Key to Success – Creative Office Environment
Have you ever wondered what makes someone successful at work?
Chances are, like many people you imagine that the key to success at work is intelligence or going above and beyond the demands of the role such as working extra-long hours or taking on extra commitments. But no, jobs that fulfill employees’ needs to belong and make them feel they are a part of something bigger. This feeling can lead to many great things – one of the most important being; pride. If employees begin to feel prideful about their work, they will do what it takes to go above and beyond your expectations. Being proud of what you do, makes you want to stay. But improving the work environment for your team, not only do you increase their willingness to exceed expectations, but it increases employee retention as well.
While there are many elements of a positive work environment, research has shown that the most important pieces are; maintaining friendly relationships with colleagues, providing support, avoid giving blame, inspiring others, providing meaningful work, and respect. This kind of culture allows employees to feel safe and at home when they are with the organization. Your team members should feel comfortable coming into the office everyday – not stressed or upset. This allows for better social connections, empathy, collaboration, and encouragement among team members, which will ultimately lead to the growth of your team and business as a whole.
Providing an environment that allows individuals to take pride in their work, avoid negative consequences, reduce costs, and foster of a supportive culture is a no-brainer. With proper planning, this win-win scenario can help take your organization to the next level.
What’s sometimes more important than the benefits of a good work environment, is avoiding the negative effects of a bad one. Employees are more likely to display poor working habits in a negative work environment, leading to a decrease in performance and results. Negative working conditions can lead to increased team-conflict, hostility, fears of dismissal, stress, and unhappiness. More seriously, negative work environments can also lead to insomnia, anxiety, and even depression. And when even one employee is unhappy at work, it affects everyone else in the office. You’ve heard the saying, “misery loves company.” People feel comfortable venting about their stresses when they know their colleagues are as well. So as a manager, the more you can develop a positive work environment, the more it will pay off for everyone.
This might sound counterproductive, but it is actually good to have some healthy conflict in the workplace. This is how ideas are born. Offer up an idea that is completely outside of the box, and see where the discussion goes from there. What might start out as sounding totally silly could end up being the best idea ever once your team grabs it and runs with it. Ask your team to write something on an index card that is related to the idea. Collect the cards, and then pass them out to the team, making sure that no one gets their own. Have your team read the ideas, and respond to them. You just might be pleasantly surprised at what they come up with.