- Workplaces are where most of the middle age population spend most part of their time. There are certain aspects of the workplace which are less spoken, but which has an indirect impact on our behaviours. Let us try to investigate how some of them. The magnitude of the impact of these nudges varies based on the personality's mindfulness.
1) Travel
Travel is an integral part of the work routine if the workplaces are at a considerable distance from our living spaces and there is no remote option. Travel is something which kick starts our day. It acts as a nudge in setting the tempo for rest of the day either knowingly or unknowingly.
For example, you are travelling through the office cab and have a good nap throughout the journey, which could make your brain feel fresher through the rest of the day, on another side if you miss a cab one day and board through the public commute, you don't get a good seat you might have a level of annoyance which can persist throughout the day.
Tip: Make travel experiences more comfortable for the things that are in your control
2) Environment
The environment in a workplace expands to different things the desktop/laptop we use, the people around us. Most of the workplaces follow an open office plan these days which means that we are prone to the voices around us.
For example, if people from different teams are sitting together in a cubicle and will have lesser cohesion, than the same team sitting together. And there could be other certain simple but important aspects in an open office plan, for instance, the lighting and cooling needs will vary person to person, which can nudge us positively or negatively based on our neighbours.
Tip: Living with a sense of acceptance can calm us down and will help us to keep more composure
3) Peers
The peers in a workplace may include the team members, friends, colleagues. There is a high chance that we reflect our peers at least in certain ways. If we have a good peer to peer working relationships and understanding of strengths and weaknesses, people tend to consider the workplace as fun and get more involved, on the contrary, if there are ego clashes the quality in work could come down.
The peers also would have indirect nudges on the hours we stay in the workplace, the way and time in which we accomplish our tasks based on the level of competence between peers and ourselves.
Tip: Just be reminded that we live a system that is interdependent and take things with an open mind
4) Connectivity
The local desktop/laptop and internet connectivity is one important aspect in a workplace. The faster the connectivity to both local and internet, it provides a feel-good factor. This factor may unnoticed in many cases, but it is one important factor that we are subject to each day.
For instance, if the processor speed is good, the display feels good for your eyes and internet connectivity is also good, there is a high chance that we tend to complete our tasks faster. Also, the icons arranged on the desktop, the frequently accessed sites on the professional network nudges our behaviour during the work hours.
Tip: Never try to compromise on the local or network connectivity
5) Management
The management acts as the support system in our workplace. Management especially our immediate managers influence our daily activities. If people feel that they have the backing of their managers, they tend to sound more confident and take additional roles & responsibilities, fulfil them with ease. People staying in a company is also based on the working relationship with their immediate managers.
Tip: The managements should try to establish a sense of belonging for the individuals, which is one of the important positive triggers. On the other hand, the individuals should try to bridge any communication gaps with the management and be vocal in raising their concerns.
6) Appraisals
As we investigate appraisals, it is apt to add that the human brain is driven by rewards. Appraisals in a way drive most people in the workplace. The human brain is wired to expect recognition and a sense of belonging, so appraisals in a workplace is the factor which drives this. But appraisals in a way are exclusive than being inclusive for employees in most organisations. For instance, if there are top 100 people in a group, only top 4 may get the right rewards due to the availability, number 5 could be pushed to next below level along with a group of others.
Tip: Formulating the appraisal process is a complex one as making appraisals more collaborative than competitive can make workplaces smarter. Also the duration between appraisals can be given a second thought, appraisals can be a continuous process rather than a destination
7) Politics
Politics is the buzzing word in any workplace. And which is harmful to the people who is involved and affected. The primary reason for politics can arise from the lack of transparency which would be required to an extent between peer to peers and management to individual employees. The next reason possibly, the human nature to gossip about people and events.
Tip: Setting up a common goal to achieve, pursuing discussion about ideas than people
8) Cafeterias
What has cafeterias has to do with the workplace? They could form important habits. People's thinking can be influenced by what they eat. If the junk foods are available frequently, this could have an impact on people's mind and body. If the people are presented with refreshing food, that could have a positive impact.
Not only that, but cafeterias can also be the places of random thought and idea exchanges.
Tip: Our eating habits shape us
9) Dress code
The dress code is also something that may go as an unnoticed thing. There are many aspects of dress code which can have psychological and spending impacts, but might not be apt to discuss as part of this investigation. For instance, sweaty people may feel a level of discomfort based on the dresses and shoes they wear during summer, which can have a continued impact on some part of the day.
Tip: Within the allowed dress code, choose the dressing pattern that is comfortable.
10) Personal
As we are moving towards a typical 9 to 5 lifestyle, to a more integrated work-life structure, it becomes important to balance between our personal and work lives. Also, with the remote working culture that is evolving, having a happier personal and workplace becomes important.
Tip: Learn to switch off and switch on between the two
Well, if you have come up to this point in the article, you have understood one important parameter 'Time Management' - Time is Gold.
Working hours:
How you do your work matters more than how long you work? We can repeat this question as many times as we could. The world is time-bound. The same second or minute never comes back. As captured in the previous points, in an work-life integrated lifestyle for at least people who work between different time zones. Learning mindfulness will help to keep the balance.
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