As a business owner, you have a lot going on a day to day basis. There are deals to be made, marketing strategies to develop, numbers to crunch, and so on. One thing you may not give too much attention to is the health of your workplace. However, making sure that your team of workers are happy in their role and able to work together well may be more important than you realise; research shows that workers who are happy in their job are much more productive than their miserable counterparts. Here are 7 tips to help you make sure your workplace is as fruitful as possible.
Hire the Right People
It might not help you straight away if you already have a full team of employees, but hiring the right people to begin with is the best way to have a thriving workplace. Remember, the office isn’t subject to unknowable laws. It is the people inside who determine the atmosphere, with you at the helm of course. If you take the extra time needed to determine not just if a person is right for the job but also how they’ll fit into your team, you’ll be off to a flying start.
Work, Play, Work, Play
We know, we know, it doesn’t feel like it, but there is more to life than just work. If your workplace is exclusively about work, then you won’t be able to foster an environment where people are open and happy to be there. You might not want people to have fun at work, but as we mentioned above, it’s a really important part of having a productive workforce. How you introduce fun into your workplace is up to you, but note that it doesn’t have to be anything grand – a Friday afternoon cake and chat will go further than you think!
Be Open To Your Employees Needs
If they’re motivated in the right way, your employees will be invested in your company in a way that goes beyond just a paycheck. But no matter what you do, they’ll never be as invested in your business as you are. You can choose to moan about that fact, or you can embrace it. Remember that they’re professionals with their aspirations and goals; might you be able to facilitate those dreams in your company? The best talent will always want space and opportunities to grow. Provide them with these, and the correct equipment to work with as a high-quality scissor lift if you’re working in a warehouse for example, and you’ll have a workforce who sticks around, a key component in creating a strong team.
When Things Go Wrong
Try as you might, you’ll never be able to prevent problems arising in the workplace. There will be employees who fraudulently take sick days, there will be squabbles between employees, and you will have to let an employee go at one time or another. How you handle these situations goes a long way to determining the workplace culture. If you don’t have a HR team to deal with it, look at companies like Ellis Whittam and make sure the problems are dealt with professionally. You can’t stop bad things from happening, but you can handle how you respond to them.
Be Willing to Bend
An approachable boss will always be admired by his or her employees. If one of your employees needs a favour from you, don’t hold yourself to hard and fast policies; consider the request on its own merit, and make your decision on whether you can approve it or not. Nothing so infuriates workers as a manager who lives and dies by the rules. We’re all human – if you can bend a little to make your worker’s life better, do so.
You’re a Team Player
Every organisation needs hierarchy. It’s when those at the top begin to think they’re superior to the workers underneath that problems can begin to arise. If you’re pushing your workers to meet a deadline, don’t just bark the orders from above – get involved and help out. The company culture begins with you, and if you’re showing you can work hard and also have a good time then that will spread to your employees.
Promote A Community Spirit
Finally, to have a positive workplace you should look beyond just the office. Get involved with passion projects that exist outside of your business and suggest that everybody gets involved. People like to make a difference, and if you band together to try to do your bit to make the world a better place then you’ll be fostering positive vibes and building teamwork at the same time.
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