Defining and practicing your ideal work culture takes time to integrate and perfect. While there are some universal principles that all workplace cultures should include, namely inclusion, safety, and respect, depending on the industry and company style, different social etiquette applies, respectively. This article presents five tips to create a happy and healthy work environment fitting for your organization.
1. Emphasize the Value of Time
Emphasizing time is essential to creating a positive workplace culture; it implies many different things that are beneficial to you and your organization. For example, time management values time in the context of completing work objectives and staying organized. Valuing one’s own time means that the company respects and values the time dedicated to the individual or the employee. In both cases, what you end up with is respect for work and care for time off. When you encompass time as a critical factor of success and rest, you have employees fixated on the priorities in life that matter: work and play.
2. Be A Generous Boss
Part of being a great boss is following through on employee requests. Treat everyone in the company equally, even when you have the final say. If an employee asks for a group meeting to clarify issues on a project, do your part to grant them this. Send thank-you notes for work successes. Go above and beyond requests and give spontaneously. Bring in gifts for employees when they have shown exemplary effort on a task or objective. Creating a positive display of appreciation will boost employee work ethic and motivation.
3. Encourage Break Times
Sitting for a long time each day is not so great for health. Remind employees that they are more than welcome to take small breaks throughout the day as needed. Suggest to your employees that they take time to practice self-care at work. Offer suggestions like getting up for water or taking a walk outside for a few minutes. Encourage employees to take a break and sit down in the comfortable furniture you’ve provided for in the breakroom. You will benefit from these mental breaks as well, as the much-needed rest will help employees recharge and deliver better work as a result. It’s a win-win for everyone.
4. Respect Employee Space
Remember back in school when you’d be taking a test, and your teacher would be looking over your shoulder? You probably didn’t like that feeling. Learn from that experience and avoid overseeing your workers too closely. No one wants to feel like they are being watched and judged at work. Be present in the office but know when it’s time to keep to yourself. People are usually a little bit nervous around their bosses, so keep this in mind and be respectful of boundaries. You don’t need to hide in your office all day but be mindful of how you approach your supervising.
5. Encourage Team Participation
Break down tasks into team efforts. Working in groups allows for the workload to be divided, making reaching goals possible. When you give too much work to one person, they are more likely to feel overwhelmed. Since sales are already accustomed to working in teams, try this practice with your sales team and see if you notice a boost in employee motivation. By balancing tasks in ways that feel manageable, you’ll avoid perceived favoritism by not distributing too much work to one person.
The Bottom Line
By focusing on personal and company time, self-care, and personal space, you will be embracing a positive company culture. Follow these suggestions to create a workplace that is positive and productive for everyone.