Ask what you can give

A culture of giving at work is the backbone of a happy work environment. Giving positively impacts employee retention, cultivates a sense of belonging, and generates a workforce that thrives.

With an estimated?99,117 hours of our lives spent at work, it’s important that we have a working environment in which we can grow and develop.

Whether it’s formalised through mentorship or informal by means of kindness and support, the value is significant for the overall mental wellbeing of employees: reducing stress, increasing productivity, building trust, strengthening morale, and fostering positive relationships with all those co-workers (with whom they spend more time with than their family).

In my recent blog, I explore the benefits of giving?and the positive impact it has on our overall happiness. You will be amazed at how small acts can lift your inner joy!

The very fundamentals of giving in your personal life can easily be transported to the workplace.

?HOW TO ENCOURAGE A COLLABORATIVE WORKPLACE

1.????Boost confidence

When the pressure is on, we overlook the most powerful tool: praise. Go out of your way to praise a colleague for a job well done. Praise will re-affirm their belief that they are good at their job, boost their self-esteem, and foster a sense of pride and eagerness to maintain the standard.

?2.????Improve communication

Leaders or team members who are openly supportive and friendly are natural choices when colleagues want to share, speak up or be honest. Be approachable and whilst you allow people to be at ease around you, you will see productivity rise and commitment to the organisation increase.

?3.????Team spirit

A supportive environment undoubtedly makes for a better working atmosphere. By creating a sense of community and team spirit, everyone feels united rather than isolated with their respective workload which can seem enormously lonely and overwhelming.

?4.????Draw on each other’s expertise

Workplaces are comprised of diverse expertise (including life experience) and offering one’s support, assistance and expertise freely will never go unnoticed. Colleagues would more likely want to offer you the same in return, strengthening the dynamism of the team, mutual respect, and networking potential for when you decide to move on.

?5.????Leadership skills

Successful leaders understand that by facilitating the development of others they will bring out the best in the team. If you start early on in your career to invest time in supporting colleagues it will earn their respect and trust, whilst you unintentionally start to develop your own leadership skills.

?6.?????Support mental health conditions

More than a third (35%) of South African employees experienced high levels of stress-related physical ill-health symptoms such as headaches, nausea, sleeping and eating problems, palpitations, and muscle aches and pains during lockdown. Half had high levels of worries about the future, and 46% were at risk of developing depression and anxiety disorders.

Now that we are back in the office, the social support of colleagues is unmissable in reducing stress and maintaining a balanced emotional state. A positive mental state reduces absenteeism, and presenteeism (those who are at work but too unwell to be productive).

Leaders should:

·??????Understand how mental health impacts employees

·??????Have a pro-active corporate mental health policy in place whereby the signs of emotional distress are recognised and managed in a supportive way

·??????Make mental health training mandatory for team leaders to help them be more aware of and invested in this aspect of employees’ well-being

·??????Measure your employees’ health and stress levels through regular anonymous surveys and have plans in place to support staff – even those who seem to be handling the pressure

·??????Offer workshops so employees can learn more about mental health and resilience

·??????Build as much flexibility as possible into all employees’ schedules

·??????Encourage employees to use their leave days and limit the number of days employees can roll over into the next year.?

7.????Mentorship

Nothing beats years of experience. Mentors are those more senior and experienced in their careers who offer advice and support to younger employees as they grow in their roles. In a video I offer some useful tips for mentorship.

Although valuable learning, trial-and-error in determining the best course of action, can be time-consuming and could cost you your career.

Leaders should recognise the importance of establishing formal mentorship programmes in offering employees an equal opportunity to develop. Instead of having informal mentorship whereby a senior member takes someone ‘under their wing’ which can be seen as exclusive and elitist doing nothing for diversity, a formal programme actively and equitably matches mentors and mentees and support the relationships to develop long-term.?

Studies have shown that?79% of Millennials?see mentoring as crucial to their career success. Given that by 2025,?this demographic will comprise more than 75% of the workforce, formal mentorship should be a top priority for all businesses.

?The benefits of mentorship

·??????Self-confidence and self-awareness

·??????Job satisfaction

·??????Ambition

·??????Loyalty

·??????Enhanced skill development

·??????Knowledge transfer

·??????89% of those who have been mentored will also go on to mentor others, and contribute to this cycle of learning and development within the organisation

·??????Gaining new perspectives

·??????Mentors feel valued for their years of experience

·??????Diversity in leadership

·??????Retention

?By creating an environment of connection and engagement amongst employees, smart leaders will limit losing dynamic employees to more purpose-driven organisations, and focus all their attention on creating an environment were learning, ideas sharing and listening are encouraged, all to the greater success of the company’s goals.