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How to Create a Positive Work Atmosphere

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Positive versus Negative Workplaces

We have all worked in places where we grew to dread getting up in the morning, and a few of us have had the pleasure of working for a boss who makes us feel like we can do anything. Let’s take a look at the differences between a positive and a negative work environment.

Signs of a Negative Work Environment

• The boss is unfriendly.

• The boss is critical.

• There is high employee turnover.

• There is low employee morale.

• People watch the clock.

• People don’t get much performance feedback.

Signs of a Positive Work Environment

• The boss demonstrates interest in the employees.

• The boss has an encouraging attitude.

• Employees like working there.

• There is evidence of company pride and loyalty.

• People know where they stand with their supervisors.

Thousands of books have been written on the subject of managing and motivating people, and as many training seminars are conducted on this subject around the world every day. And yet it’s interesting that even with all of this available information, few companies succeed at creating a positive work environment. Let’s see what’s involved.

Four Key Skills

Creating a positive work environment is based on four key skills. They are:

1. Tell people what you expect of them.

2. Show interest in your team members.

3. Create an encouraging environment.

4. Recognize and reward good performance.

Skill #1: State Your Expectations

Telling people what you expect of them means doing the following:

• Communicating expectations clearly

• Having a specific job description

• Identifying specific performance standards

• Specifying deadlines

• Setting goals

Skill #2: Show Interest in Your Team

What behaviors convey that someone is interested in you?

• Making eye contact

• Calling you by name

• Asking your opinion

• Smiling

• Complimenting your work

• Taking your suggestions

These behaviors convey a lack of interest:

• Ignoring you

• Not knowing your name or not using it

• Not asking your opinion

• Ignoring your suggestions

• Not commenting on your work

• Following your suggestion, but only when heard from someone else

Such signs discourage productivity because they make people feel discouraged, angry, less confident, and stripped of self-esteem.

Skill #3: Create an Encouraging Environment

Most people would agree that an encouraging work environment is one where:

• Your ideas are valued.

• Creativity is encouraged.

• Risks are encouraged.

• Fun and laughter are valued.

• New ideas are rewarded.

• You feel appreciated.

• People thank you for your contributions.

• Flexibility is valued.

• You feel like part of the team.

Creating such an environment results in the following benefits to employees. You:

• Contribute more ideas.

• Feel more committed.

• Look forward to coming to work.

• Are more productive.

• Have increased self-esteem.

Creating such an environment results in the following benefits to managers and business owners:

• Less turnover

• Less sabotage

• Greater loyalty

• Easier to find employees due to good reputation

• Higher productivity

Skill #4: Recognize and Reward Good Performance

A reinforcer is anything that happens, after a behavior, that tends to increase the chances that the behavior will be repeated. Included are such things as:

• Compliments

• Smiles

• Thumbs-up gesture

• Saying “Thank you”

• Public announcement of your achievement

• Positive letter in your personnel file

• Promotion

• Time off

• Special parking space

• First choice on schedule

• Dinner with the boss

• Tickets to an event

• Extra employee discount

• Picture on the bulletin board

• Applause at a meeting

Recognition Guidelines

1. Describe the results you are recognizing. Be specific. It’s important to make certain the employee knows what behavior or accomplishment you are referring to.

2. State your personal appreciation. Say, “I appreciate it.” Adding your personal appreciation makes the compliment feel more genuine.

3. Encourage the person to continue producing such good work. This increases the chances that the person will repeat the desirable behavior.

Sustainability is the hottest topic and it’s a pleasure to publish this blog from guest writer, Mark McCullough, marketing manager at Lexmark Canada.

Sustainability is a big buzz-word in today’s business world but what does it mean from an IT perspective? It goes without saying that engineering a “green� corporate environment must involve the entire organization, however, there are numerous ways the IT team can implement sustainable practices.

Monitor your Output

Establishing a responsible approach to printing is one of the easiest ways to make a significant reduction to your office’s carbon footprint. Think about how often a user prints a multi-page article when he only needs the information contained on a single page, or the amount of documents printed in error, or how many printed pages are often abandoned at a workstation. Most enterprise printing devices today contain several easy to use solutions that help foster a more intelligent approach to printing. For example, features like “Proof then Print� require users to preview the document prior to initiating the print feature, reducing waste resulting from unwanted pages. In addition to the obvious sustainability benefit of examining your printing processes, there is also a significant financial advantage realized when you encourage more responsible printing.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle

It’s relatively easy to recycle the paper waste your office generates. The same principles should be applied to other functions in the office. For example, what do you do with old computers, faxes and printers once they’ve been replaced with newer models? Many manufacturers offer free “end-of-life� recycling solutions where your old equipment will be collected, brought to a dedicated recycling facility and, in most cases, turned into a new product in some capacity. This is also true of the materials in your office technology—for example, toner, ink, fax ribbons, computer chips. The more you can incorporate recycling throughout your technology environment, the more you will do your part to lower your organization’s carbon footprint.

Consider the Cloud

One way to reduce the amount of electricity your company consumes is to move some of your data off-premise and to the cloud. With fewer servers on-site, you can cut down on your electricity bill—in some cases, significantly. According to a recent study conducted by Pike Research (Link to: http://www.pikeresearch.com/newsroom/cloud-computing-could-cut-data-center-energy-consumption-by-nearly-one-third-by-2020?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PikeResearchNewsroom+%28Pike+Research+%C2%BB+Newsroom%29), data center power consumption will decrease 31 percent between 2010 and 2020 as a result of the cloud computing model.

More Mobility

It’s an investment up front, but arming employees with technology to make them more mobile can also reduce your consumption overhead. For example, giving employees laptops to replace their desktops enables them to be just as productive from home as they would be at the office. With more mobile technology, when workers need to work late to complete a project they tend to leave the office at a normal time and pick the job back up at home. This allows companies to cut costs associated with keeping electricity and heat/AC running late, which is an unexpected green benefit.

Police your Policies

A lot of organizations have set policies governing technology use but IT managers aren’t always good about enforcing them. To foster sustainability within your organization, make sure employees are adhering to these by sending frequent reminders asking them to turn their computers off at night, make sure printers, faxes and other devices are set to power-saving mode and that desk lamps and all other technologies at individual workstations are turned off at the end of the day.

Sustainability is increasingly becoming an area of focus across the organization. By taking steps to ensure your IT practices include as many “green� components as possible, you can help your company achieve its larger corporate sustainability goals.

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