Creating a great work culture leads to increased productivity and satisfaction amongst employees. As an employer, you can create a more positive work culture by motivating and encouraging your employees within their roles. Recognising their contributions and celebrating their talents will help you progress towards a working environment where employees feel valued, positive, enthusiastic, and motivated to work more efficiently.
Why’s a positive work culture important?
A positive workplace culture benefits businesses in several ways. If employees feel satisfied and happy within their workplace environment, they’ll become more productive, take pride in their role and the way they represent your business, work harder and more efficiently, and communicate with team members in a more constructive manner. Employees are more likely to enjoy their time in the workplace when they feel like they’re being valued.
Work culture influences or defines the way employees work together, as well as how effective leadership and management is. If employees are treated to encouragement and a positive environment, they’re free to be more creative and work to the best of their abilities. When a team is working together to the best of their abilities, it creates a more efficient and reliable business that will attract more customers as well as keep your best employees working for you for the long-term.
How employees can foster a positive work culture
1. Make the office a pleasant environment
It’s hard for employees to feel motivated in a dull office with fluorescent lighting. Take stock of your office’s environment and see what changes can be made to make it more airy, light, and fun.
You can make your office brighter and more open with greenery, artwork, coloured seating, or even bean bags. Choose a colour scheme that promotes energy levels and inspires. If your workplace is corporate, why not hold a casual day once a week? Having employees look forward to coming to work is a sure way of getting them motivated to bring in their best selves and focus on doing a job well.
2. Flexible working arrangements
Allowing your employees to have flexibility with their working schedules can motivate them to be better workers. Offering unlimited days off, giving employees the opportunity to work from home, and arranging working hours to suit tight schedules can all inspire better energy and improve productivity.
Businesses that have implemented flexible working arrangements have noted that, on average, they see a reduction in absenteeism and a lower employee turnover rate. Flexible working arrangements also lead to increased work satisfaction and a more positive work culture as a result of a better work-life balance.
3. Effective communication
Your employees need the right communication and guidance to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. By not communicating effectively and not providing enough information, employees might not be able to make the right decisions in their work and will often become less productive and creative.
Motivate your employees by having an open line of communication between management and staff. Check-in with employees regularly by having one-on-one meetings, stopping by their work desks, or having team meetings to encourage feedback or discussion on any issues that may be affecting their work. Also allow employees to gather for a coffee and foster an environment where employees feel safe and free to communicate their concerns or ideas.
4. Help employees develop their skills
Provide opportunities for your employees to develop their skills and abilities. By constantly providing new learning opportunities, employees will feel challenged and able to grow within the company. Offer to pay for courses that are related to the roles within the company, encourage employees to attend activities or workshops, provide one-on-one training, or provide opportunities for employees to cross-train. By allowing opportunities to grow, you can be sure employees will feel more loyal to your business and be willing to grow and expand within the company.
5. Recognition and rewards
Be sure to not only recognise a job well done, but to also celebrate it. If an employee reaches a milestone, drums up more sales, completes their training, or demonstrates consistently good work, acknowledge it. Provide prompts for employees to work more efficiently by offering a gift card to the employee who hits the most KPI’s each week or pay for lunch to celebrate the end of a good working week.
It’s been proven again and again that employees who feel recognised for their achievements in the workplace are more motivated to continue performing to their highest standards. Not only this, but positive feedback allows employees to gain a better understanding of what you expect from them and how you’d like to see them performing in their job.
Build a positive work culture and attract great recruitment talent
A positive work culture not only helps to retain your current employees, but it can also help you to attract new talent. There are many job seekers who are looking for a positive working environment they can contribute to.
With over 30 offices in NSW, Ability Options brings you a stronger talent pool of candidates who are motivated to do a good job within the right company. Find staff today and hire the right person for the job at no cost to your business.
