8 Things You Should Consider Before Choosing a Work Environment

Overview

• How to select a work environment that’s a good fit

• Types of work environments you might like

• Finding a new job with the ideal work environment through Joblist

A work environment is a place where people handle their day-to-day job duties. These places vary from large offices to home-based work environments.

To thrive in a particular professional capacity, you need to feel comfortable wherever you work. Company culture and other characteristics should match your values, qualities, personality type, and skills. Whether you're a team member in a large or small group, it's important to share the same values with others in the group. You’re likely to have an easier time collaborating and getting the job done using specific working styles.

The way you fit into the workplace influences your performance, motivation, and level of engagement. A great workplace fosters collaboration, boosts employee motivation, and ensures job satisfaction. Research studies linked job satisfaction (happy workers) to higher productivity levels.

Physical and psychological factors make a workplace the right fit for you. These characteristics include workstation design, ventilation, working hours, personal interactions, job control, remuneration, and task design.

This article talks about what to look for in a job description when selecting a work environment, types of workplaces, and how Joblist makes finding new job opportunities in friendly work environments easier.

Working in an environment with desirable conditions inspires you to work harder and smarter. So, how do you choose the right work environment? Read on to learn about some key things to consider.

Working hours influence how you feel at work. Depending on the company policy, you may work the traditional nine to five hours or a more flexible schedule. But, what's best?

There's limited flexibility with fixed hours, so you generally can't do much besides work between nine to five or other standard workday hours. It's common for workers to feel slightly weighed down by the routine. On the upside, working fixed hours makes it easier to collaborate and coordinate with team members.

Meanwhile, flexible working hours give you multiple options in terms of the hours you work and even where you work. As a result, you can handle personal chores and other responsibilities more conveniently without asking for time off work. Thanks to the flexible work arrangement, it's easier to become more satisfied with your job when you can achieve a delicate work-life balance.

Other key factors that influence how you feel about your workplace environment include overtime and lunch breaks. A workplace with regular overtime may lead to burnout but can also be advantageous if you need extra money. On the other hand, lunch breaks reduce work-related stress because you can rest and recharge.

Company culture is another key component of an ideal work environment. It determines company values, operational procedures, employee engagement approaches, and dress code. Workplace culture influences how your team makes decisions, office space settings, and how you collaborate. Executives can adopt a particular culture to create a positive work environment, promote teamwork, and improve working conditions.

Let's look at some company culture examples:

• Collaborative. A company can prioritize employees' ability to work well together to achieve the desired outcomes. Open-plan offices are a great way to do that.

• Motivating. If you like working in an inspiring environment that pushes you to do your best work, opt for companies that embrace a motivating workplace culture.

Studies have shown that 60% of employees say generous benefits contribute to job satisfaction. There's no denying that a good work environment pays well. So, it's important to choose a company that offers ideal paid holiday leave, bonuses, salary, paid time off (PTO), and other benefits.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that 90% of workers in professional fields had paid vacation leave in March 2019. Having good benefits and pay boosts morale, loyalty, and productivity.

Creating the best work environment becomes easier when exemplary managers and co-workers come together. Managers play a leading role in ensuring that workers receive fair compensation, feel safe, and remain motivated. In doing so, they create a positive workplace wherein it’s easier to mentor staff members.

On the other hand, happy co-workers bring positive energy to the workplace, while negative people become a source of tension and conflict, undermining collaboration and productivity.

So, let's look at what makes a hostile workplace:

• Poor communication

• Bad leadership

• Rampant burnout

• Poor career prospects

• Low pay and inadequate benefits

• No work-life balance

• High employee turnover

• Unmotivated workers

• Internal conflicts

A positive work environment should have these signs:

• Adequate career development opportunities

• Relaxed and productive atmosphere

• Open and honest communication

• Supportive culture

• Great leadership

• A sense of community

• Equal treatment

A healthy workplace provides career development and growth opportunities to help you realize your true potential. Not all companies offer opportunities, so choose a work environment carefully.

Working for a company that offers career development helps you make informed job search decisions, stay motivated, and feel fulfilled.

Examples of career development and opportunities include:

• Internal promotions

• Industry training courses

• Job assignments

• Industry conferences

• Mentorships

• Internships

A positive workplace is all about dynamic social interactions that allow you to become part of a supportive team. It's easier to accomplish tasks when there's a positive vibe. That way, everyone feels at home and strives to do good work.

Getting everyone to work together boosts productivity, keeps team members on the same page, and gives a sense of purpose. You can exchange the best ideas without fear of criticism or other negative reactions in a friendly environment.

The physical workspace makes a difference in how you do your work. So, different aspects of the space, including layout, determine how you work as a team and concentrate on specific tasks. From the office floor plan and the artwork on the walls to the type of workstations, it's all about setting up an ideal workspace.

A work environment with recreational facilities like an on-site gym, a well-designed cafeteria, and a lounge area impacts the employee experience. It makes coming to work fun.

Elements of an ideal physical workspace include:

• Quiet rooms to allow concentration without disruption

• Areas for physical activity like an on-site gym

• Mixed workspaces (social areas, cubicles, and quiet zones)

• Office layout that promotes movement

• Healthy beverage station

Maintaining a work-life balance is a major factor in employee satisfaction. So, the hours you work can either achieve the necessary balance or lead to burnout. Your specific situation depends on the kind of work environment where you find yourself. At some companies, you get flexible work schedules and generous PTO to keep you fresh and on top of your game.

Others may even encourage you to work overtime. How overtime impacts your work-life balance and overall well-being depends on personal circumstances. In an ideal scenario, you should have enough time to spend with your friends and family at home, allowing you to return to work refreshed.

There are three types of workspaces that affect how you work. These options include a flexible work workspace, a collaborative environment, and conventional work environments.

Working in a flexible work environment allows you to take advantage of more flexible rules. Thus, you can work remotely and in a traditional office, depending on your work commitments and personal needs or preferences. This arrangement gives you a sense of freedom, making work-life balance and job satisfaction possible.

Examples of flexible workspaces include:

• Fixed schedules with fluctuating hours. Say Monday to Friday, anytime between the hours of seven in the morning and six at night.

• Alternating remote and office schedules. Say you work remotely Monday to Wednesday and in the office Thursday to Friday.

• Midday flextime. You take longer breaks than usual.

A collaborative work environment is a space that promotes collaboration between team members. It comes with useful tools, a physical layout, and an appropriate culture to maximize productivity. In this kind of environment, there's no need for cubicles and other office layouts that keep team members apart.

A well-designed collaborative workspace makes communication easier, inspires creativity, provides a supportive environment, and promotes knowledge exchange.

Examples of a collaborative work environment include:

• Using cloud-based tools to collaborate on shared documents

• Open floor plans with decentralized furniture layout

• Customized meeting rooms with whiteboards and wheeled desks

• Spaces for informal interactions like coffee stations

A traditional workspace is a physical office environment that employees go to and are provided with furnishings and equipment. Businesses can have multiple office locations, depending on operating needs.

Working in a conventional environment provides privacy, allowing you and your co-workers to focus on daily duties.

A traditional office environment can look like this:

• Physical spaces with an open floor plan or cubicles

• Separate offices for managers

• Meeting room

• Printing station

• Cafeteria

• Lounge room

Having now learned about various workspaces, you can focus on finding a job in an environment that's right for you. Before figuring out how to get the job, consider: what type of work environment do you prefer?

Whether you favor a collaborative, flexible, traditional, or artistic environment, Joblist has a ton of jobs waiting for you. You'll see a curated list of jobs after answering just a few questions on the quiz page.

Get started finding the ideal work environment by checking out what Joblist has to offer.

• Happy Workers Are 13% More Productive | University of Oxford

• Better Pay and Benefits Loom Large in Job Satisfaction

• 79 Percent of Private Industry Workers had Access to Paid Vacation Leave in March 2019 | The Economics Daily

• How the Physical Workspace Impacts the Employee Experience | Forbes