|
Feng Shui for Your Workplace
By: Rodika Tchi, MSc
Workplace stress and the resulting poor employee performance have gained
increasing media attention lately. And for good reason. Business in
Vancouver recently published a Health Canada estimate that workplace
depression costs $1.4 billion in lost productivity to Canadian
companies. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association,
work-related pressures are contributing to higher levels of depression,
anxiety and burnout. Workplace-related depression is expected to be the
leading source of workdays lost within the next 20 years.
Since healthy and efficient employees are a company's best asset human
resources specialists need to be armed with substantial and diverse ways
to improve workers' well-being, morale and productivity.
Being the biggest constant in people’s daily lives, the work environment
is a crucial factor in employee retention. When space is tight and many
employees are working in cubicles, it is even more important to focus on
creating a welcoming and healthy workplace.
The ancient art and science of feng shui can help some of these problems
and, therefore, is experiencing increasing popularity. A complex body of
knowledge with over 5,000 years of history, feng shui teaches ways to
improve the quality of people’s lives by balancing their environment.
Feng shui is employed by many organizations in North America and around
the world to harmonize their environments and achieve higher levels of
productivity.
One of the main concepts of feng shui is the flow of chi, or universal
energy, in any given environment. How much chi — or vital energy — does
your workplace have? How vibrant, attractive and healthy is your space?
Everything counts towards creating an environment where people can
thrive. This includes basics like the oxygen level, amount of sunlight
and negative ions in the air to the not-so-obvious, such as the level of
electromagnetic pollution, hidden messages and health threats. When you
remedy all safety hazards (both conscious and subconscious), a big
portion of your employees’ stress will be removed.
Here are some points to follow in creating healthier workplaces:
· Allow employees to personalize the workplace by giving them freedom of
expression in their work area, within reason, of course.
· Introduce water features, plants and vibrant artwork.
Install full-spectrum lighting instead of fluorescent lights.
· Avoid sharp angles pointing at people as they create attacking energy.
Spike-leaved plants may also appear sharp and knife-like.
· Be aware of what the subconscious might consider threatening. For
example, floor-to-ceiling windows in a high-rise building might make
people feel unprotected or unsupported.
· Pay attention to your environment’s sensory experience, particularly
the smells. Are you welcomed by comforting food smells, such as coffee
or cinnamon or the aroma of energizing essential oils? Or is it a
stagnant, dusty or musty smell that you would rather not inhale? Do not
overlook this detail, as proper breathing lies at the basis of our
well-being.
Reading the subconscious messages your environment is sending you may
become a crucial tool in your quest for creating vibrant and healthy
workspaces. For example, if your organization has recently downsized and
there are many empty cubicles, the environment is saying, "Business is
not good. We do not have enough work to fill our space or money to keep
enough workers" Whereas, if you took that same space and gave the
remaining employees double cubicles, the environment would be saying,
"Business is so good, now we can afford some luxuries, like a more
spacious environment."
The work environment should also support and reflect the hopes, dreams,
goals and intentions of the business. The name and logo of your company
should be in a high, well lit, auspicious place. Having your company’s
name or logo on a doormat encourages disrespect and attracts the energy
of failure.
I believe the use of feng shui principles will become an integral part
of the knowledge of every human resources specialist who is dedicated to
helping employees achieve maximum productivity, while maintaining, if
not even improving, their well-being.
Creating an environment where people are happy to come to work and
reluctant to leave should not be hard. Once you start applying feng shui
basics to your workspace you will see how easy it is to transform it
into a high-energy space where people feel safe, secure, valuable and
respected.
Rodika Tchi, MSc, is an internationally certified feng shui consultant.
Contact: www.tchiconsulting.com
Bio:
RODIKA Tchi, MSc, has been a researcher and practitioner of the
field of feng shui for over 8 years. She has several feng shui certifications
from the International Institute for Feng Shui and Geobiology based in Germany
and happy clients in many countries. Raised in Europe and educated in the US,
Rodika lives in Vancouver, British Columbia and consults internationally. She
can be reached at www.TchiConsulting.com
|
