One of the most important factors that can influence the productivity of a company is the working environment of its employees. In the case of an adequate working environment, the employees will be much more productive and talent will be retained in the company.. Conversely, inadequate working environments hinder the development of employees, resulting in low productivity, high absenteeism, as well as high job turnover.
What is meant by working environment
The work environment is the context in which a worker carries out his or her work. This context can be made up of both physical elements (the space where the work is carried out), such as by non-physical elements (e.g. the working environment with colleagues or the hierarchical relationships that are established). All of these factors contribute for better or for worse to the employee production, It is therefore important to take them into account when fostering a workspace and working environment where people can work and learn. workers feel safe and at ease, This will enable them to develop fully as workers and, consequently, to be more productive.
How to create a good working environment
There are many elements that help to create a good working environment and, in fact, depending on the type of company where you want to achieve this goal, it may be more important to focus on some aspects or others. However, in most cases, the following tips are usually helpful.
- Respecting timetablesThis is an element which, a priori, might seem basic, but which is not always the case. There may be situations that require employees to work overtime, but it should be borne in mind that this will always be an exceptional situation. If the workload is such that it is necessary for employees to work more hours than they should in theory, it may well be time to expand the workforce.
- Facilitating the reconciliation of work and family lifeAnother of the most important elements in creating a good working environment is helping employees to reconcile their work and family life, as it frees them from external pressures and allows them to focus on their tasks during working hours. In this respect, solutions such as Childcare Ticket provide considerable help in improving employee productivity by achieving a better work-life balance.
- The importance of breaksBreaks are part of any activity, including work. Breaks allow workers to clear their heads and return to their tasks with renewed energy and a fresh head. Respecting breaks and tailoring them to the type of task being carried out is therefore an important element in creating a good working environment.
- Correctly defining jobs and each of the tasks assigned to themOne of the main problems that can damage a good working environment is the lack of definition of tasks as well as jobs within the organisation. Defining each of these elements correctly will help employees to perform their tasks more efficiently and will also avoid misunderstandings, duplication or unassigned tasks.
- Develop a career plan for each employeeOne of the most important elements in the creation of a good working environment is that the people themselves are the ones who are most involved in the work process. employees have a perspective of their respective jobs in the long term. If employees see themselves in the same company many years from now (taking into account promotion in each case), this will motivate them to become more committed to the company.
- Good internal communicationCommunication: This is one of the key factors in fostering a good and pleasant working environment for all. Communication between the employees themselves is fundamental to creating a space where employees feel safe and comfortable, so it is advisable to work on it with specific and appropriate training.
Comfortable and pleasant physical spacesAnother of the fundamental elements in creating a pleasant working environment are the physical elements with which the employees themselves interact. Elements such as work furniture, lighting and air conditioning, the separation of the physical space between workers, or cafeteria services, among many others, are aspects that facilitate the creation of a work environment that helps to develop the highest productivity of employees, so it is important to pay them the attention they deserve.