How to Create a Good Environment
It’s not enough to rely on employees to self-motivate.
Continue reading to learn how to create a welcoming, secure, and inspiring environment where your employees can do their best work.
Help Employees Build Relationships
When a staff member has as strong relationship with at least one coworker, they’re more likely to stay in the position than if they feel disconnected. Personal friendships help employees feel less stressed and happier while they’re at work, which improves engagement and productivity.
Jacob Morgan, owner of The Future Organization and author of The Employee Experience Advantage recommends that employers start by making their employees’ first day at work an amazing day. “For most people they show up on the first day and they can’t find parking and as a result show up a few minutes late, they get walked over to their desk to find a laptop that they can’t yet access so they spend hours just trying to get set up, they eat lunch by themselves, maybe attend a meeting or two, and then their day is almost over. They leave the company wondering if they made the wrong choice by joining.”
Your employees will remember their first day years after it happens. The impression it leave is going to be hard to change. So go above and beyond to make it special!
“As a leader,” Jacob says, “give your employee a special parking spot. Personally greet them and show them around. Have the team (you included) take the employee out to lunch and get to know them as an individual. Offer to help in any way you can. Truly serve your employees instead of assuming they should serve you.”
There are a number of easy and fun ways to make your work more social.
- Create a social environment where it’s ok for employees to chat at work, so long as they’re also getting their work done.
- Invite everyone to take 20-30 minutes off to celebrate a birthday or holiday, share drinks, or enjoy a potluck. If you have a large staff, you can celebrate team members’ birthdays each Friday.
- Ask your staff to volunteer to be a “buddy” for your new hire, someone they can ask questions and get feedback from.
- Give senior staff expense accounts so they can treat junior staff members to lunch or drinks.
A recent study of 1,000 US workers showed that workplace chatter is dominated by discussions about politics, relationships, and personal health. These topics can lead to uncomfortable conversations about political controversies, sex, or gossip.
You can lead by example by asking employees questions that are interesting, open-ended, and positive.
These are some of our favorite conversation starters.
- Are you working on anything outside of work?
- What’s the last book you read?
- Are you watching anything on Netflix or Hulu?
- What do you like to do outside of work?
- What was your first concert?
- What did you study in school?
- What did you do over the weekend?
Most businesses will at some point encounter employees who don’t get along, often because of differences of opinion or personalities. This can negatively impact productivity and make the workplace uncomfortable.
If a personal conflict arises in your company, first evaluate whether it is an issue of harassment or discrimination. If it is, interview the people involved, look for corroboration, and take appropriate action against wrongdoers. If an employee files a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), you’ll lose time and money responding to investigations, dealing with the negative publicity, and potentially paying legal fees and damages. You can minimize the chances of a complaint by following simple steps to quickly address the issue upfront.
For conflicts that are not potential EEOC complaints, start by ask questions to understand the issue. Consider asking the employees to work out the disagreement themselves. If needed, listen to both sides, determine the issue, and find a solution that aligns with your company policy.
If you employee disagreements are a recurring problem, consider training your employees on how they can communicate more respectfully. If one employee is a recurring problem, you may need to work with them individually or consider replacing them.
In addition to helping employees build relationships, to create a good environment, it's also important to provide for employee's needs and allow employees to design their own work spaces. Click to read more.