Having a healthy work environment is essential to promoting a positive work culture. In fact, a study carried out in 2021 by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions found that the better working conditions a workplace has, the more likely workers would enjoy going to work. Additionally, better working conditions increase the likelihood of lasting longer on the job. It also showed that workplaces with an unhealthy work environment led to low productivity at work and increased absenteeism. Thus, it is important to push for a healthy work environment in the workplace.
Below are 5 ways that can help you maintain a healthy work environment:
1) Encourage good and open communication
Making sure your team feels comfortable to raise any issues or thoughts that they may be experiencing creates a safer work environment. Additionally, conflict is inevitable in a workplace due to the vast personalities present. Thus, promoting healthy conflict resolution is useful to ensure all employees can work well together.
2) Show appreciation by rewarding employees when they deserve it
Doing this will ensure that the employees’ spirits are kept high, and they are kept motivated to work. A reward can be as simple as telling them ‘Thank you’ or reminding them what an excellent job they are doing.
3) Promote work-life boundaries
Ensuring that employees maintain a healthy work-life balance will help them have the break that they need. This means that after working hours, they are not contacted so that they can rest during this time. It is important not to implement an ‘always-on’ habit because employees need time to recover from the stressors work brings them.
4) Create a comfortable and clean workspace
The physical space that employees find themselves in does in fact affect their mood. Ensure that everyone has their own comfortable space which they can make their own. They can do this by, for example, putting a plant on their desk.
5) Provide services that offer support
Everyone goes through their own difficulties in life, either due to work or personal reasons. Safeguarding your employees’ mental health is essential for a productive workplace. This can happen by offering them mental health sessions with an organisation that offers such services. Besides this, it would be helpful to allow them to take time off for mental breaks.
There is a great link between having a healthy work environment and increasing employee productivity. Ensuring that your employees feel appreciated, validated, and heard for all their hard work, will go a long way to making sure they have a healthy work environment to work in.
If you think that you can benefit from professional support on this issue you can reach out here.
Mandy Brincat is a Gestalt psychotherapist who enjoys working therapeutically with adults on various issues. These include general mental health and wellbeing. She also has experience working with anxiety, victims of domestic violence and eating disorders.
REFERENCES:
Biletta, I., Cabrita, J., Franz Ferdinand, E., Gerstenberger, B., Parent-Thirion, A., Vargas Llave, O., & Weber, T. (2021). Working conditions and sustainable work: An analysis using the job quality framework. European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/flagship-report/2021/working-conditions-and-sustainable-work-an-analysis-using-the-job-quality-framework
Nobes, C. (2021, May 18). 7 Great Ways to Create a Healthy Work Environment – Achievers. Achievers. https://www.achievers.com/blog/healthy-work-environment/
Pena, K. (2022, January 5). 10 Tips for Creating A Healthy Workplace Environment | blog. Liquid Learning. https://liquidlearning.com/blog/10-Tips-for-Creating-A-Healthy-Workplace-Environment