There is something archaic about the way we tend to approach workplace challenges. There exist such fantastic options to enrich the working environment with positivity, to create a place conducive to the wellbeing of everyone involved. There is, incidentally, also very little that does as much for productivity as a happy, healthy workplace.
Steps to a healthy workplace environment
Assemment of the healthy workplace environment
The first step in building a healthy workplace must involve collecting information about the risk factors existing in the organization and analyzing the organizational environment, the well-being of workers and the organization of work itself.
This information survey will make it possible to understand the characteristics of the healthy workplace targets and identify priority action areas for maximizing the protection factors for Health and Well-Being and minimizing risk factors.
While every healthy workplace is different, there is a set of Psychosocial Hazards that are relevant to every healthy workplace. You can use the following tools to gather information about Psychological Health and Well-Being and Psychosocial Risks that exist in your Workplace. In addition to the use of Psychosocial Risk assessment tools for a healthy office, there are other sources of information that should be explored, and you might also need to consider enhanced health insurance to ensure you are properly covered.
Feedback from Workers
This can be a valuable way to understand organizational needs. Feedback can arise in individual conversations, suggestions given by workers or through questionnaires with the aim of assessing the Psychological Health and well-being of workers.
Human Resources Information
Human Resources departments can provide information on absenteeism rate, benefits available to workers, complaints of bullying and discrimination, or the results of satisfaction questionnaires completed by workers.
Organizational audits
Given the information collected and among the following priority action areas, consider those that may be most relevant to your organization. What is being done? What are the flaws and what can be improved? … Once the priority areas of action have been identified, it is necessary to define clear and measurable objectives. For example:
Implement actions
Based on the priority action areas and the objectives defined in Step 1, the strategies and actions through which they will be achieved for a healthy workplace should be identified – how, when and by whom the goals of building a healthy workplace will be achieved. Once the solutions have been proposed, the actions outlined must be implemented.
Based on the analysis carried out in the workplace it may be useful to consider taking actions in a number of different area. For example: Promotion of positive work functions and work environments.
A positive organizational culture and healthy workplace environment starts at the top of the organization. For leaders and managers it is important to develop leadership capabilities based on the organization’s needs. When managers themselves promote a safe and respectful organizational culture, their teams are better able to resolve conflicts, reduce absenteeism and improve productivity.
Some actions that can contribute to this goal include:
- Regularly review work requirements in team meetings and ensure workers have sufficient resources to deal with challenges;
- Meet regularly to discuss the pressures and challenges the team is facing at that time;
- Allowing workers to have their say in how their work is organised, giving them control rather than imposing direction;
- Congratulate and recognize, formally or informally, team members for a job well done;
- Promoting awareness and reducing stigma and discrimination associated with Psychological Health problems.
- Support for workers with psychological health problems.
- Promoting balance between work and family life.
Assess healthy workplace actions
The evaluation of the actions taken to create a healthy workplace is necessary, to know if they are having the intended effects.
By evaluating and reviewing the progress of the developed approach, it is possible to monitor and measure the effectiveness of the initiatives, identifying the goals achieved and the areas that still need improvement .
While the planned actions are being carried out, it is necessary to assess how their implementation is proceeding, in order to verify the changes or improvements that can be made. It is important to consider some questions:
- Are all actions proceeding as planned? If not, why?
- Did everyone participate as they were supposed to? Did the action reach the people it was aimed at? If not, why?
- Are the workers involved satisfied? If not, why?
- Have any changes been made to the implemented actions? If yes, why?
Tips for a healthy workplace environment
It is common for a work environment to house different people, each with their own needs and their way of thinking. And reconciling all these opinions and needs is not an easy task. That’s why we’ve put together some tips that can go a long way towards making the work environment a healthier place. Check out:
Leadership
The first step in having a healthy work environment is to care about your employees. They are responsible for a good part of your company’s results and, therefore, they need to be valued. Therefore, be a good leader, set good examples, encourage professionals to give their best, help them in their difficulties and, above all, allow them to discover what they are capable of.
Tools
It is useless to encourage the team to work in search of good results if the company does not offer the necessary tools and does not encourage the qualification of professionals so that they can perform their tasks in the best way possible. So, remember that it’s important to allow your team to work autonomously, but it’s also essential that they be able to succeed.
Mistakes
Error is part of life, as only those who do not act do not make mistakes. In this sense, it is essential to try to understand what led an employee to make a mistake and to help them in any difficulties they may have. Furthermore, it is also critical that leaders admit their own mistakes and work to improve their weaknesses. Transparency and trust is a union that works very well in the relationship between company, manager and team.
Relationship
A good working environment is also built on good relationships between colleagues. In addition to relating well with their team, the leader must work to integrate the collaborators, awakening in them a sense of generosity. That way, it’s easier to show the team the importance of trusting colleagues to help them whenever they need it. A good relationship between the team is the key to achieving positive results.
Ergonomics
Poor lighting conditions, frequent and disturbing noises, very hot or very cold temperatures and furniture that does not match the task performed by the worker are among the main causes of health problems. In this sense, it is essential that the company offers the necessary ergonomic conditions so that the employee can be satisfactorily productive. For those who work in an office, items such as adjustable chairs, mouse support with wrist support, foot support and notebook support can contribute a lot so that the health of the professional is not put at risk.
Interpersonal inclusion
This one may seem somewhat obvious, but when you get right down to it, it is one of the more problematic aspects of any human interactions. Exclusion occurs when individuals start forming bonds that do not include other members of the staff.
This challenge is tricky, as people who are excluded are generally likely to be introverts. How then does one go about it? The research says that small team projects are the way to go. By splitting people off into small groups and teaming introverts with their extraverted counterparts, you create opportunities for bonding to take place. Add to this strategic, yet informal office get-togethers and you have created numerous opportunities for individuals to form new bonds.
A conducive environment
The working environment is made up of more than it’s people. The aesthetic qualities, along with the wellness tools on offer, play an immeasurable role in the health and productivity of the office as a whole.
You want to create a well-lit space, preferably using as much natural lighting as possible. Additionally, you will enjoy the freedom to feel open and airy. Even if you depend on air conditioning, fewer closed-off areas and shut doors inspire a relaxed and magnanimous atmosphere. Combining this more friendly aesthetic with an open-door policy will promote a more pleasant disposition and allow for more spontaneous interaction.
Creating value
We are all very familiar with the concept of value when it comes to business and encouraging business growth. What no one ever really thinks of is that it is essential to create value for your employees. It is a backward type of thinking that concludes that staff should be all too happy just to be employed.
Megacorporations like Google have long been aware that if you want to attract the very best staff and keep them motivated, your company needs to offer something extra. You need to implement projects that bring this sort of added value to your team. The best part is that most of these measures are of low cost.
As an example, you could offer onsite opportunities for exercise. A yoga class three times a week won’t break the bank. It will improve productivity and set you apart as an employer. Look to these sorts of ideas when finding easy ways to improve the workspace environment.
Conclusion
It is a definite win-win to take the measures needed to create this sort of healthy workplace environment, and you will be relieved to know that there are some straightforward and cost-effective ways to go about it. Many wellness activities could be implemented at pretty much zero CTC, so it is just a case of understanding what works and how to go about it.
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