CREATE A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT
WHY IT MATTERS
People respond to and reflect the environment around them. If the environment invites positivity and creativity, people are more likely to be positive and creative. If the environment invites stress, fear, and anxiety, people are more likely to be stressful, fearful, and anxious. An organization’s work environment is influenced by its leader perhaps more than any other single factor. Leaders that create a positive work environment make the workplace setting a strategic advantage. They create a place and a feeling that allows employees to do their best work and be their best self. Leaders that fail to create a positive work environment set their people up for failure simply because they don’t like being at work.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that create a positive work environment understand people perform their best when they feel highly satisfied and valued. They know that employee satisfaction requires more than someone just liking their job. They know it also requires people liking where they do their job. Leaders that create a positive work environment invest in creating a workplace that people enjoy coming to each day.
Leaders that create a positive work environment know that every environment is defined by its expectation for how people are treated. They create a culture of equity, fairness, respect, and tolerance. They promote strong and open relationships between people and their supervisors. They disallow any form of employee harassment or mistreatment. They erase feelings of threat or fear. They set the tone by being kind, positive, personable, and accessible.
Leaders that build a positive work environment create an atmosphere of honest communication. They encourage and reward people for speaking up. They help each individual feel safe and valued when sharing their thoughts and experiences.
Leaders that create a positive work environment invest in their people. They make sure their people know they matter. They provide people opportunities to learn and grow. They show frequent gratitude for people’s best efforts. They openly seek to reward, recognize, and thank people for their hard work. Their people feel valued, known, wanted, and appreciated.
Leaders that create a positive work environment empower and trust people instead of micromanaging them. They provide people with the ability to take action. They clarify what is expected, how people will be measured, provide them resources, and get out of their way. People love coming to work because they feel they can make a difference.
Leaders that create a positive work environment invest in the physical environment itself. They ensure it is inviting and comfortable. They ensure proper facilities, office organization, lighting, furniture, décor, accommodations, accessibility to materials, etc. They ensure the physical environment sends the message that employee well-being matters. The work environment itself is a constant reminder of what it should look and feel like to be a valued member of the organization.
BELIEFS
BEST PRACTICES
SELF-REFLECTION
WORDS OF CAUTION
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
People respond to and reflect the environment around them. If the environment invites positivity and creativity, people are more likely to be positive and creative. If the environment invites stress, fear, and anxiety, people are more likely to be stressful, fearful, and anxious. An organization’s work environment is influenced by its leader perhaps more than any other single factor. Leaders that create a positive work environment make the workplace setting a strategic advantage. They create a place and a feeling that allows employees to do their best work and be their best self. Leaders that fail to create a positive work environment set their people up for failure simply because they don’t like being at work.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that create a positive work environment understand people perform their best when they feel highly satisfied and valued. They know that employee satisfaction requires more than someone just liking their job. They know it also requires people liking where they do their job. Leaders that create a positive work environment invest in creating a workplace that people enjoy coming to each day.
Leaders that create a positive work environment know that every environment is defined by its expectation for how people are treated. They create a culture of equity, fairness, respect, and tolerance. They promote strong and open relationships between people and their supervisors. They disallow any form of employee harassment or mistreatment. They erase feelings of threat or fear. They set the tone by being kind, positive, personable, and accessible.
Leaders that build a positive work environment create an atmosphere of honest communication. They encourage and reward people for speaking up. They help each individual feel safe and valued when sharing their thoughts and experiences.
Leaders that create a positive work environment invest in their people. They make sure their people know they matter. They provide people opportunities to learn and grow. They show frequent gratitude for people’s best efforts. They openly seek to reward, recognize, and thank people for their hard work. Their people feel valued, known, wanted, and appreciated.
Leaders that create a positive work environment empower and trust people instead of micromanaging them. They provide people with the ability to take action. They clarify what is expected, how people will be measured, provide them resources, and get out of their way. People love coming to work because they feel they can make a difference.
Leaders that create a positive work environment invest in the physical environment itself. They ensure it is inviting and comfortable. They ensure proper facilities, office organization, lighting, furniture, décor, accommodations, accessibility to materials, etc. They ensure the physical environment sends the message that employee well-being matters. The work environment itself is a constant reminder of what it should look and feel like to be a valued member of the organization.
BELIEFS
- A positive work environment is more than a nice idea, it is a proven factor in the ability of an organization to perform well.
- People take their environmental cues from the leader. The organization will match the tone of its leader.
- A positive work environment isn’t just about physical space, it is about the underlying culture of what it feels like to be at work.
- You can’t choose to have or not have a work environment. You will always have one, but is it the one you want?
- You either create and mold your environment, or you are a victim of your environment’s self-creation.
- When people like being at work they are more likely to give their very best to their work.
- A positive work environment is achieved through a combination of efforts to influence its look and feel, not a single activity.
- Find an organization that succeeds in getting the very best out of people and you will likely find a positive work environment too.
BEST PRACTICES
- Allow for and encourage people to have fun at work.
- Define what a positive work environment looks like.
- Create a culture that values opportunities for growth.
- Ensure the physical environment is inviting.
- Teach people their role in creating a work environment.
- Make work a place where people enjoy being.
- Eliminate the components of fear and threat from work.
- Help everyone feel they are important.
- Show continual gratitude and give recognition.
- Share accountability for the work environment.
- Provide an appropriate level of work-life balance.
- Invest in improving the physical workspace.
- Create an atmosphere of respect and tolerance.
- Allow for flexibility in how work gets done.
- Build acceptance for giving and receiving feedback.
- Avoid negativity and pessimism.
- Do not lose focus of people while chasing results.
- Create a spirit of teamwork across the organization.
- Earn people’s trust and give them trust in return.
- Equip people with what they need to be successful.
- Take opportunity to let people rest and rejuvenate.
- Don’t be afraid to allow people to have fun.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I know what the current work environment is, or do I not clearly see what it is?
- Do I feel it is important that people like where they work, or do I only care what they do at work?
- Do I make sure all people are treated with kindness, dignity, and respect, or do I allow for the mistreatment of others?
- Do I set the tone for the environment through my personal example, or do I act contrary to my aspirations?
- Do I ensure it is safe for people to speak up, or do I propagate an environment of fear?
- Do I ensure everyone feels they matter and are important, or do I lead people to question their value?
- Do I empower people with trust and resources to do their work, or do I micromanage them?
- Do I make the physical workplace inviting and comfortable, or do I fail to invest in the physical workspace?
WORDS OF CAUTION
- Don’t think creating a positive work environment means everyone has to be happy and content all of the time.
- Don’t stop creating a positive work environment until you are sure it has found its way into the whole organization.
- Don’t be satisfied with the work environment you have and stop pushing for innovative ways to keep building it up.
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
- A happy employee is the best recipe for a successful business.
- I love coming to work every day.
- I leave work each day knowing that I made a difference.
- Having friends at work is a priority for me.
- Team building exercises are essential to organizational success.
- Everyone should get to know the people that they work with.