Creating A Positive Environment For Your Workforce: How To Do It

When it comes to your business, you will want to do all that you can to have a productive working environment. Happy staff are productive staff, right? However, there is also a responsibility to ensure that you take into account diversity and inclusion within the workplace, and this can be focused on habits and the environment you create. 

The working environment is so important when it comes to your workforce. However, sometimes it can be difficult to understand where you can make the most difference to how someone feels during their working hours. With that in mind, here are some of the ways that you can create a positive working environment.

Whether you’re running a big agency or a small shoot, these tips are applicable to many situations!

Image Credit: Amy Shamblen

Making it clear who people are

It may sound like such a small thing, but when you enter an office space, or even if your staff are starting out working for you, having people with their IDs on the show can make a big difference to help break the ice. It might be time to look at where you can buy employee IDs so that you can ensure your staff are all identifiable. You want people to be approachable, and to look welcoming, and a small gesture such as having ID holders on display can make a big difference. The name is stated clearly, as the job position that they hold. It can often be the perfect way to start conversations or even to seek out help from the right people, without others feeling insignificant. 

Factoring in flexible working options

Flexible working is a great way to ensure that you can help to allow your employees to feel valued. They may have families at home, young children etc, and flexible working can help them in terms of school drop-offs and childcare costs. It may be simply allowing them to work from home, or even fitting in the hours around their lives but it could help you to create an inclusive team where everyone feels valued and thrives. Another option is to implement rotating schedules and shifts so that no one feels overworked and you’re all working as a team. It’s your opportunity to mix it up a bit for your employees and make sure everyone gets a break once in a while.

Appropriately connect with employees 

It might be time to consider how you are with your team of employees. Are you an approachable leader? Are you someone who they can talk to and communicate with? Do you communicate well with them? Connecting with employees can help them to feel included. It could be as simple as learning the names of partners and children or asking how they are. Even an acknowledgement can go a long way. It bridges the gap between employees and leaders. Not everyone naturally has people skills, and so if you do think this is an area of concern for you take a step back and look at the way you can change your own process. 

Encourage integration within different departments 

Often when it comes to departments at work you tend to stay connected to the people on your team. Sales will stay with sales for meetings and perhaps lunch. Marketing sticks with marketing, management liaises with management, and you get the gist. As a leader who wants to encourage a more inclusive and diverse working environment, it may be a good idea to encourage integration within different departments. Lunch meetings that all attend, mix area soon the workplace up so that people will work with different people. It could make a big difference to the working environment. 

Image Credit: Amy Shamblen

Be open to suggestions 

Sometimes what you think will help your workforce won’t connect with them on the level you expect. This is because everyone is different and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy that you can put in place. Instead, be open to suggestions. Have a meeting every few months to see what can be done to make some positive changes. It might be as simple as supplying tea and coffee to something more extravagant such as flexible hours or away days. Be open to suggestions and if it isn’t something you can do be prepared to compromise. 

Communication is key 

Communication is so important in the workforce and so make sure you communicate sales targets, feedback, and criticisms in a positive and constructive way. Everyone wants to know where they are at workwise as this can motivate them to do better. Knowing where they stand with open communication will help them to fulfil their tasks and do what is expected of them. Motivation and enthusiasm also help to build a positive environment and inspire other colleagues. 

Let’s hope that these tips help you to create a diverse and inclusive working environment that enables your business to thrive.