Creating a Positive Work Environment: Fostering Staff Well-Being
The “normal” working person spends around a third of their life working however for some people, it is even longer when you include overtime. We all stay later at work longer than we should however, you need to have a cut-off point. Additionally, you need to be working with people who you enjoy being with, people who make you better for who you are and push you to your limits.
If you work in a negative environment, it will add to your stress levels. That is why creating a positive work environment is important for all workers. If you don’t have that positive workout environment, it can lead to staff members becoming burned out. The question is, how do you create a positive work environment for your employees?
It All Starts With The Hiring Process
Businesses that are completing the hiring process themselves don’t understand that creating a positive work environment starts with the hiring process. The interviews should be more than just questioning their experience and work ethic. It should be 30-45 minutes of trying to find out more about that individual. The only way to find more information about that person is by finding out their personality.
You also need to make the hiring process fun. Don’t set them too many tasks after the interview. Additionally, ask them fun questions like Why are you memorable? If you had to take three things with you on an island, what would they be? Who would be at your dinner table if you had to choose from three celebrities?
Promote Peer-To-Peer Recognition
One of the best methods of making your place a positive work environment is to praise those who are putting in the effort. Encouraging peer-to-peer recognition is important because it helps to boost overall morale. Not only will it help with team morale but it will also help to build trust with one another.
Peer-to-peer recognition must be encouraged in the workplace to help improve the overall performance of the company as well. However, make sure that employees understand why another employee is doing well. Make sure you announce it so others give them the recognition they deserve.
Invest In Team Training and Onboarding
Something else you should look to do is invest in team training and onboarding. There is no harm in looking to expand your company plus, it gives your employees a sense of security with their job. Additionally, it is a great way to encourage team training as well.
Team training is another great way to improve team morale overall. If the right amount of team training is given to new employees when they start then they are more likely to stay with the company. For those who have been at the company for a long period, ensure you don’t neglect them either. Offer them opportunities to progress in their careers and show them their value.
Aim To Improve Company Values and Culture
Another important aspect of creating a positive work environment is to improve the company’s core values and culture. Additionally, you need to work out the culture of your office. Try to decide whether your work culture is employee or business-minded. If your company is business-minded then you need to drive ambitions. However, if your company is more culture-based then you need to implement a more relaxed environment all you need to do is ensure company targets are still achieved.
Create A Comfortable Environment
Something else which is very important is that you need to ensure you create a comfortable place to work. We don’t mean sofa chairs for everybody in the office. We mean more ergonomic chairs that still have that level of professionalism. If your workplace is a comfortable place to work, the employees will want to work for you more. This is one of the main reasons why companies such as Google and Apple have such good staff retention.
If you know you need to make your workplace more comfortable, consider adding these to your office.
- Increase the number of ergonomic chairs and desks.
- Improve the visual appeal of your office
- Encourage co-working spaces to improve office interaction
- Be more sustainable with plants around the office.
To Conclude
There are many things you can do to improve your office and staff well-being. As soon as you create a positive environment in the office, you will see team morale and performance improve.
Something else that can help improve staff well-being is rewarding people for their hard work. Don’t have an employee of the month because that can make people bitter. Plus, it will create an overly competitive environment. Ways that you can reward your employees is by paying for company parking at a Hyde Park parking lot if they are working in London. You can also give them a duvet day for their hard work which is essentially an extra day’s holiday.