Apart from the career opportunity and the salary, the factor that has a vital influence on the employees’ minds is the work environment. Work environment includes organizational culture, the scope for personal development, and the relationship between co-workers, supervisors, and managers.
A good work culture motivates the employees to go to work and give their best, which ultimately helps the organization. Moreover, when new candidates search for a job, the work environment is one of the crucial factors they consider. Below are a few characteristics of a good work environment that every organization should have.
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Open and Transparent Communication
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Open and transparent form of communication means that the employees believe that their opinion is also considered valuable. In such a work environment, work for the employees becomes meaningful because they know that their contribution affects the organization. Therefore, the staff must make sure the employees are a part of organizational meetings, discussions, and vision. Making the employees feel that they are an integral part of the organization motivates them to work for more than just a paycheck.
Give and take communication helps in breaking down hurdles which are usually present in bureaucratic or hierarchical organizations. Most importantly, this type of communication promotes trust in normal day to day interactions between subordinates and supervisors, as well as co-workers. If everyone becomes united with a common goal in mind, the goal becomes easier to achieve. A sense of mutual respect is developed among all the employees irrespective of their designations. This will also promote the exchange of ideas which will be beneficial for the organization.
A Balance between Work and Life
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A work-life balance is vital is important to improve sense of job satisfaction among employees. If a good work-life balance is not maintained, it can adversely affect the performance of employees. Other than work, employees also need to fulfill other requirements such as personal, family, spiritual, and self-growth requirements. When the employees are able to fulfill other requirements, they are happier to work and can give the best output.
Some employees are absolute workaholics and put in a lot of effort into their work. These employees ignore other aspects of life and other responsibilities mentioned above. In such cases, managers need to take responsibility and make sure a good balance is maintained between work and personal life. Managers can reward such good employees by asking them to leave early or offering them a short vacation. The organization should also educate the employees about the benefits of maintaining a good work-life balance. If you want to learn more about vacation accrual rules and effective vacation management read more here
Training and Development Focused Environment
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Change is the new constant, and organizations need to keep up with the change and train the employees accordingly. The changes are more prevalent in technology-based industries as technology keeps on evolving, every few years. Training and development focused organizations have a clear plan to train their employees to enhance and sustain their skillset and productivity.
Organizations should work towards the development of two types of skills: hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills include skills which directly impact work productivity e.g., learning a new technology or learning about a new database management system. Soft skills, on the other hand, are skills which are interpersonal and affect the overall morale of the organization. E.g., team-work, time-management, communication skills, etc.
Recognition of Hard Work
Positive reinforcement is a concept in psychology. According to this concept, if a person is rewarded for the work he does, he is more likely to repeat the same kind of work in the future. This concept is applied to an organizational level as well.
Rewarding employees does not necessarily mean bonus or extra leaves. Even a verbal recognition by the manager is enough to enhance an employee’s motivation. If employees are constantly rewarded for their hard work, they will naturally consider themselves, a valuable asset of the organization. Acknowledging the presence of the employees and appreciating them is also a great way to boost their morale and improve the overall culture of the organization.
Team Spirit
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Good coordination and team spirit within the team are important. In tough situations, a good team comes together and deals with all the problems. A sense of unity needs to exist among the employees, and they should not feel as if they are working only for themselves. When individuals start putting the organization and the team ahead of their interests, the team and the organization achieve impossible outcomes.
Instilling a good team spirit is not easy because the leaders and managers need to combine different perspectives and working styles. Having a good team bonding helps a lot. Celebrating events like birthdays of each team member together can promote team bonding. The ultimate aim should be to do everything, whether celebration or struggle, as a team.
