If you’re an avid television viewer and like to keep yourself apprised of the hottest new shows, so you’re well prepared for the office “water cooler” gossip, Apple TV’s Severance was likely a series you binged this springtime.
For the uninformed, the American workplace, science fiction, psychological thriller involves the employees of the “severed” floor at the fictional Lumon Industries. The severed floor, and Severance in general, refers to an operation that staff undergo that inserts a chip into their brain before they start their employment.
This dystopian series paints a horrifying image of the corporate workspace taken to its most toxic conclusion. It not only makes for gripping television, but it also presents a timely reminder to consider reviewing your own work environment, and examining ways you might be able to make it better.
We’re not comparing your business to Lumon, far from it, but sometimes reflecting on the worst-case scenario can help prompt ideas that may foster the opposite. You may discover a few unexpected ways you could boost your employee’s wellbeing, which could increase their productivity and help with long-term staff retention.
Read on to find out three simple ways reviewing the most toxic aspects of Severance might help you on the path to nurturing a more positive work environment.
1. Promoting a healthy work-life balance could help retain your employees’ long term and reduce recruitment costs
In Severance, the chip implanted into employees creates a partition between their private life consciousness and a work one. Their work identity has no knowledge or memory of their life outside of Lumon and is effectively a newborn persona albeit with an adult’s intellect. Once they enter the severed floor, their work persona is activated, and their real identity effectively goes to sleep.
As you can imagine it’s a hellish existence for the severed identities, spending their entire lives in the office.
Luckily, the vast majority of workspaces haven’t quite reached Lumon levels of dystopia, but it does highlight a common problem that inhibits employee happiness – the struggle to find a healthy work-life balance.
Gallup’s 2024 ‘State of the Global Workplace’ report found that 90% of UK workers felt unenthusiastic about their jobs, while 60% admitted to ‘quiet quitting’.
You might want to consider taking steps to boost your employees’ wellbeing, such as:
- Creating a welcoming and positive work environment that makes them look forward to their workday
- Providing staff with a clean break and escape from work by prohibiting work calls or emails outside of office hours (and especially if they are on annual leave)
- Promoting a healthy balance between employee’s work lives and personal lives.
Your business could reap the benefits, as a healthy work-life balance has been shown to:
- Increase workplace productivity and time management
- Reduce employee sickness and absenteeism
- Encourage greater employee loyalty and long-term staff retention, reducing related recruitment costs for new staff
- Foster a happier, less stressed, and more efficient workforce.
According to 4 Day Week, 85% of businesses with work-life balance initiatives report higher levels of productivity compared to before they were introduced. Meanwhile, around 94% of workers polled believe that work-life balance is essential and 56% would prefer improvements to their work-life balance over a pay rise.
2. Micromanagement and a lack of trust can impact productivity; put systems in place to support your team, not hinder them
The severed floor at Lumon is the epitome of a toxic, mistrusting, micromanagement-heavy workspace. Employees are spied on, secrets are kept, and negative reinforcement is commonplace.
The Redline Group reported on the findings from a micromanagement study that showed:
- 55% of workers that felt micromanaged said it hindered their productivity
- 68% stated it decreased their morale
- 39% had changed jobs to avoid working with a micromanager.
Trust is such an important concept when trying to nurture a positive work environment, but one that is so often neglected by employers that focus on their staff’s potential negatives, rather than their positive traits.
This can be increasingly apparent in businesses that have adopted a hybrid or remote work model.
You recruited and trained your staff. You chose them for their skills, experience, and personalities.
Instead of worrying about Microsoft Teams status icons or how many mouse wiggles there have been a minute, focus on ways to foster a transparent relationship in which employees can:
- Clearly communicate any issues
- Receive constructive feedback
- Feel heard when raising concerns.
If you’re still concerned about productivity, look at ways to increase efficiency so that your staff can focus on projects and tasks that truly matter.
Financial management software, such as Sage Intacct, is designed with an array of tools that help streamline workflow and automate regular (and tedious) tasks, so that your staff’s time is freed up to concentrate on delivering high quality work – and helping your business grow.
3. A rigid and unflexible workspace can affect employee morale, so consider ways to adapt your business to their needs
The cold, fluorescent office space in Severance, immediately creates an environment that feels suffocating. There are no windows, nothing for employees to engage with, and the staff are forced to spend their time starting at screens all day.
It is important that you take steps to develop a healthy, positive, and flexible workspace, both in office and within your employees’ homes (if they are remote workers).
This might involve:
Offering flexibility, such as adjustable working hours, or access to hybrid or remote work opportunities
Having a well-lit, greenery-filled office with useful amenities, as both natural lighting and biophilia have been shown to improve mood and boost focus
Providing employees with comfortable workplace furniture, both in the office and in their home workspaces
Utilising employee benefits, such as healthcare, childcare, and regular staff social events to promote happiness and wellbeing.
A study by Sage showed that 81% of employees placed importance and value on flexible working. As mentioned, adopting a hybrid or remote work model could have an array of benefits for your business, which could be maximised by switching to cloud-based computing and software, such as Sage Intacct.
Get in touch to discuss potential software solutions that could help you foster a flexible and happy workspace
Sage offers a wide range of software solutions that could help modernise your business and help you take the necessary steps towards promoting a more flexible and healthier work environment for your employees.
Our resident team of experts and technicians are here to help you select the right option for your needs and address any questions or concerns you might have.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch; email us at enquiries@solutionscloud.uk or give us a call at 0115 840 5075.
Read more: 3 helpful ways to boost your wellbeing this Stress Awareness Month
