The tricky thing for employees in most workplaces today, is that aspects of the internal physical environment they work in, is outside of their control. The lack of or placement of windows; lighting; air conditioning or heating vents (someone always gets to work under them); the placement of desks in open plan areas; the choice of radio station on in the background – are all factors that may be fine for some employees, but not tolerable for others. For employees to be their best, the physical conditions around them need to be conducive so they can give their best without distraction from irritants such as: dirty, shabby or untidy offices or work areas; walls painted in overwhelmingly strong colours; inadequate lighting; flickering florescent lighting; non-ergonomic furniture; poor ventilation and noise from colleagues. Take a moment to run a critical eye around your work environment and ask yourself what works for you and what doesn’t – and what you could do about the irritants you discover.