Creating a supportive work environment is the foundation of a successful organization. It impacts employee motivation, mental health, and mood. These are some of the major factors that determine one’s performance and quality of work. Being in a comfortable and friendly work environment, employees become more engaged and motivated to contribute to the growth of their organization. Here are six steps to creating a better workplace.
1. Manage Mental Health
Mental health issues are the primary factors that affect employee wellness. Stress, anxiety, burnout, depression?—these are only some of the burdensome disorders that interfere with people’s ability to perform well, engage with their work, and maintain effective communication with others. As the report Stress in America reveals, about 1 in 5 adults in the US experienced a mental disorder in 2016. Yet, due to low awareness or stigma surrounding mental health issues, a lot of organizations still disregard them, making the problem even more complicated to solve.
The role of employers is to promote mental health awareness. They should make it a top priority in workplace culture and reinforce healthy behavior. Here are some steps that can be helpful:
- Provide self-assessment tools and materials on symptoms of mental health disorders.
- Offer free mental health consultations or counseling sessions.
- Design a space for relaxation in the office.
- Host meetings that explain coping techniques.
- Provide proper training for all employees and, especially, CEOs.
- Carry out anonymous surveys to ensure employee well-being.
Including mental health in a workplace development strategy is a worthy investment of time and effort. In the long run, it will increase employee retention and job satisfaction.
2. Encourage Learning and Career Development
Continuous learning keeps employees’ skills up-to-date and promotes the growth of an organization. It is the only way to leverage the full potential of staff. Furthermore, employees value learning opportunities. For example, the report How Millennials Want to Work and Live shows that 59 percent of millennials consider development opportunities significant and seek jobs that fulfill their learning needs.
Organizations should incorporate employee learning programs into their culture. It means creating sufficient resources that support the growth of staff members. An organization can arrange workshops or offer employees professional consultations. They may address universal skills, like self-management and communication, and some industry-specific knowledge. For example, employers can hire an argumentative essay writer to help employees improve their writing skills. The most convenient way to make learning accessible is to use online training. It allows creating individualized learning programs. Such an approach to learning helps employees to enhance their unique set of skills and abilities.
Cultivating the growth culture requires an incentive system. It will motivate employees to strive for the highest standards. Some organizations, like graduate essay writing service companies, introduce financial rewards for their writers, but it is important to combine them with the inherent value of learning. Additionally, leaders should suggest development opportunities that correspond to an employee’s career aspirations. This way, learners become more motivated to learn because they see the value of their efforts.
3. Improve Office Design
When it comes to office design, there is a huge range of aspects to consider, including lighting, furniture, decorations, colors, scent, noise, to name but a few. Giving some thought to it, employers show that they care about the comfort of their employees and the environment as well. Proper organization of physical space supports their collaboration, creativity, and productivity.
If an office needs adjustments, a good start is to conduct a survey and figure out employees’ needs. It will help to develop a detailed plan. Some of the general recommendations are:
- Let in as much natural light as possible. It is vital for the body’s circadian rhythm and has a calming effect.
- Provide adjustable chairs and tables to maintain the ergonomy of the workplace.
- Reduce the amount of clutter. The minimalistic design makes it easier to focus.
- Colors make a difference. Select colors that correspond to activities performed at the workplace.
- Add some plants. They are pleasant to look at and may even have a positive effect on health by ensuring clean air at the workplace.
- Offer healthy snacks and beverages.
- Create smoking zones for those employees who can’t resist smoking in the workplace.
- Encourage employees to bring personal items to decorate the office space. It will help them feel more comfortable.
- If possible, go for an open plan. It encourages people to move more and enhances collaboration.
4. Develop a Positive Workplace Culture
Workplace culture is what unites people with common values, beliefs, and goals. It is the foundation of successful teamwork and collaboration among employees. According to the survey carried out by Deloitte, 88 percent of employees recognize a distinct work culture as an important contributor to business success.
The core values of an organization form the basis of its culture. They are complemented by clear goals that streamline staff performance. Leaders should find ways to communicate them effectively and inspire every employee to move toward a common mission.
Good workplace culture is diverse and inclusive. When an organization celebrates diversity and welcomes people from different backgrounds, it adds creativity to a work process and facilitates an open flow of ideas. Needless to say, diversity is impossible without respect. Every employee should know that their opinions are heard and valued. A great example of a company with such a diverse and positive workplace culture is EssayPro, a professional paper writing service. These basic principles create a transparent and flexible work environment where positive attitudes and behaviors are inherent and natural.
5. Improve Communication
An inspiring and comfortable work environment is based on proper communication. It helps employees to understand expectations and express their ideas. There are a lot of ways to improve communication in the workplace. First of all, leaders should implement regular 1-to-1 meetings with staff. They provide a great opportunity to get feedback from employees and address their concerns.
Some employees feel more comfortable leaving honest feedback when their identity is private. In such cases, leaders should provide anonymous feedback channels. It can be a review site like nocramming.com, essay writing services reviews website, or an online suggestion box.
It is equally important to schedule weekly meetings with the whole team to enhance collaboration. Their aim is to initiate open discussion and exchange of ideas. The crucial thing is to create a safe and comfortable environment where people will not be scared to ask questions or say what they think. It is better to hold such meetings in person unless the team works remotely.
To build trust with employees, leaders should explain the bigger picture and meaning behind the strategy of an organization and separate tasks. Besides, it is important to create opportunities to get to know each other on a personal level. It makes a work environment more supportive and friendly.
6. Celebrate Diversity
An inclusive workplace environment welcomes people belonging to various cultures, backgrounds, political views, genders, ages, and so on. It benefits the performance of an organization by bringing in a variety of perspectives into a decision-making process.
To make a workplace diverse, an organization needs to eliminate bias and prejudice. Diversity training is important for every staff member because it improves working relations among employees. Such an environment may require the implementation of new policies focused on inclusion in the recruitment and working processes. Anyone should have a chance to apply for a job and succeed. An organization should also protect employees from discrimination and give them a safe environment to raise concerns.
Employees need to have opportunities to learn about other cultures. For example, an organization should encourage the celebration of different holidays, especially those that promote diversity. Moreover, it might be helpful to organize special events or trips to improve team bonding. These are some small changes, but they can magnify the work of an organization and bring numerous benefits.
Wrapping Up
An organization might not meet every wish or hope of its employees, but these steps will move it closer to being an ideal workplace. Creating a positive work environment with healthy communication, effective employee engagement and career development opportunities has direct implications on performance. It will motivate employees to put their heart into the job and strive for growth and improvement.
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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