“White Walls”: how does the Workplace Environment affect Employee Engagement?

The “White Walls” experiment is a fascinating exploration of how changes in the workplace environment can affect workers’ performance and well-being. The experiment observed the impact of changes on workers in a minimal office environment – white walls and basic furniture – where small changes were introduced step by step to assess how they affected work performance.

The Process and Changes of the Experiment

At the start of the experiment, workers worked in a sterile, minimally equipped office. As a first step, a live flower was placed on each worker’s desk, which improved work efficiency. Then, art pictures were placed on the walls, which further increased productivity. In the third change, the walls were painted in colour, which further increased productivity. These steps significantly improved the workplace atmosphere and the overall mood of the employees.

Outcome and Lessons of the Experiment

Surprisingly, once everything was back to its original, minimalist state at the end of the experiment, efficiency continued to increase. This phenomenon suggests that workers appreciated not only the changes in the physical environment, but also the attention and care that the changes provided. Thus, the essential change was not in the environment but in the way workers felt: they felt that they were important to the organisation and that the company cared about their well-being.

Conclusions

The “White Walls” experiment shows that employee engagement and performance are not only influenced by the physical elements of the workplace. It is more important that workers feel supported and recognised by their company. This sense of care and attention can improve employee morale and productivity in a sustainable way over the long term.

Therefore, any organisational development strategy must take into account the importance of employee feelings and corporate culture. AgadoPro-Academy takes this approach to help leaders and organisations create a truly valued and supportive workplace environment where all employees know they are an important and valued part of the team.

Have a question? Contact us and together we will put together a tailor-made development package. What’s more, we will support you with on-site consultants and coaches to make the change a success!

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