Dear all ,

A positive work environment starts with people having a clear sense of purpose and direction, as well as having the opportunity to participate, engage and be involved in that process. This includes giving your staff some degree of self-determination, and making sure that they know their objectives and specific goals.

“Clearly, an open environment of feedback, support and challenge from their boss and from the people around them is vital. We all spend a lot of time at work but if there is a clear sense of success, output and delivery connected to a clear goal and purpose then people will feel a lot more engaged and committed to what they are doing. Essentially, the overall workforce will be highly motivated if the alignment between what the organization is trying to achieve as a whole and what the individual employee is trying to do within their particular role is strong and coherent.”

In this context, it is particularly important for managers to be aware that the simple motivational tools of material reward and remuneration are only very basic factors in term of what attracts people to want to work at and commit to a particular organization.

“As well as pay levels, research by the Corporate Leadership Council (CLC) found that people also joined organizations on the basis of career opportunity, organizational stability and its future prospects.

When it comes to employees deciding whether or not to stay at a company, they are very much influenced by how they are developed as individuals, how they perceive the career path ahead of them, whether they work in a collegiate and supportive working environment, and of course, whether they have a good boss. A good boss can best be defined as someone who is clear about direction but also provides headroom for someone else in the team to come up with ideas and add something of themselves into the role. They must be able to strike a balance between being a good coach – helping people to develop and see their way through problems and opportunities – and a good role model with values that they practice as well as preach.

“Finally, a good boss will also have the ability to maintain a constant flow of feedback, communication and debate with their employees, which means regular one-to-ones and team meetings, and an open door, approachable style.”

Of course, it is not only individual employees who can benefit from productive working environments – it is an organization’s customer too. The direct correlation between levels of positivity within the workplace and individual customer satisfaction is crucial. There’s no doubt that if employees are feeling good about their working environment then the customer feels it too.

“In other words, we are far more likely to satisfy a customer’s needs if we feel empowered and have the requisite authority to make decisions that can positively impact the customer. Indeed, the people who are committed and switched on to their organization’s goals are more inclined to provide a positive customer experience.”


Best Regards,
Nirlon