What is a healthy work place – and how do I get one? By healthy I don’t mean clean, green, and having an office full of chi (even though that is a contributing factor a healthy work environment) – I’m talking about a work environment where staff want to come to work, they want to work their hardest, and at the end of the day feel good about what they are doing. A work environment that they brag about, and one that they never want to leave!
So what makes a healthy workplace? There is one key word. The most magical word in the world – COMMUNICATION.
Oxford dictionary defines Communication as: The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.
Even deeper defined as: The successful conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings.
Non-verbal communication, where words are not used, counts for 93% of all daily communication. This is all through facial expressions, posture, hand gestures, and tone. Many studies have been done on non-verbal communication, and it is something the workplace leaders have to really get a handle on. Study the body language of your staff, you’ll be amazed as to how much of their body language describes how they feel. Rolling of the eyes, clenched fists, slouched posture, even finger pulling, are all signs of an employee who is not happy.
A happy employee is the result of a healthy work environment. An unhappy employee is the result of an unhealthy work environment (or the fact that the employee is just an unhappy person – but in this case we’ll blame it on an unhappy work environment).
So here’s where I reveal the key factors of a healthy workplace:
- Communicate with your staff. Tell them what is going on in the business. What are the positive things that are happening within the business? What are the barriers or potential obstacles that may be faced in the business as well, and ask for their ideas on how to overcome these barriers.
- Tell your employees why they are an important asset to the business. ‘Joe, your IT skills are needed in our company [key word is our – make the company theirs as well], if it weren’t for you our computers would be blowing up and it would be a disaster. Thank you for all your efforts – we all really appreciate it.’ Make it your goal to tell an employee daily why they are vital to the business.
- Get staff engaged. Get the entire crew engaged. Have regular staff meetings – where each staff member or department gets to have a say. Keep them updated. Start some clubs within the business, yoga on Tuesdays, shared lunch on Fridays, staff drinks on Mondays (or every day).
- Get to know your staff. Don’t treat staff like a number. Have a chat with them as they pass you in the corridor. Be open. Don’t cross your arms when you talk to them. Smile, invite them into your office, and ask for their opinions. How’s the kids? Did you watch Game of Thrones last night? Little things like that can really make an employee’s day.
- Let them grow. Employees need to know that they can grow in your business. For star employees, recognise their achievements straight away, introduce some gamification into the workplace and get some healthy competition going. You’ll soon see the seedlings blossom, and the ones that do, offer services that will aid in further developing their skill set.
- Have fun. No description needed. Get some ideas together on how to make the workplace fun and happy. As said before, a happy employee equals a healthy workplace.
