One of the biggest challenges that managers today face is creating the right work environment for their team. A successful workplace is truly multifaceted. There are countless different variables that go into creating the right environment not only for the employees and for the greater good of the business. While a positive work environment needs to be structured, productive and professional, above all things, a truly prolific workplace also needs to be a positive one.
Employees who work in a positive work environment can feel more supported, more accepted and encouraged to do their best. These individuals are typically more satisfied with their job and more likely to stay with their company longer. They are more motivated to do their best and they tend to deliver better performances. Suffice to say, managers looking to create the best team and the best work environment possible, should be focusing on developing a more positive workplace.
However, a manager can have the right people, the right tools and the right office space in place, but it doesn’t mean that together these elements will create a positive work environment. Developing the right culture in a workplace is about much more than the physical variables that make up that office. A strong manager will need to step in and start nurturing their team and take extra steps to ensure their workplace isn’t just a productive one, but a positive one as well.
While most managers know this can be a monumental undertaking, especially in high-demand, fast-paced work environments, there are several things that today’s managers can do in order to start fostering a more positive work environment inside their offices.
Have Trust in the Team
One of the most crucial steps in developing a more positive environment in any office is to ensure there is a true sense of trust among the entire team. This is not something that can be built overnight and it is something that can be challenging to establish in an office. However, if there can be a real, honest sense of trust between team members and between management and the staff, it will build an extremely strong foundation for a positive office environment.
Managers need to start creating this feeling of trust by being open and honest with their team members. Managers should have confidence in their team members that they can rise to challenges and that they are competent enough to handle big tasks on their own. Managers do not need to treat their employees like children who need to be watched at every turn. Ultimately, people team members will perform based on the way they are treated. Individuals who are not trusted, who are micro-managed at every step and who are not trusted, are not going to rise to the occasion and perform their best.
Giving team members a little more responsibility and highlighting that this responsibility is based on trust, is one of the best ways that managers can start building this sense of trust not only between themselves and their employees, but among the entire team.
A positive workplace is one where every individual can feel like they can rely on one another to work towards the greater good of the company.
Show Appreciation
A positive overall workplace begins at the individual level. This means that all employees need to be positive and have positive feelings about the office first. The best way to do this is to make sure that these individuals feel appreciated. This is one of the biggest complaints that today’s employees have about their jobs. So many people today feel overworked and under-appreciated and it only breeds feelings of negativity towards their office and their managers. Even a single negative employee in an office can bring the entire energy of an entire team down.
Managers need to be willing to realize how big of an impact that the smallest gestures can have. A simple “nice work,” “good job” or “thank you” can really go a long way for an employee who may not be feeling appreciated. However, simple sentiments like this should be a daily thing, engaged managers who really want to make a difference, need to really take the time to pull employees aside and let them know, in detail, how great of a job they are doing and how valuable they are to the office’s success.
When each individual employee starts feeling appreciated they will not only work harder but they will start exuding more positivity, which can only be contagious in any work environment.
Open Up the Communication Lines
When it comes to creating a positive workplace, communication is key. This means fostering meaningful and personal conversations inside the office, both one-on-one with employees and in group settings. This can help team members see their managers as people instead of authority figures and help build that trust that is so important in today’s office settings.
Managers need to get feedback from their employees and show that they are trying to make positive changes within their office. They need to show their employees they matter and that their management team cares about them as an individual and what they want out of their careers, not just about what they are expected to do under their job description.
Managers who want to usher in more positivity to their workplace need to be willing to have these types of discussions with their employees and they need to be willing to listen to everyone’s ideas. This not only helps employees feel more valued, but it can truly improve any company. After all, many times employees are able to provide a different point-of-view on what can be done to improve daily practices inside the office. The more open and free-flowing communication is more open, positive and encouraging any workplace will become.
It takes a great deal of time and effort in order for any workplace to transform and become a more positive environment. However, with strong leadership, active and engaged managers and free-flowing communication among the entire team, any office can start seeing decisive changes that lead to a more positive work environment for all involved.