For most people, work will become a second home. After all, at least 8 hours a day is usually spent in the workplace, making it one of the areas we spend the majority of our time. That’s why it’s so important that your employees actually enjoy their time there – nobody wants to be in a work environment that is completely miserable.
In fact, a toxic work environment will not only make it harder for employees to find the will to show up, it can also reduce productivity, create new challenges, and much more. While it’s important that an employee actually enjoys the field they’re working in, it’s also up to you as a business leader to take steps to help improve the environment in which they work. Here at Technalink we’ve found several steps that can help you detoxify your workplace.
- Identify Problems – Is there a particular employee who seems to be constantly stirring up trouble? Is there a project or a task that nobody wants to do? Is blame being consistently thrown around over a certain failure? Are arguments ensuing over seemingly minute things? Identifying problems is the first step.
- Get Feedback – Your employees may be able to tell you more about what’s wrong than your own observations can. Give them the opportunity to tell you what’s happening. If you want the most honest answers, use an anonymous suggestion box or survey.
- Accept Your Own Shortcomings – This one’s important. Many business leaders don’t want to admit that their own actions could be having an impact on their business as well. If you are able to admit when you’re wrong and identify your own shortcomings, you’ll be better able to make positive changes.
- Manage the Problems – Once you know the problems, the next step is to manage them properly and realistically. If employees say they want a 4 hour workday, for example, that’s not really that realistic. But if they tell you that the chain of command isn’t clearly defined, that’s a legitimate issue that you can address. Review their requests and your own findings and make the right changes.
Maintaining a healthy work environment is important. When doing so you need to be fair and treat all employees equally, even those that seem to be creating the most conflicts. The right approach will help you detoxify your workplace and give your employees back some of the morale and motivation that they could have lost.
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