It has been proven that a comfortable, safe, and happy work environment is conducive to good productivity levels and a higher overall quality of work. According to an economic study from the University of Warwick, improving employee happiness led to a 12% increase in productivity, while actively unhappy employees were 10% less productive. If you want your employees to feel safe and comfortable when they’re at work, there are a number of things that you can do as a manager to create an environment that encourages team building and kindness over cutthroat competition. In addition to making your employees happier, this will reduce the chance of workplace harassment occurring, which could be harmful to your company. Protect your business from lawsuits with Employment Practices Liability Insurance and read on to learn more about how you can prevent harassment in your company.
Use Punishments Sparingly
Obviously you want your employees to follow your guidelines and procedures, and having no discipline at all would lead to chaos in the workplace. However, being too aggressive with negative consequences can lead to higher levels of stress which, in addition to negatively impacting productivity and work quality, could lead to inter-workplace conflict, particularly if people feel that they are being unfairly punished. Instead, implement a progressive discipline system so that employees are not in constant fear of consequences and their negative effects.
In addition, try to work in an equal amount of positive consequences. Rather than enforcing everything through punishments, encourage people to behave well by offering rewards and incentives for good performance. But don’t just save this for motivation: try to be encouraging and kind to your employees on a frequent, consistent basis. This will give them more confidence in their abilities and encourage them to work even harder.
Team Building
Team bonding isn’t just about going on retreats and planning forced activities together; it’s about encouraging an office environment where people want to work together and know one another. In addition to planning a variety of team-building exercises (including non work-related activities like sporting events or holiday parties), have your employees work in teams and be available to provide help if needed.
Be Consistent and Open
The first step to instilling a behavior in your employees is instilling it in the management. The leadership at your company should lead by example in encouraging a positive work environment. This includes being friendly and collaborative with others, getting to know members of the company, and being completely open to communication.
The next step is being consistent with your office policies. This is especially important in regards to discipline: if employees feel that they have been unfairly disciplined, they are likely to negatively take it out on others. Be completely open and clear about your discipline policy and how it was created, and be absolutely certain to be consistent in how discipline is enacted. It doesn’t matter who the employee is: everyone should be treated fairly and equally if you want everyone to feel like part of the team.
About Axis Insurance Services
At Axis Insurance Services, we aim to help our customers identify their exposures and protect themselves. Founded in 1999, we offer insurance programs to a wide variety of professionals and industries including attorneys, real estate, healthcare, architects, and more, and also have a wholesale division. We pride ourselves on offering flexible insurance coverage tailored specifically to each customer’s needs. To learn more about our solutions, contact us at (201) 847-9175 to speak with one of our professionals.
