The average person will spend 90,000 hours of their life at work. But today, our work environments look a little different. Not only are many of us embracing the usual challenges of long days in the office, but we’re discovering the complexities of collaboration and connection from remote spaces as well.
More than ever, a healthy work environment is crucial to keep employees happy and inspired, but it’s also becoming increasingly tough for leaders to recognize when that’s not the case for their company. If you’re not sure, these three key elements to creating a healthier workplace are a good place to start.
- Psychological Safety
Too often, employees are afraid to speak up to coworkers and leaders in the workplace because they fear the potential failure or disrespect that may result. Physiological safety is characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect in which people are comfortable being themselves at work. It offers a sense of confidence that your team will not reject or embarrass someone for speaking up. You may think that’s exactly the culture you have. But how can you be sure?
Look for any possible challenges or constructs that could be impacting this sense of physiological safety and leading team members to feel unmotivated or uninspired. Many leaders are disconnected from the day-to-day issues impacting their employee well-being. Team surveys, focus groups, observations, etc. are a good way to get a deeper sense of what may affect the confidence in your individual team members.
Conversely, look at your employee strengths and how you can leverage them to create a more positive environment. We all want our work to be meaningful — and we want to believe we’re good at what we do too. Implementing practices like weekly check-ins or one-on-one dialogues to offer support for certain skills and strengths can help elevate individual contributions within your team.
And that’s just the start. To learn more about the importance of physiological safety in the workplace or how you can take steps to improve it in your workplace, contact our consultants today.
- Healthy Communication
Communication is crucial for any organization or relationship to thrive. Without it, you open the door to errors, mistrust, and disconnection. But healthy communication isn’t simply keeping coworkers informed on project data or conveying details accurately; it’s also clear, honest, and mindful. Healthy communication allows an individual to express thoughts and opinions in an open, productive way and knowing that they’ll be heard when you do. And it’s just as important in the workplace as it is in any other relationship.
Healthy communication involves both verbal and non-verbal skills — what we say, how we say it, and what we look like while saying it. By building these communication skills amongst your team, you can further promote trust and inclusion. And that will extend to your customers as well, improving their ability to solve problems and resolve conflicts to enhance the customer experience. Employees who communicate effectively with their team are valuable assets to any company.
- Employee Engagement
According to Gallup data, only 33% of employees felt they were engaged at work. Yet, employee engagement is one of the important indicators of work satisfaction. If your team doesn’t feel invested in their own success, they certainly won’t be committed to the company’s. When a person is engaged, their actions are fueled with purpose, energy, and enthusiasm. And this is crucial to boosting productivity, improving customer service, reducing employee turnover, and more.
As a leader, it’s crucial to create an environment that enables each member to understand their importance and take pride in the work they do. This involves providing a few key things:
- A clear understanding of one’s role and responsibilities
- The training and resources needed to do their job
- Recognition for their contributions and successes
- The opportunity to grow and advance their career
- An environment in which employees have an authentic voice
- Leadership that cares about their well-being
- A sense of belonging and purpose, contributing to the good of the community
To learn more about how our expert workplace consultants can work with you to create a healthier workplace for your company, contact us to discuss your challenges and goals today.