As we make our way into the new year, companies everywhere are looking for new ways to better their workplaces. (Or if they aren’t, they should be!) But for many companies, big improvements might not hold precedence on a busy 2013 agenda.

Never fear, big changes aren’t always necessary when it comes to turning your workplace into a more employee-friendly environment — it’s the smaller improvements that often have the greatest company-wide impact. Creating a better workplace means a more hospitable environment for happy employees, which will lead to increased productivity, idea generation, and even a boost in your sales.

4 small yet impactful improvements your workplace needs in 2013:

Increase Flexibility Through Remote Work

Many employees dream of the flexibility that comes with working from home. While it may not be completely possible to allow your employees to work remotely all the time, increased flexibility can be achieved through finding a suitable remote-work schedule for your employees.

Working remotely might be frightening for some employers, but trusted and experienced employees should have no problem meeting deadlines from their home office. Devise a remote-work schedule for your current employees that allows them anywhere from one day a week to one day a month where they can work from their home. This small improvement will show your employees that you respect their need for flexibility when it comes to their work-life balance. For the future, your company might even consider hiring employees that strictly work remotely as a means of cutting costs and expanding your workforce to new locations.

Invest In Social Enterprise Software

Giving your company a boost socially might not initially sound like something you may be interested in, but many of the world’s greatest companies are creating a social transformation from within their businesses. This is being created through a variety of social enterprise technologies — essentially creating a social network for your company.

Social enterprise platforms like Yammer allow a secure way for companies and their employees to interact internally through sharing information and collaboration. While platforms like Salesforce utilize social computing to grow and stay in touch with the needs of the customer — all while staying in touch with other employees, connecting with experts and managing projects. This software could innovate and connect your company from the inside out and create a high return on investment.

Recruit Through Social Media

Improving your workplace in the new year often means and improving your hiring practices. This means finding the most efficient and effective ways to find, source, and hire the best talent.

With 90 percent of recruiters using social media to connect with candidates, it’s safe to say that social recruiting is becoming an increasingly popular way to source candidates for employment. If your company hasn’t jumped on the social recruiting bandwagon, it might be time to consider the potential benefits that could come from recruiting your candidates through social platforms. This may include cutting your hiring managers workload by finding talented candidates faster and even retaining employees longer through smarter hiring practices.

Focus On Health

The beginning of a new year is the unofficial kick-off date for better wellness practices for the nation, so why not use it as an excuse to influence a focus on health within your workplace? Make a resolution to create a healthier workplace for your employees.

There’s many small ways you can achieve a healthier work environment for your employees, consider providing healthier snacking options around the office, encouraging exercise by providing gym memberships, and promoting preventive care by providing flu shots for your staff. These seemingly small healthful investments can have a huge impact on your workplace by creating a most energized environment, and decreased amount of sick days.

Improving your workplace should be at the top of your to-do list this year. Keep in mind that even the smallest resolutions can have a huge impact on the way your employees view their work environment.

How can you help?

How do you plan to improve your workplace this year?