Creating a Positive Workplace Environment

If you want to set your team up for success, it will require more than just handing them a paycheck at the end of every month. It boils down to the emotional, physical and intellectual ways you support them as well. This isn’t as complicated as you might think. You can do simple things to help foster a positive work environment that helps your employees feel valued and happy. 

What are the benefits of creating a positive work environment?

Creating an atmosphere where your employees feel respected and as if they play an important role can result in many benefits. In fact, research shows that 94 percent of executives and 84 percent of employees consider positive corporate culture as necessary for a company’s success. 

Having a positive work environment can also:

• Increase employee happiness by 33%
• Prevent or reduce long term absenteeism or sick leave
• Boost productivity, creativity and profitability
• Decrease employee turnover up to 58%
• Increase company revenue by 33%

With all of these benefits, focusing effort on creating a positive work environment should be one important factor included in your ongoing corporate strategy. It is one of the best ways you can invest in your employees and make sure that they are able to perform their best work. 

How to Create a Positive Work Environment

Being able to support your employees and create a positive work environment comes down to your ability to provide them with emotional, intellectual and physical support. The good news is, this isn’t as complicated as it seems. Some of the simplest techniques are able to foster a positive work environment and leave your employees feeling valued. 

1. Make training and onboarding a priority. 

Many companies are realizing that a sink or swim mentality can no longer cut it when the goal is to create high-performing teams and a positive work environment. Having extremely high expectations for employees will need to come with the right support systems from leadership. 

A survey conducted by BambooHR found that ineffective onboarding is one of the major reasons why 17% of new hires leave within the first three months. This statistic is the reason why online shoe retailer Zappos gives their new employees a five-week course which teaches them the company’s values and culture. However, not all companies are able to dedicate such a long period of time to onboarding. 

But a new employee’s first two weeks, at least, should have an itinerary. Make sure there is adequate time scheduled for shadowing, sitting in on meetings and reading through important company policies and files. Employees should also be knowledgeable about workplace safety and codes of conduct to give them a better idea of how the organization functions.

2. Ensure the work environment is comfortable. 

Any workplace needs to inspire employees to do their best work. However, it isn’t just about their physical comfort that’s important. It is also about designing the job to suit workers’ cognitive and psychological characteristics. 

Providing your employees with ergonomic solutions like standing desks and properly positioned office chairs and computer screens will not only help alleviate pain, but it can also positively contribute to their emotional well-being and help them focus better. 

Always remember that employees will be unable to do their best work in a place that they find disruptive to them. Make sure you are being thoughtful with creating a comfortable and productive workspace.

3. Encourage collaboration and communication.

As a leader, it’s your responsibility to make sure that your new hires do not feel left out of the loop. While you can’t always be there to facilitate your team, you can make efforts to establish efficient communication between everyone. Some of the ways you can accomplish this includes:

• Using dedicated channels
• Including coworkers in relevant email chains
• Posting team priorities in places that everyone can reference, like on a whiteboard in the office, or in a Google document

Using communication that is honest and straightforward helps to build up a team’s foundation. It also helps foster a sense of community which contributes to the group’s overall success in the future. This can also help new hires feel much more supported, even when upper management isn’t available. 

4. Foster a strong workplace culture. 

Studies show that companies who establish a strong, clearly defined identity can see anywhere from 60% to 200% in higher returns to shareholders. The reason being is that everyone will know and understand what the company’s primary goals are. A company’s core principles define the company’s character and brand. 

It doesn’t really matter what the values are, as long as you have them and you develop your organization around them. The power of having your core company values comes from aligning to them, not the actual values themselves. These values will differ from one company to another, but the main thing is to create a culture that unites all employees and gives them a clear direction. 

5. Create continuous opportunities for learning. 

When it comes to building a successful team you might be tempted to focus on the things that will make them more productive in the short term. But fostering learning in the workplace along with experimentation is almost more important. 

Employees will thrive and performance will increase once a company becomes a hub for learning which values professional development for all. Giving your employees opportunities for informal learning and knowledge sharing is key, especially with new hires. 

Companies can end up saving millions in lost productivity and revenue by ensuring that all employees have access to information that is needed to do their jobs. 

Level Up Your Team With 1Huddle

1Huddle can help you and your team stay ahead of the learning curve. We offer cloud-based employee gamification software. You can customize your content for a seamless experience and all of your employees will be able to access their training anywhere, anytime and at the push of a button. You can use our game platform to measure their performance and make key decisions on where you should take your gamification strategy next. 

Do you want to learn more about how 1Huddle can help you level up your own workforce? Talk to us today.