The importance of sustaining a healthy workplace environment 

Taking active steps to build or reinforce a positive work environment can lead to employees experiencing both professional and personal success. It can also have a profound effect on the success of your business. Employees who feel trusted, valued and safe in a remote, hybrid or localised work environment are more likely to be more productive and committed to their work. When employees are excited to face the working day and be a part of a cohesive team, it can take your company to the next level.  

 

What are the characteristics of a healthy workplace? 

Creating a positive work environment requires looking at every aspect of your company and finding ways to help employees feel more engaged – including their ensuring alignment to the company’s values and goals. A positive, healthy work environment can be defined as one where there is trust, cooperation, safety, support in risk-taking, accountability and equity.  

 

Here are the facets of a healthy workplace in more detail:  

  • Trust: Promoting a culture of trust, as opposed to fear, paves the way for collaboration and teamwork. Building trust includes being supportive of “positive risk taking” or your employees taking the initiative. When employees are afraid to make mistakes out of fear of being reprimanded and penalised, they will be far less likely to take any initiative. This stifles personal growth and business innovation.  
  • Cooperation: Encouraging cooperation in the workplace starts with the way that management is open to working together with their employees to resolve problems and reach goals. It entails employees across all levels of the company being given the support and resources to work together well and harmoniously and being enabled to participate in day-to-day decision-making.  
  • Safety: Workplace safety goes beyond measures to ensure employees’ physical safety. Providing psychological safety is as important. Psychological safety can be defined as the shared belief that it is safe to be vulnerable and take interpersonal risks within the team. These risks, among others, include speaking up when there is a problem, making suggestions for improvements and sharing creative ideas. 
  • Risk taking: Risk-taking, in a positive sense, is usually associated with work-related creativity and innovation in the workplace. When actively fostering risk taking it is essential to provide employees with the support they need. This includes giving them appropriate levels of autonomy and flexibility to make decisions. It means giving them the latitude to try new things and challenge the status quo. It also means providing them with the necessary training to help them develop their skills, knowledge and confidence. 
  • Accountability: Accountability builds trust within a company. It requires defining clear goals and expectations and being proactive about correcting mistakes or inadequacies. Leaders who hold themselves and their people accountable for their actions show that they are willing to take responsibility for their own mistakes and shortfalls and expect the same from others. This has the added effect of maintaining high standards.  
  • Equity: Workplace equity means treating everyone the same, without discrimination. By providing equal opportunities for all, business owners enjoy the benefit of diverse perspectives and talents from their employees. Diversity can help a company become more agile and better equipped to pivot and adapt to outstrip their competition. Workers who are treated with equity are empowered to succeed, thrive and contribute to the betterment of the company. 

 

By being intentional in their leadership style, business leaders can guide and influence company culture. This is then mirrored in how their employees interact with one another. In this way business leaders set the tone and can encourage a positive work culture that percolates throughout the company.  

1. Leading by example 

Employees often look to their managers or team leaders for guidance and support, allowing them to play a pivotal role in shaping a positive workplace culture by modeling healthy behaviors and practices. They are perfectly placed to set the tone for the entire company, fostering a supportive and well-rounded work environment. This includes demonstrating the company’s commitment to work-life balance and maintaining open communication channels. When managers actively embrace a healthy lifestyle, they inspire employees to follow suit. 

2. Maintaining open communication channels 

Managers are the conduit for communication upward and downward within a company. Thus, managers are well-placed to cultivate an environment where open communication is encouraged, and feedback is welcomed. This can be achieved in several ways: by holding regular meetings where everyone is encouraged to participate, engaging in team-building activities, and providing safe feedback channels. By fostering open communication, managers can ensure that employees feel valued and supported.  

3. Investing in employees’ personal and professional growth 

This includes offering training and upskilling, and the opportunity for personal development. By providing employees with the professional tools, they need to succeed, business owners and their managers demonstrate their commitment to individual wellbeing as part of the company’s success. Encouraging employee development also leads to higher levels of engagement, more job satisfaction and greater loyalty, all of which are essential components of a healthy workplace culture. 

4. Investing in structure and systems – and releasing their grip on the reins  

McKinsey & Company published an interesting article in mid-2020 titled, How South African SMEs can survive and thrive post COVID-19. In it they discuss SMEs in South African being the lifeblood of South Africa’s economy—and that they are the businesses which are most at risk. One of the key threats mentioned is that owners and founders struggle to empower their staff to lead and drive the business. The article points out that not having not having systems and procedures in place is often the obstacle that hinders employees from taking on expanded responsibilities, stating:    

“Many SMEs are struggling to break free from a restrictive owner mindset and assume a more strategic role largely because small enterprises often lack sufficient performance management systems, clear day-to-day operating models, and management structures with well-defined roles and responsibilities, key performance indicators (KPIs), and designated decision-making.”   

 

A positive working environment is one that supports employees in finding fulfillment in their careers with a positive knock-on effect on their personal lives. In such an environment, employees are more likely to be motivated and engaged – and when employees are happy, motivated and engaged, the quality of their work and their productivity levels improve. This has a material effect on the company’s bottom line as well as their good reputation in the marketplace.  

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Over to you for sharing your comments and experiences.

About the Author: Kerstin Jatho

Kerstin is the senior transformational coach and team development facilitator for 4Seeds Consulting. She is also the author of Growing Butterfly Wings, a book on applying positive psychology principles during a lengthy recovery. Her passion is to develop people-centred organisations where people thrive and achieve their potential in the workplace. You can find Kerstin on LinkedIn, Soundcloud, YouTube and Facebook.

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