Working in a negative office atmosphere is no fun for anyone involved. Walking into work and feeling tense from the very moment you sit down can cause many people to start job hunting for the nearest vacancy available. However, if you are looking to create a positive atmosphere in your office, there are several techniques to operate by. Some may not necessarily be easy, as sometimes calling out negative behaviour can be challenging and hard-hitting. Working towards a positive goal, however, will make the effort ultimately worth it.
Shutterstock Licensed Photo – By Roman Samborskyi
Eliminate bad behaviour
Sometimes, a culture of unacceptable behaviour develops, which is not necessarily the fault of one particular person. It can be a result of petty arguments, bad delivery of information or the culture of communication. This can leave less confident members of the office feeling unable to speak up about social problems within their immediate group of colleagues. Holding meetings to discuss social issues in the office is one way of bringing it to light. Also, interviewing colleagues on a one-to-one basis with HR will help more vulnerable members of your team feel safer about communicating problems within the office.
Beyond this, a precedent must be set that bad behaviour will not be tolerated. Bullying, aggressive remarks or any form of behaviour that makes other employees feel uncomfortable should be tackled as soon as it occurs. For example, if micromanaging is raised as a concern, and it often is a problem for employees, then it should be dealt with as soon as possible.
Invest in your employees
A positive atmosphere can be gradually eroded away over time if workers feel as if the business owners have largely neglected them. Investing in your employees can refer to a multitude of approaches. Sometimes investing can include purchasing new computers and software to make everyone’s life much easier when it comes to functionality. After all, it can be incredibly frustrating to work for a company that is reluctant to move with the times.
Sometimes, investment can refer to personal development, rather than something palpable. For example, Corporate Coach Group management training will help to fulfill employees who are striving to climb the ladder.
Say thank you and encourage
Gratitude is one of the most valuable traits you can offer your employees. Having an atmosphere where people are encouraged to say thank you and encourage their co-workers will always create a solid basis for a positive atmosphere. If your team are particularly bad at remembering you reward and thank those among their team, then holding meetings to encourage this is a great place to start.
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Excellent communication
Communication breakdown can not only cause frustration among employees, but it can also cause disagreeable misunderstandings. If workers don’t feel as if they are receiving accurate briefs from their boss, or regular supervision on big projects, they could easily begin to feel neglected. On top of that, a lack of communication can also create animosity and confusion. All of these can blend together to strip any positivity out of your work environment.
As well as creating a positive atmosphere, excellent communication can also help you to reach your goals far more effectively. If everyone is clear about what is expected of them and how to reach their targets, then they can be content in the knowledge that they were clearly informed from the very beginning.
Don’t make life about urgency
Everyone dreads an email that begins with the phrase ‘URGENT.’ While it’s inevitable that we will all be faced with important deadlines throughout our careers, we can’t constantly live by them. By being far more organized with our time, it’s possible to cut down on the amount of ‘urgent’ meetings and spend productive time with co-workers that are far less strained. Holding a meeting to discuss how your work environment could be less strenuous and how your workloads could be better managed is the first step in achieving this. By putting it into practice, you will alleviate the feeling that every employee has to drop all their priorities to accommodate urgent deadlines.
If your office is struggling with an unpleasant atmosphere, then it can take some time to figure out what is lying at the heart of it. Sometimes it can be caused be petty feuds; however, even personal issues can be caused by work stress. Working as a company to create an environment that employees want to be in will help to encourage productivity without any feeling of reluctance or resentment.
