| Art in the Workplace - Does It Improve an Employee's Motivation Level?
Does offering employees a pleasing work environment make a difference? Or is it just another excuse to spend money?
Read on…. Essentially it is all about enriching the work environment, and if you are wondering why you need to bother then I'd like to offer you three reasons:
o It create better attitudes
o It improves morale
o It enhances the employees commitment to the organisation
There is a fair bit of research in this area looking at the concept of improving employee motivation from different angles. For example during March 2002 Arts & Business released the results of a MORI commissioned survey. The research investigated attitudes towards the Art's and their effect on the working behaviors among business leaders and the general public.
The results revealed that 53% of the workers surveyed felt that if their employer were to provide opportunities to enjoy artistic activities they would be motivated in their work. 95% of business owners surveyed said they felt that motivation is 'essential' or 'very important' in directly driving company performance.
Employees can participate in community related art projects or the employer could sponsor an initiative, and I'll cover that in a future articles but for now I'd like to focus on why art should be used to enhance the working space, or put another way using art to break up plain walls, and relieve the potential visual boredom for the employee.
Open place offices are very commonplace nowadays, and to some extent have diminished the employee's sense of having a private space of their own that reflects their personality. Thus the art in their view becomes more important especially if they don't have a window nearby.
I even heard of a company that has produced space dividers for open plan workplaces that are limited edition prints on mesh by British contemporary artists.
Studies by BOSTI a US based workplace design consultancy make it clear there is a relationship between how people experience the offices they work in and their productivity levels on job including job performance, job satisfaction and their ability to communicate with each other.
We all react both consciously and unconsciously to the area in which we live and work, our environment has a profound effect on feelings, behaviors, general health issues and productivity. Using art in the office is only one aspect of workplace design, but it is one that should not be overlooked.
Having art in the workplace is also a way of encouraging creative thinking and of course there is the potential of a Public Relations spin off. A survey carried out by ICM and Art & Business found that 73% of employees wanted more art in the workplace, claiming it made them feel more 'motivated' and 'inspired.'
Further research carried out by International Art Consultants Ltd “indicates that companies regard art as an integral part of a motivating and productive working environment, and that more organisations are actively seeking to maximise the benefits of art within the context of their broader business philosophy.”
So it makes sense to create a pleasing ambiance for everyone who uses the work space, after all there are enough other variables in business life. Let's do something about the ones we can control!About the author: Sue Kennedy, LRPS & LBIPP
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