How to Create a Welcoming Work Environment
Making sure employees feel comfortable at work is essential. They will be more productive if they love the workplace. They will also feel encouraged to stay longer. If the work environment doesn’t make them feel well, they might decide to leave. Even if they stay, they start loathing their job. These are some ways to help create a more welcoming work environment.
Don’t initiate new employees
It’s common for some workplaces to “initiate” new employees as a way of welcoming them. The truth is that it opens doors to bullying. Instead of starting with the right foot forward, it’s the opposite. There are many ways to welcome new employees, and giving them a hard time isn’t one of them. Humiliating them doesn’t help, either.
Don’t create a “work-only” office
While your goal is to ensure productivity, you can’t create an environment where everyone is only focused on the job. There are times when your employees want to take a break and talk to each other. If not, they take a few minutes in the morning to socialize while grabbing their coffee. If you prevent them from doing these things, the office becomes dull. Everyone will work for the sake of doing the job, even if there’s no more passion and happiness.
Be a happy boss
You can’t expect your employees to feel welcomed when you always frown around them. The welcoming atmosphere starts from the top. It doesn’t hurt you to flash a smile every now and then. Besides, your employees go through a lot during the day. Seeing the optimism in your face is enough to help them push through.
Stop bullying at its core
You can’t allow your employees to bully one another. It doesn’t matter even if it’s in good spirit. As long as one party isn’t happy about it, you should find a way to stop it. Create consequences for terrible behavior. Otherwise, some employees would think their actions are acceptable. New employees tend to keep the problems to themselves since they don’t want to rock the boat. It stops them from being productive and creative.
Organize events
Your employees must always have something to look forward to. There’s nothing wrong in organizing events that allow everyone to socialize. It’s also a chance for the employees to meet other departments and interact. From a gala dinner to teambuilding camps, these activities help. You can even invite them to go out for dinner just to be with one another. There’s nothing wrong with it as long as you maintain professionalism even outside the workplace.
Always listen
There might be problems at work that prevent employees from feeling welcomed. It’s crucial that you listen to everyone. Don’t write complaints off and pretend there’s nothing going on. You owe it to your employees to give them a comfortable work environment. If not, you will see them leaving your company.
Being at work isn’t only about working hard. There’s more to it than just making money.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image from https://cdn.builtin.com/sites/www.builtin.com/files/styles/ckeditor_optimize/public/inline-images/national/positive-work-culture01_0.jpg
2nd image from https://talentmap.com/top-6-ways-to-create-a-welcoming-culture/
