What makes a good working environment?
Defining a good working environment is a tricky task. Some people like a noisy office, while others prefer deafening silence. So there are bound to be different opinions on how to define it. However your employees prefer to work, a good working environment is, broadly speaking, the foundation for wellbeing and progress.
That covers the physical workspaces, the office lighting and indoor climate, as well as relationships with colleagues, management and the workload. So a good working environment depends just as much on a good, stable company culture. That culture can support each employee’s wellbeing and productivity and create a healthy working environment with good relationships across departments, supportive management and a manageable workload.
My 7 tips for a healthy working environment
A good working environment depends on both the formal and the informal structures that define the workplace. To help you think about both sides of the company, I’ve put together my 7 best tips for creating a healthy working environment:
- Talk to your employees
However many of you there are in the workplace, it’s a good idea to talk about where you stand and what sets your particular workplace apart. That way, you give your employees the chance to describe the environment in their own words. - Show your employees the way
Putting the process into words matters, but actions count for even more. Your employees shouldn’t just know your mission, vision and values. As a leader, you need to show them the way, so that you all get there. - Innovation
When leaders are inclusive, employees are keener to share opinions and ideas and to help make decisions in the workplace. - Focus on team development
Strong team spirit, communication across departments and effective collaboration are a central part of a good working environment. There are many different tools you can use to strengthen relationships and build a better understanding of the behaviour and motivation of the different personalities in a workplace, including DISC profiles. - Spend time together outside work
Following on from team building, it’s a good idea to build your sense of community outside the workplace too. - Prioritise wellbeing
Strengthening the community as a whole is important, and so is focusing on each employee’s wellbeing. The workplace should therefore encourage healthy habits and make sure employees feel able to come to management with problems, at work or outside it, and feel listened to when they do. - Follow up on feedback
If you want your employees to share how they see the working environment, it’s a good idea for management to keep listening and to follow up on their feedback. This is especially true when decisions are being made about the working environment, as employees’ experiences are particularly relevant here.
Strengthen collaboration with DISC analysis
As I said, there are several different tools you can use to strengthen collaboration in your workplace. DISC analysis is a profiling tool used to assess personality, behaviour and motivation. It consists of a series of questions, and the answers then divide the people taking it into four broad personality types: dominant (D), influential (I), steady (S) and conscientious (C).
The analysis aims to give your team a better understanding of how you can use each other’s differences, and in that way strengthen collaboration and overall performance. It’s about getting the different personalities in the workplace to complement each other.
What we do at Webamp
At Webamp, I’ve focused on creating an informal workplace where creativity, trust and the freedom to shape the work and the agenda are part of everyday life. We have lots of different personalities, so it’s important that we take the time to make sure every employee is doing well and that everyone is heard. We give high priority to initiatives that support personal wellbeing and professional development. That has given us a strong company culture where everyone values each other and each other’s differences. Today Webamp is called Amplify.
Book me for a talk
Being an entrepreneur has taught me a lot about company culture, entrepreneurship, leadership and marketing. If you and your company would like to book a talk, have a look at the topics on the talks page. In the meantime, you can listen to interesting conversations about entrepreneurship, leadership and company culture on my Danish-language business podcast, Den Nye Standard, available on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.