A positive work environment has become a mantra in today’s business world. Organisations are paying more attention not only to achieved results but also to details that can improve the work atmosphere. How can you make employees feel happy and satisfied about their work?
One of the basic human needs is self-realisation in a safe and positive work environment. We are not talking about flexes, such as games and interesting resting zones that companies love to give to the employees and cover it under a positive environment. Even though we all appreciate entertaining breaks, the definition of a positive work environment covers things like trust, cooperation, risk-taking support, and accountability.
Building trust is crucial pillar for progressive organisation
If we want to define organisational trust, first we should try to create a picture of a low-trust team. Imagine a team that does not believe in their leaders, as there is no open communication between them and employees do not feel safe to offer their opinions, share ideas, or get feedback about their tasks. Possibly, these team members do not even know their company’s main mission. These things can cause low employee engagement, which can affect their satisfaction about jobs and performance. The importance of organisational trust is backed by research. Studies show that people who work at high-trust companies experience 74% less stress, and that is why they feel more engaged, which causes higher productivity and fewer burnouts. So, building a trust culture can be a key factor to increase the performance of an organisation. There are two types of trust in business: practical and emotional. Practical trust is the logical side of work focusing on competence and reliability. Leaders should be the example of being punctual, meeting commitments, and completing their tasks on time. Basically, it means, when you actually commit to doing something, you will make it happen. This practical trust is fundamental in organisations. If your leaders can not commit to organisation, how can you expect it from your employees? Emotional trust is based on the ability to create meaningful bonds with your team. It requires a certain level of emotional intelligence, but it is crucial in strengthening and improving teamwork. Emotional trust enables an open environment in your organisation where people are treated with respect and kindness, and they do not feel judged by doing mistakes or sharing their ideas. It can sound like an innate skill, but the good news is that you can learn it. Building trust takes time, but you can start by being an honest and supportive person, telling the truth even if it is not what people want to hear. Being an active listener is also crucial as you create an open space where your employees can share their ideas and discuss their needs. Even you disagree with your employee’s opinions, being respectful is the key to showing your employees they can feel secure sharing their thoughts. Also being reliable and responsible shows your employees you are following your commitments and taking responsibility for failures and successes, which enables your employees to trust and rely on you in times of need.
Improved team cooperation motivates to go the extra mile
Ways to improve team cooperation in the workplace are means of increasing teamwork and team harmony in the office, for example, creating a safe space to share ideas and hosting regular team-building activities. These techniques help teammates work together more seamlessly and naturally. We have all heard of team building. But that is one way to make your team a real team. These activities can encourage teamwork and cohesiveness among colleagues. To overcome business challenges, fun team-building activities can improve communication in your team, encourage collaboration, and develop strong relationships that will help your employees discover the power of creative problem-solving, and this power will be used in work-related challenges. To improve cooperation in your team, you should pay attention to this advice. Is your team working comfortably both in the office and online? Pay attention to the mixture of office personal working spaces and team working spaces. And there are many online tools now that are super helpful in day-to-day collaboration and communication.• Arrange team building courses and activities and implement what you have learned into workflow and communication.
• Encourage people to socialize outside work. This will have a huge positive impact and will build stronger relationships.
• Clarify everyone’s roles and expectations. Make sure everyone understands their roles and goals.
• Resolve teams’ conflicts quickly. Build a system for how conflicts or misunderstandings are resolved in your team.
Supporting risk-taking in business brings innovative ideas
There is a saying that, if you do not take risks, you do not drink champagne. In organisations encouraging employees to take risks can help drive faster business growth. Whilst this can mean higher profits, it also creates an exciting, fast-paced business that keeps employees interested and engaged. This can also lead to continued learning and development opportunities for employees. If you want your employees to take risks, first you should create an environment where employees feel trusted and know they will not be judged or punished if they fail. Instead of focusing on failure, support and encourage employees to learn from their experiences. This not only encourages risk-taking to continue, but their learning can help ensure risks are more successful. Fostering a workplace culture that supports calculated risks not only provides business benefits, but can also help support the individual career growth of your staff and, eventually, your ability to retain top talent. Learning plays an important role in creating adaptable work culture, as there is a lot of uncertainty in the business world. So let your employees push themselves outside their comfort zone by learning and developing new skills, which can be crucial.Increased accountability affects an organisation’s performance
Accountability in the workplace means all employees are responsible for their actions, behaviours, performance, and decisions. It is also linked to an increase in commitment to work and employee morale, which leads to higher performance. At organisations with little accountability, employees do not always do their work as they should. It is recognizing that other team members and general company performance depend on the results of team members’ work. When employees are held accountable, they take responsibility for results and do not assume it is someone else’s job. So, by creating organisational accountability, you also build trust in the workplace. To increase accountability in your organisation, we suggest implementing:• Lead by example and hold yourself accountable first
• Set team goals
• Work on your feedback skills
• Keep track of your commitments and hold each other accountable
Conclusions
Writer Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” In fact, we spend one-third of our lives at work, and that time can have a huge impact on our quality of life. So, by creating a positive work environment, we not only improve our business growth, but equally, we let our employees have a happy life when they can feel heard, trusted, and supported.