheaper?” As a matter of habit, always look for ways to systemize processes. Create templated emails, templated forms and documents, a ‘roles and responsibilities’ chart, use process automation applications, digital timesheets, auto responders, automatic payments etc. Almost every process in your business can be creatively systemized to be easier, faster, and cheaper! If you systemize 3 processes a month, that’s 36 processes a year ? what a difference!

14. Use Remote Workers!
“Only pay for what you use!” Every staff member not only costs a salary, but also a chair, a desk, a computer, power, square footage, coffee in the kitchen etc. By using remote workers and contractors, you’ll save money and maybe not even need a huge office. They’ll even pay for their own coffee!

15. Learn to Delegate!
“Work on your business, not in it!” If you are a manager, you should be spending at least 80% of your time working on growing, systemizing, trimming, and strategic planning. Are you spending too much time on menial tasks and grunt work that can be delegated? If so, learn to delegate (or use contractors) as this will free your time to concentrate on the big picture ? “Growing your business and making it profitable!”

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Different things motivate different folks. Some people are motivated to enhance their appearance while others are motivated by prestige or sexual conquest. Others are motivated by money. When it comes to work, many people are not motivated to do much of anything except show up and collect a paycheck. It is our job as managers to create an environment in which employees are inspired to do a better job and forge.

A recent Gallop Poll stated that about 20% of people queried described themselves as “actively disengaged” at work. Most of these people also said that they were not given the proper tools to do their job or that they were not given clear directions for completing the task. From this Poll, we see statistics that are astounding. These employees who are being described as “actively disengaged” are costing employers more than 300 billion dollars a year! This same Poll showed that these people are more likely to go hooky or to be late and are also described as less enthusiastic to their jobs.

A frequent mistake that employers make is levying too many regulations for employees to follow. This is highly de-motivating for the employee! They feel that they are not empowered to creatively carry out tasks for fear of breaking a rule.

Having employees feel that they are not trusted is another critical mistake that management makes. Creating rules and polices that question an employee’s trustworthiness is common practice in major businesses. An example includes allowing a certain number of days off when a family member dies. This assumes that if there were no limit on the number of days, the employee would take advantage of their time off.

The following are tips to create a work environment that fosters motivation.

Guidelines for an Enjoyable Work Environment

? Minimize rules and policies to the essential. Rules are there to protect your business and create structure; if a rule does not serve that purpose, then you will need to consider retiring that particular policy.

? After the rules are established, it is essential that all employees know what is expected of them. Ensure apt promulgation of all regulations.

? Establish a code of conduct. Implement a collaborative effort which involves all or most of the employees that work with you. A vision and mission statement keeps the ship sailing towards a common goal.

? Follow the rules- no exceptions. If management fails to practice what it preaches, can it expect its employees to keep within the bounds?

? Management should address inappropriate behaviors immediately before they become habits. Use counseling or a progressive discipline approach rather than a “you’re in trouble” approach.

? Clearly broadcast work place guidelines for professional behavior.

? Seek employee feedback on rules and policies. Request for ideas to enhance these policies for greater employee empowerment. Sometimes staff have great ideas; after all, they do the job everyday!

? Ensure that these novel ideas of consistency in enforcing policy don’t come as a cold shock to rank and file. If you have been letting employees “get away” with things in the past, you should meet with them and explain that the new policies are there for everyone’s mutual benefit.