Six Top Strategies for a Positive Work Environment

By: Batool Abu Zaghleh

A comfortable work atmosphere is crucial for a healthy employee experience. It influences workers mental state, productivity and performance, in addition to their attitudes towards their job and coworkers.

Whether you're a supervisor or human resources professional, you will need to ensure that team members feel safe and comfortable while at work and also feel satisfied with their roles. By cultivating a supportive workplace, you will be able to increase efficiency and creativity.

What do we mean by a positive work environment?

Many people think of the “work environment” as merely the physical space that an employee spends his/her day in, but in fact, it is much more than that.

 
A healthy workplace is an atmosphere that promotes employee well-being and growth. A few factors go toward this, including having good working practices, relatable values, supportive surroundings, and a culture of trust.

 

Why is it so important to keep a work atmosphere positive?

A workplace that is full of motivation and positive energy can influence both the employees and the company in many aspects. It can prevent employees’ stress and burnout, and it may increase employee happiness. Moreover, workers’ happiness makes them 12% more productive according to a study from the University of Warwick. Conversely, the same study revealed that unhappy workers are 10% less productive than workers reporting average levels of workplace satisfaction.

 

What are the best strategies for creating a positive work environment?

Knowing the importance of a supportive motivational workplace, here are some strategies to achieve that.

 

1. Promote strong values: a work environment that is based on trust and integrity is one of the best environments any worker would ever wish to have. And from another perspective, clear and inspirational company values shape your business vision and unite your workers into having a common goal.
   
   
2. Provide a comfortable environment: Prioritizing the physical comfort of employees means meeting their psychological and cognitive needs, too. Small environmental changes, such as providing suitable desks, ergonomic chairs, and well-positioned computer screens, help alleviate pain and discomfort, paving the way for more concentration and productivity and fewer sick leaves.
   
   
3. Enhance communication: Building positive connections between all your employees is essential in creating a culture of team collaboration, where workers at all levels feel like part of a team. Also, good communications between employees and leaders that are based on understanding and clear expectations create mutual respect between workers. You can achieve that by continuously giving positive comments, answering questions, and offering feedback, in addition to the willingness to listen.
   
   
4. Acknowledge a well-done job: employees need to feel respected and valued. So, make your employees feel appreciated for being creative and successful in doing their job by rewards and recognition. This will encourage the entire team to continue the good work to achieve this appreciation and reward.
   
   
5. Protect your employees’ mental Health: According to the Mental Health Foundation, 14.7% of employees encounter mental health problems at work. So, it’s possible that your employees could experience mental health problems while working for your company. Poor mental health can often lead to sick leave, which negatively impacts your business and team. you can protect your employees’ mental health by being cooperative with the employees who are passing through such issues and supporting them as much as possible. Moreover, it is important to avoid putting too much pressure on employees to avoid mental problems related to work.
   
   
6. Create opportunities for fun: Employees typically enjoy work more when they are given the chance to relax and show their personalities through having fun in different ways. Therefore, it will be great to give the employees a free space to have fun from time to time, such as organizing staff outings or encouraging employees to customize their personal space.

To sum up, it is important to know that a positive workplace is always a successful one. This, in turn, improves people’s relationships with each other and amplifies their abilities and their creativity. It also enables employees to face work difficulties and challenges successfully, and, of course, it makes them more loyal to your company.