Five Key Elements for a Positive Work Environment

It is important to have a strong workplace culture. It can make a difference in the success of your business or it can cause dysfunction that drains talent. Companies must actively shape a productive culture among their employees that is as representative of the customer as it is of their talent demographics if they want to overcome brain drain.

Where can one begin?

Let’s take an honest look at the following.

• Employee demographics. Who is missing?
• Turnover rate. Is it increasing over time?
• Internal employee complaints. How does this impact employee culture
• Employment litigation. What should be done internally?
• Employee surveys. What insights can you gain?

These considerations help to define organizational culture and point out potential opportunities for creating a more productive one.

Workplace Culture:

Harvard Business Review (HBR). ArticleCulture is like the wind. It is invisible but its effect can still be felt. It makes for smooth sailing when it blows in your direction. It can make things more difficult if it blows against you.

A dysfunctional workplace can be costly, time-consuming, and exhausting. A reportAccording to the Society for Human Resource Management, toxic workplaces cost employers $223 billion in the United States over five years.

94% of managers agree that a positive work environment creates resilient teams. 97% of executives agree that their actions directly affect workplace culture. They are right.

Here are some of the most important factors that contribute to workplace culture.

• Belonging
• Contribution
• Flexibility
• Equitable
• Growth Mindset

Belonging

Research shows that employees feel more connected to their work environment, which can lead to better business results. BetterUp Inc.’s 2019 study found that employees who feel they belong are more productive, have a lower turnover risk, and experience a 56% rise in job performance. This would lead to an annual savings of $52M for a 10,000-person organization.

Employees with higher workplace belonging showed a 167% increase of willingness to recommend their company. What makes a company a desirable employment destination? The reputation of being a great place for work.

Contribution

Contribution gives you a sense if purpose. Being able to contribute to the success of an organization’s mission, vision, and ultimate business success is a major reason for people staying at work. People feel more connected and engaged when they can contribute. Leaders must make sure that every member of the team has the opportunity to do so and help understand how it impacts the business.

Flexibility

Flexibility at work is not only about where and when work is done, but also about how it is done. Managers who try to make everyone do the same thing are a sign that they lack flexibility. A manager might edit their employees’ work so that the final product sounds like it was written by the manager. Or recommending a time management process when everyone is different.

It is important to focus on the end goal. It is up to the individual to decide how the work gets done.

Equitable

Companies can’t just be diverse and inclusive. They must also be fair. This means that you must treat everyone equally. EveryoneEqually and fairly. This is not an easy task. Everybody has biasoften unconscious. For example, would a person of 24 years be willing to partner with someone who is 74 in order to deliver long-term projectors? If not why not?

The workplace is awash in biases such as age bias, myths and stereotypes. A diverse, inclusive and Fair Workplace training and education is necessary to help employees recognize when they are being unfairly treated and excluded. It requires employees to report their feelings about the workplace. It involves addressing workplace policies, practices, and processes that prevent workplace equity. For example, it is possible to allow new parents to work from home but not other employees who have family care needs.

Growth Mindset

One of the most exciting aspects in a culture that fosters belonging is encouraging workers to learn continuously. Employees can learn a lot from each other if they have the opportunity to share their knowledge, skills, and experience. A growth mindset encourages collaboration. It encourages creativity and innovation. Employees at all levels of the organization are encouraged to have a growth mindset.

A Culture of Success

Leaders must set clear expectations and hold employees and themselves accountable for meeting them. This is how you create a positive workplace. While it is up to leaders to set expectations and hold their employees accountable for meeting them, everyone must work together to create a productive and positive workplace. The HBR article explains that it is the collective hearts, habits, and shared perceptions of how things are done that make it possible.

Culture creates an environment that benefits employees, customers and communities. It’s about inspiring a vision and a desire to see the organization succeed.