adminWe have different sets of values and beliefs that we bring to our workplace. It helps us build a culture together. It can be either authoritative or friendly. But with changing times, one must look into every aspect that contributes to making fair policies concerning employees and business. That’s what defines the workplace environment.
Understanding your current workplace culture is the first step to changing it. If you have been following a set of rules and regulations in your organization, it’s time to question them and ask if they are still relevant. That’s how you create change. As the former GE CEO, Jack Welch, once said, “The soft stuff is the hard stuff.”
We often expect the leadership team to make a move and define workplace standards that talk about respect and integrity. You should agree to disagree here. Isn’t it the responsibility of every employee within the organization to contribute to the discussion? You never know; a junior can influence an organization’s working style or how they approach clients. There are no set rules to building a positive work environment. You have to work towards it.
The COVID phase has made us realize the importance of people at the workplace and why we should care for them. It’s looking beyond the HRMS. Let’s understand how you can contribute to making a positive workplace culture.
Employee Empowerment
We are talking about creating a positive environment; therefore, considering the most important asset remains crucial. You must have heard about organizations switching to feature-loaded HR management software to improve employee engagement. That’s there. But you must empower your employees before you expect them to open up or accomplish common goals. How do you do so?
Start to involve employees in the decision-making process. Gone are the days when leaders and managers used to influence decisions. Now, you should involve your team members as they may have relevant ideas or solutions. Problem-solving is one skill that everyone should excel in. When you work towards creating a collaborative environment, people begin to prosper. So, try that.
Setting Realistic Goals and Expectations
For this point, let’s consider an example of a sales team. If you assign unrealistic targets, they may feel pressured and evaluate better employment options. That’s considerate. But you can lose your best talent, and that never sounds good. So, the idea is to set realistic goals and expectations and share them.
When your employees can understand if a certain task is achievable, they will put effort into completing it. In that process, they may learn new things. It can become a motivating factor and result in job satisfaction. That’s how you grow from an unrecognized player to a trusted brand. You grow when your people grow, right?
Acknowledging Efforts
In the last two points, we have discussed empowering employees and setting realistic goals. There’s more than that when we talk about bringing a positive change within the system. People want to feel valued. Your employees may not ask for acknowledgment or recognition upfront, but they would expect it from the management team to know that they are making efforts. We are not talking about credit here. That’s different.
If an employee in your team performs well, a few words of recognition would mean a lot. Go beyond using the HR payroll software to offer an increment. Instead, you can give some prizes to your star performer, like a tour of a vineyard. Gifting experiences is the new trend. This way, you promote healthy competition and encourage your people to excel.
Adding Fun Elements
Most of us work in a fast-paced environment where work pressure could take a toll on our mental health. So, adding an element of humor or politeness to your work routine can change the game altogether. It can benefit you in ways you can’t expect.
For example, if a client has set a deadline for a project and your team is stuck in the middle, you can choose to be polite rather than pressuring them more. They may make mistakes otherwise. Tell them to relax, take breaks, or talk to others. It helps. Or you can find time to laugh it out about how you got stuck in a similar situation and what made you go through that. It can make things easy for everyone around. Remember, workplace culture is defined by people, not processes. Take care of them.
Addressing Grievances
How do you turn a negative culture into a positive one? You may say by finding the root cause and understanding what caused the situation to happen in the first place. That’s one side of looking at things. You can consider talking to people and empathizing with them. Some employees may have grievances concerning the team culture or HR policies. If you let these issues go unnoticed, you may lose people in the long run. Make it a point to address their grievances timely. They may open up about other issues that are bothering them. It can also improve your relations mutually.
As a leader, people’s welfare is your priority. They do care about the culture. It’s among the top factors that help them form a decision. If you want to bring a positive change to your workplace culture, introduce employee-centric policies. It could be offering flexible working hours or financial welfare plans. What else? Think on the lines around employee delight, given the current remote working situation. We all need it now more than ever.
Offering Growth Opportunities
Successful organizations are all about people. Employee welfare is the key. When an employee sees scope to grow, he or she may stick with you for long. Show them a moving career path. How about introducing a training program to build relevant work skills? An employee may start to lose interest in work due to a skill gap. It can cost you if that individual decides to leave. Here, offering skill development programs can help.
Organizations like Adobe, Google, and Apple emphasize nurturing talent. They go above and beyond their way to keep their employees first. They know if you invest in them, they reciprocate it by being loyal to you. That’s how you build lasting work relationships.
Parting Thoughts
Scrutinize your existing workplace culture. What decisions have you made in the past that led to business progression? Can you do something different this time? What differences can you see in employees’ working behavior before and after the lockdown period? If you notice any change, take it as an opportunity to bring them back on track.
As you find cloud HR solutions to stay relevant in the HR field, you can brainstorm on how to create a friendly, supportive, and collaborative culture in your organization. Lead by example.
