The more your engagement your workforce is, the more successful your business is – that’s just common sense, right?

Well if anyone out there is wondering just how much engagement is important to a business, just take a look at this – according to research from UNC Kenaflager Business School, organizations with highly engaged workers have a 2.3 times greater revenue than companies whose employees are disengaged.

After all, engagement is the main driving force behind productivity and according to The McKinsey Global Institute, productivity improves up to 25% in companies with engaged and connected employees.

But engagement isn’t the only factor that affects the productivity of our employees. While we spend so much time talking and learning about productivity, there are still things that impact it we don’t really understand or are surprised to discover.

Five Surprising Things That Affect Productivity:

If the walls in your office are painted grey, it’s definitely time for a complete makeover. University of Texas has discovered that bland colors like beige, white and grey produce the feeling of depression and sadness in people – especially women.

As you assume, the study has also shown that colors don’t just affect our moods, but also our productivity. And that’s why you should re-decorate your office with simulating hues that encourage creativity and increase the output of your employees. And that’s were low-wavelength colors like light blue and green come into play.

These are the two of the most common colors in nature and they will provide an overall sense of calmness and well-being to your workers. Of course, this will improve their ability to focus on a task at hand and boost their efficiency. So the bottom line is – if you want to have a happy, calm and effective workers, green and blue are the colors for you.

Productivity Plummets When the Office is Noisy

Noise can annoy even the most focused people. Over the years, studies have shown that sound affects us behaviorally, cognitively and even psychologically. Interior acoustics affect people so much, that most of us care more about them then what we sit on, how clean our workplace is or how cold or hot our office is.

And if your office is too loud, the productivity of your workforce will seemingly go down. In fact, according to Julian Treasure, the author of best-selling Sound Business, an average worker will be 66% less productive if he hears just one nearby conversation between his colleagues.

Furthermore, this presents an even bigger problem for businesses that adopted the open plan offices. In most cases, this open spaces are comprised of easy-to-clean, reflective surfaces that create loud echoes and comprise environmental noises. So if you’re thinking about adopting the open office plan, just consider how much productivity you can lose.

Plants around the Office Can Actually Increase Productivity

Cubicles aren’t grate for productivity, and if you’ve ever watched the cult classic Office Space, you probably know all about it. Truth be told, no one would like to be stuck in a plain, grey cubicle for the rest of their lives, however, the results of dull offices actually go way, way beyond visual preferences.

Scientists now say that offices without personal pictures, souvenirs or any other personal artifacts are “the most toxic” environments you can put a human being into. The 10-year-long study on this subject from the Exeter University discovered that employees are up to 15% more satisfied, engaged and productive in offices filled with houseplants.

And while only plants have been used in the aforementioned study, scientists have also discovered that photographs and smells can be also used to achieve a similar effect. And with a room full of plants, your workers won’t just be more productive, they will also feel healthier and more satisfied. Some of the health benefits mentioned in the study include lower blood pressure and decreased stress, among others.

Social Media is Not Actually Bad for Your Workforce

Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram don’t have a particularly good reputation in the business world. In fact, most people agree that social media platforms are a horrible drain on productivity. Well, a few recent studies tell a completely different story.

In a recent survey conducted by Microsoft, roughly 46% of employees said that they feel like their productivity has actually increased because of social media apps. How’s that for a plot twist. Moreover, 37% of employees think that if their organization would adopt social media tools in the office would increase their overall productivity.

Even social media that has no connection with your workplace can have a positive impact on your workforce. A University of California study discovered that occasionally gazing sites like Facebook and Twitter can be a mood-booster for your workers that allows them to return to their tasks feeling completely refreshed.

Office Furniture Affects Both Motivation and Energy

Just like color, the design of your office and the furniture in it can encourage certain attitudes – from collaborative to competitive. A recent Stanford Study revealed that, as they called them, “bussinssey objects” like briefcases and boardroom tables make employees more competitive.

Furthermore, the office design can also motivate your workers in other ways. For instance, professional furniture and office supplies can help your employees be more productive and inspire them to finish more daily tasks. Moreover, your design and furniture can also affect the energy levels of your workforce in a surprising way.

If your interior design gives off a more youthful vibe, your employees will feel younger, and in turn, more energized. While that statement may sound ridiculous, we actually have science to back it up. A study from the Danish Research Council for the Humanities discovered that workers who feel younger usually enjoy the most benefits of being the age the feel.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve never paid attention to some of the details we mentioned above, now is the right to do so, because, we’re sorry to say, employee productivity is still declining.

Last year’s report from the US Bureau of Labor indicates what business owners have been fearing for years at this point – employees in the United States are now less productive than they ever were. But don’t worry; as you’ve seen from the examples above, there are things you can do to encourage efficiency and productivity.

The matter of the fact is, our environment plays a large role in how we act and the office is no exception. That’s why even the more traditionally-looking business like law and accountant firms are starting to put in more effort in to their interior design.

Even small things like lighting, wall colors and furniture placement should rank high on your priority list if you want to create an engaging and productive atmosphere in your office. So make sure to put in the extra effort to create it. Because if your employees aren’t feeling satisfied and comfortable in their place of work, they won’t reach their full potential.