A good work environment, in which a feeling of satisfaction prevails among employees in relation to the work they do, translates into greater benefits for the company.
Last update: Augusts 18, 2020
Work is essential for our survival. An inadequate work environment negatively affects our life, that of our colleagues and the company. When you are not enjoying a good climate, you go to work unhappy and feel uncomfortable, consequently you do not do your job well, which causes problems for yourself and the whole department.
The environment in which we carry out our daily work is therefore essential. It therefore represents one of the most important aspects for a company, whose success depends on how much it is concerned with ensuring a healthy working environment.
But what exactly is the working environment? How can we promote a quality one? How does it affect a company's productivity? What are the benefits? We will try to answer all these questions. Read on.
"Those who live in harmony with themselves live in harmony with the universe."
-Marcus Aurelius-
What is the working environment?
The working environment is a concept that belongs to the field of human resources. As the word itself says, it is the environment generated in a workplace. To regulate it, both personnel policies and evaluation techniques must be taken into consideration.
But not only: in a work environment it is important to be aware of feelings, perceptions, thoughts, emotions and behavior of workers.
For example, there are toxic workplaces that make us feel tired and burdened, as if we are carrying a burden, and that make us constantly think about quitting! In this case, the human resources department should be careful to offer a solution to the problem. The company benefits by promoting a more supportive work environment.
How is it structured?
The working environment consists of:
- Physical environment: it concerns the space. In other words, the facilities, the temperature, the pollution, etc.
- Social environment: includes all elements concerning the relationship between people, such as communication or camaraderie, etc.
- Structural features: includes the size of the company, the management style and its formal structure.
- Personal characteristics: the skills and attitudes, motivations and expectations of employees towards the company and their work.
- Organizational behavior. It includes factors such as productivity, working hours, absentee rate, job satisfaction, employee stress, etc.
The work environment involves the interaction between personal and organizational aspects. Each factor determines the behavior of employees and therefore influences the sense of belonging, efficiency, quality of services, social impact. These elements enable the success of the company.
How to improve the working environment?
It seems easy to make employees feel comfortable in the company and make sure everything goes right, but it is a very complex task. Since a healthy work environment is so important, let's see how to improve it together:
- Work place. The workplace must convey harmony and must be suitable for the sector it deals with. If the tools are not adequate and the staff feel uncomfortable, there will be more general dissatisfaction. More dissatisfaction equates to less productivity. It is therefore important to design a good space in which to work.
- The relationship between employees. The relationship between colleagues makes us feel, think and behave in a certain way. The more assertive and adequate it is, the better it will be for the company. The human resources manager must be careful to interpret these relationships and use appropriate strategies to promote a good working environment on an interpersonal level.
- Organizational and corporate culture. To make an action effective, a certain coherence is needed between the set of perceptions, feelings, attitudes, habits, beliefs, values ​​and behaviors between groups within the organization.
- Recognition. Awards and honors encourage employee behavior. It is a question of positively appreciating the results achieved and of motivating to do better and better.
- Teamwork. When problems are solved by collaborating as a team, a sense of unity is created, so employees feel supported and motivated to contemplate different perspectives. This helps create a better environment because everyone feels part of a team.
- Development. Development is about awareness of how to improve productivity. Training is very important in this sense, because it creates the skills that allow you to develop a sense of belonging in turn; this translates into greater productivity for the company.
- Thinking beyond work. When employees have time to take care of other areas of their lives, they feel better and work more efficiently. It is important to promote a balance between the personal and working life of employees. In other words, not everything is work.
The psychosocial health of employees is paramount
When we speak of "addicts", we are referring to bio-psycho-social beings. Their psychological, social and physical well-being must be important within the work environment. Although there is no magic formula to guarantee the health of the individual, the aforementioned strategies encourage him to have a better perception of the workplace and, therefore, to be more productive.
A healthy work environment requires a climate of trust. In this regard, negative feelings, attitudes and perceptions towards the organization and its members must be avoided.
In addition to this, employees need to know they are doing something useful. They must feel that the efforts made are directed towards something productive. A company with a poor working environment can cause damage to the mental and physical health of workers, which will manifest itself in behaviors that are not conducive to business success.
What are the benefits of a healthy work environment?
An adequate work environment contributes to the success of the company. Here in detail what advantages it offers:
- Greater business productivity.
- Fewer layoffs.
- Physical and mental health of employees.
- Active participation of employees.
- More motivation.
- Strong sense of belonging.
- Positive perception of the company.
- Teamwork.
- Good communication between employees.
- Greater satisfaction.
- Involvement of employees in company activities.
- Better results in terms of performance.
- Effectiveness of the business strategy.
- Improvement of the quality of services.
- Greater social impact.
The results are seen in the long term: when employees feel good, they work better, so they feel stronger and are willing to try harder. Improved performance significantly increases productivity, which translates into additional business benefits.
The key to business success can be guaranteed by taking into account the physical place of work, but also the personal beliefs, attitudes, skills, emotions and thoughts of employees and their interaction with the company. Let's talk about the best way to promote the well-being of people and society.
