It’s inevitable: someday, your employee is going to feel like her job is too stressful, and she’s going to wonder if it’s worth holding onto. As a business owner or manager, you don’t want to lose good workers to stress, which is why it’s necessary to make your employees working environment comfortable.

There are many techniques for making an employee comfortable, and the strategy begins in the very first interview…

Keep it Simple

Before they’re ever hired, potential employees are scheduled for an interview. Some businesses participate in group interviews, others prefer one-on-one meetings. Group interviews can be intimidating to interviewees, but they may be necessary to employers. One-on-one meets may be less intimidating, but still pretty stressful.

Psychologist David Weiman offers this suggestion to make group interviews more successful, “Include just two or three managers, and try to keep the interview to about a half-hour.”

The half-hour rule extends to one-on-one interviews too. If you’re pleased with the worker, and you want to hire them, offer them the job before they leave. This will give them an added confidence boost.

The Informal Workplace

According to a CARA Corp infographic, “Informal learning is a vital tool in employee training; 90 percent of respondents encourage or support it in some way.”

In the days of old, a company had bosses and subordinates. There were strict rules, and everyone was expected to be formal and professional at all times. There are some businesses that still function professionally, but many more have ditched strict rules in favor of a more relaxed, informal office space.

CARA offers these strategies to help business implement informal learning:

• Pick and choose which social media networks are endorsed in your workplace; LinkedIn is great because it’s a networking tool, and doesn’t promote gaming and non-work-related activities;
• Implement a code of conduct. Sure, there’s freedom, but not without some guidelines;
• Host a lunch or informal business meeting to discuss collaborative learning, and how informal learning is helping your business succeed.

Comfortable and Aesthetic Design

If you want improved reliability and productivity from your employees, you need to make them comfortable. Upgrade the equipment they use regularly, especially furniture. If workers are forced to sit on uncomfortable chairs, and work at broken desks, this is going to clutter their mind. They’ll waste company time attempting to find ways to get comfortable, so save them and yourself by keeping furniture new and functional.

It’s important that devices, electronics, and the Internet function to their highest capacity, too. If your business deals even minimally with the Internet, it’s paramount that the latest equipment and tools are accessible. Look for new technologies that will keep your employees connected for longer, such as fixed wireless (precision network) and microwave Internet. Take time out of each week to ensure that your hardware and software are functioning properly.

Sometimes, a simple change to office décor can brighten spirits. Put someone in charge of coordinating office décor, and add season decorations whenever necessary. For example, non-denominational snowflakes can be hung during the winter, and pumpkins can be placed on windowsills during the fall.

These may seem like small gestures, but to employees they have a way of lifting the spirits. Everyone likes to be comfortable where they work, and increased comfort can keep employees productive. If you take good care of your workers, they in turn will have better work ethic and increase loyalty toward the company.