How To Create A Positive Work Environment

Struggling with slow recruitment or high turnover rates? You’re not alone. The solution? Invest in your work environment and culture. Research conducted by Westfield Health indicates that 86% of employees agreed they were more productive when workplace culture thrived, and figures published by Interaction suggest that happier employees are five times more likely to stay in their current job.

But what does it mean to invest in your work environment? It might sound a bit abstract, but there are actually some relatively easy steps you can take to improve your culture. Stick with us to discover some of the most important and where you can get started.

Building a Comfortable Working Environment

Before we get into anything a little less tangible, let’s start with the physical stuff – your workplace itself. Making sure that your employees have a comfortable place to work every day is incredibly important.

For example, in an office, giving your staff quality equipment such as ergonomic chairs, wrist rests and ample screens can help prevent repetitive strain injuries which could lead to absences but also improves their comfort levels and overall employee wellbeing.

Other steps such as simply maintaining a clean workplace, providing access to hot drinks and snacks and comfortable break facilities can be easy wins. Comfortable staff are more likely to be more productive, better engaged and happier.

Make Employees Feel Valued

Feeling valued for your work is a major factor in employee happiness and has a significant knock-on-effect on retention rates. A 2017 survey found that of 1,700 respondents, more than half were seeking a job change the following year. Of those looking to change, 44% cited a lack of recognition as a leading factor in their reasons for wanting to leave their current employer. Conversely, 63% of employees who feel recognised for their work are likely to stay with their current employer.

Making your staff feel valued can be as simple as verbal recognition and thanks but can also include public appreciation as well as merit-based progression structures and financial incentives. You can also assign particularly demanding tasks to certain employees as a demonstration of trust – just be sure to reward their efforts when they pull it off.

Give Employees Room For Growth and Development

Just as important as valuing your employees is providing headroom for their individual growth and development. This means ensuring there are learning and training opportunities regularly available, allowing them to enhance their skills and feel as though their role is moving them forwards.

This particular step provides two main advantages:

• Your staff will feel a greater sense of progression and as though you want to actively invest in their future
• More highly skilled staff will produce better work and improve your profitability, giving you an edge over the competition

Invest in HR

Human Resources (HR) is a crucial interface between you and your employees. It provides a reassuring, neutral place for them to voice any concerns. It also allows you to more actively keep track of staff satisfaction levels and head off any minor grievances before they escalate.

Effective HR is the cornerstone of any successful business and can help with everything from hiring and onboarding to dismissals and formal grievances. If we could only recommend one improvement to you, it would be to invest in HR.

This can be through hiring an internal team or, more simply and cost-effectively, by engaging third party HR services or HR consultants.

Promote a Healthy Work / Life Balance

The average person spends a third of their life at work – that’s a lot of time. Making sure that employees can balance their professional and personal lives is a major step in preventing burnout and poor mental health.

Try implementing flexible working hours, hybrid work availability or even perhaps a four-day week. Giving your staff time to recuperate and manage their personal lives will make them more engaged and productive during their working hours.

Work on Company Values and Culture

Poor or toxic work culture can be seriously detrimental to employee morale and turnover rates. It can also cause an increase in absenteeism, with staff taking more sick days to cope with stress, burnout or damaged mental health.

In a healthy workplace, staff should feel comfortable to voice their concerns or say no if they feel something is too much or unreasonable. They should also feel like they won’t be looked down on for taking their full lunch break, leaving on time or calling in sick when they’re unwell.

Your values and how you present them matter too. Data suggests that 73% of workers won’t even apply for a job if the company doesn’t align with their values. Evaluate what you want to stand and work for and lay those values and goals out clearly for both existing and prospective staff.

 Taking Your First Steps to a More Positive Work Environment

Changing your workplace culture might seem like a daunting task. But as with anything, the trick is to take it one step at a time. Choose one area to focus on first and go from there.

Our advice would be to start with your HR. Not only can this bring general improvements to your culture but giving your staff space to voice their thoughts and concerns could be a great compass for what to prioritise next.

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