Awarding employees for doing a great job is an effective way to increase their overall happiness, but it's not the only way. And sometimes this alone doesn't always work. Instead, think about creating a more collaborative work environment.
Tom Heisroth, senior vice president at Staples Advantage, believes in the power of communication, saying companies should go out of their way to improve how employees interact.
"Businesses should take steps to create spaces where employees can easily communicate and share ideas," said Heisroth, according to Business News Daily. "Casual conversations in the break room can become collaborative conversations. Make it inviting and effective, with nice furniture, tables, and snacks and beverages, if possible."
If you'd like to improve how your employees work together, here's some tips:
1. Talk with your employees
Understand what's bothering your workforce, and look for ways to improve their situations. Changes, of course, are household-dependent, which makes it difficult to suggest specific improvements. However, the best strategy in any household is to first meet as a group or in one-on-one settings on a monthly or – at the minimum – yearly basis.
2. Implement and study changes
It's not good enough to simply implement changes and call it a day. Employers need to make adjustments and study the results over time by analyzing employee feedback.
In a corporate setting, managers may analyze results by conducting surveys, focus groups or meetings, but in a household, this type of approach may be a bit much. Instead, examine results by scheduling formal meetings with your employees once a month after implementing adjustments.
3. Be a great leader
Even if part of your modifications included hiring an estate manager, continue to be a great leader by ensuring employees can easily contact you by phone, chat or email. After all, your estate manager may need to contact you throughout the day for specific requests or questions.
"Most leaders don't pay attention to the quality of their workplace culture," said Chris Edmonds, founder and CEO of The Purposeful Culture Group, according to Business Daily News. "They've never been asked to do that. If they see that their work environment is unhealthy, they don't know what to do about it."
While Edmonds was discussing corporate culture, his thoughts still apply to domestic settings where treating employees the right way is and always will be crucial.
By improving workplace collaboration, you can create a more positive working environment. If you're not sure how to do so, you can start by following the tips provided here.
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