{"id":1222,"date":"2019-11-04T13:19:13","date_gmt":"2019-11-04T11:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/?p=1222"},"modified":"2019-10-17T13:22:45","modified_gmt":"2019-10-17T11:22:45","slug":"the-ideal-work-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/the-ideal-work-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ideal Work Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Creating that sought after workplace.<\/h2>\n

The workplace environment has a massive impact on our daily lives.\u00a0 Whether we work at the organization or utilize its services, the environment in which people work impacts productivity and service.\u00a0 We have all experienced the clerk that hates their job, and it comes through in every word they utter to us and every action during the encounter. Wouldn\u2019t it be amazing if everyone loved their job and the environment in which they worked?\u00a0 That is the true heart of Oteos –\u00a0 to maximize productivity by improving the employee experience.\u00a0 As Simon Sinek said, \u201cCustomers will never love a company until the employees love it first.\u201d\u00a0 So how does an organization foster an ideal work environment?<\/p>\n

Everyone has a slightly different idea of the perfect work environment, but there are some basic components that make up a place that gives employees reasons to show up, enthusiastic and driven and to work hard for the organization.\u00a0 The work environment includes the physical surroundings (location, facilities), the culture of the organization, potential for personal and professional growth and relationships between employers and employees, to name a few.<\/p>\n

Lead By Example<\/strong><\/p>\n

First and foremost, leadership must lead by example.\u00a0 When leadership lives the vision and values of the organization, it will resonate with the staff.\u00a0 Management must be clear about the mission of the organization; it\u2019s vision and the values.\u00a0This is the foundation of the organization and must be at the core of every work encounter. \u00a0\u00a0Leaders cannot act in a parental role of \u201cbecause I said so,\u201d nor can we expect our team to \u201cdo as I say, not as I do.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 This type of old-school thinking will contribute to resentment, breakdown in communication, and lack of respect for the leadership team.<\/p>\n

Communication<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two-way communication is essential in a healthy work environment.\u00a0 It contributes to the development of trusting relationships among staff and with management.\u00a0 Too often, management utilizes one-way communication by way of providing information without seeking feedback.\u00a0 Providing employees with a platform to safely express concerns and opinions is vital to improving trust and respect.\u00a0 As important is then taking this feedback and actually doing something with it.\u00a0 I once participated in a team cohesiveness survey after a major transition in the organization.\u00a0 Management apparently did not appreciate our honest feedback.\u00a0Rather than take that information and develop a plan to improve on the environment,\u00a0 management expressed their displeasure in our responses and instructed us on how we should have answered the questions.\u00a0 Nothing further was done to improve the team dynamics leading to a further decline in job satisfaction, increasing distrust of management, and a worsening work environment.<\/p>\n

Using two-way communication not only engages employees, but it leads to an increase in collaboration and offers opportunities to reinforce the organization\u2019s vision.\u00a0 This ensures that everyone is on the same page and increases the ability to understand of the protocols and process that management is working with.<\/p>\n

\"Bad<\/p>\n

Encouraging\u00a0Growth<\/strong><\/p>\n

Encouraging personal and professional development among staff contributes to job satisfaction and loyalty to the organization.\u00a0 There are numerous ways to provide this to employees.\u00a0 First, ensure that every employee is appropriately trained and provided with the necessary supports to do their job well.\u00a0 Beyond this basic need, support employees with continuing education within the organization and outside of it.\u00a0 Meet with staff regarding growth \u2013 more frequently than the annual review- and help them develop a plan.\u00a0 Address any skill gaps while reinforcing their strengths and identify areas for growth.\u00a0 Support additional university classes, conferences, and any learning opportunities that will contribute to the growth of the employee.<\/p>\n

Beyond professional growth is personal growth.\u00a0 An ideal environment supports their employees in achieving a work-life balance.\u00a0 We\u2019ve all experienced challenging life situations, and inevitably they will spill over to the work environment.\u00a0 Employees that practice good self-care and healthy living with good supports outside of the organization will be better equipped to handle the challenges that life throws at them.\u00a0 Offering coaching, discounts for gym memberships, access to counseling (dietary, mental health, etc.), and encouraging the use of breaks and vacation time can all contribute to a healthy life outside of work.<\/p>\n

Acknowledgment<\/strong><\/p>\n

A solid leader will learn how to appreciate and appropriately acknowledge their individual employees for their achievements.\u00a0 This does not have to come in the form of financial rewards.\u00a0 Acknowledging their achievements both privately and in front of others will encourage them to continue their excellence within the organization.\u00a0 Make sure that you are genuinely recognizing the effort and not just complimenting them.\u00a0Compliments stay with them for a minute, but a genuine acknowledgment of their effort and ability will remain with them long-term and make them want to continue their effort.<\/p>\n

Organizations must take an active role and be intentional in creating a positive work environment.\u00a0Not only will it increase productivity and creativity, but it will also decrease turnover and more importantly, keep unhappy employees from spreading their negativity amongst the rest of the team.\u00a0Negativity spreads quickly, and this type of animosity causes your business to rot from the inside out.<\/p>\n

As a business and a leader, how will you provide and contribute to a positive work environment?\u00a0 As an employee or perhaps an informal leader on the team, how can you encourage a positive environment from the ground up?\u00a0We would love to hear your thoughts.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Creating that sought after workplace. The workplace environment has a massive impact on our daily lives.\u00a0 Whether we work at the organization or utilize its services, the environment in which people work impacts productivity and service.\u00a0 We have all experienced the clerk that hates their job, and it comes through in every word they utter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employee-engagement"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/work-environment-pic1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1222"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1228,"href":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1222\/revisions\/1228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oteos.nl\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}