“If we win the hearts and minds of employees, we’re going to have better business success.”
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
Most of us now spend more time with the people we work with than our own families (assuming you don’t work with your other half). But it seems we’re not entirely happy within our workplace environment. According to a recent report by Gallup, 85% of employees are not engaged at work.
The Benefits of a Positive Workplace Environment
Promoting a positive workplace culture can hugely benefit your organisation. Creativity, productivity and employee happiness increase whilst work-related stress is reduced.
Gallup’s report revealed that disengaged workers had 37% higher absenteeism, 49% more accidents and 60% more errors and defects.
Low employee engagement in organisations results in 18% lower productivity, 16% lower profitability, 37% lower job growth and 65% lower share price over time.
Tips to Improve Your Workplace Environment
We know the evidence supports the assumption that having happier employees increases productivity and creativity—but just how do you create a workplace where people are engaged?
Fitting in is important when it comes to fostering a positive workspace. People are happiest in places where they feel comfortable and fit in—where their values align with co-workers’ and the organisation itself.
The Huffington Post offers a few actions that can improve your workplace environment.
- Promote positive communication: Treat each other with kindness, respect and appreciation.
- Increase awareness: Notice how your attitude and actions are showing up at work.
- Be supportive: Offer to help, notice when someone is having a bad day or not feeling well and be compassionate.
- Provide a sense of purpose: Employees want to know their job is meaningful and that they are valued.
- Foster team spirit by focusing on strengths: Learn and leverage the strengths of your team members.
Netflix and Chill?
Netflix doesn’t judge its employees by how many hours they spend in the office. Instead, the focus is on the great work they produce.
Netflix employees have unlimited vacation days because no one is tracking their time.
They’ve discovered that giving employees greater autonomy creates a more responsible workplace culture where employees are more focused and productive.
Using this principle, Netflix has transformed itself into the biggest subscription streaming video service in the world.
Final Thoughts
Managers and leaders need to focus on encouraging positive behaviour. This will create a positive workplace culture which will develop over time.
Celebrate when your team achieves a goal or reaches a milestone. This will show employees that their efforts are recognised, improve employee morale and help to foster collaboration.
When organisations develop positive workplace environments they reap the benefits in the form of increased productivity, employee engagement and profitability.
Try for Free
With Tameday’s project management tool you can promote positivity and improve team collaboration in your workplace.
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