Kind is the new cool. It’s undeniable. You’re no longer socially accepted if you litter or portray any sort of disregard for environmental or sustainable practices. Bullies are not the cool kids anymore, it’s the activists and the emotionally intelligent that rule from the top.
How has this transpired in the workplace? The truth is that kinder policies in the workplace don’t only reduce the company’s staff turnover, it increases productivity.
In fact, a happy workplace is a defining factor that every high-efficiency team has behind them and there are in-depth research studies that prove it. Here are 5 ways kinder policies in the workplace will increase your team’s productivity.
1. Use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a guideline on how to motivate staff
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs depicts a pyramid shape delineating the hierarchy of human needs, starting with the most fundamental requirements for survival at the bottom. The first two categories include basic physical needs: shelter and sustenance. This means that financial incentives in the workplace will only motivate those whose two basic needs are not already met. It means the level to which you can motivate staff has a fairly low ceiling. True motivation will require employers to look further and find ways to motivate employees with recognition, opportunities for growth within the company, and added responsibilities.
2. Diversity and inclusion make a stronger team
Implementing new and revised diversity and inclusion principles might require a restructure in terms of company policies – view it as something similar to an internal pivot.
The benefits of employing a more diverse workforce will have a profound impact on the team as a whole. Different backgrounds, unique skill sets, and fresh points of view can attract a wider customer base (especially if you’re in the service industry).
It’s essential to have measures in place for upskilling new workers. You will also need to make provision for team building in your day-to-day operations, enabling people from diverse backgrounds to get to know one another. Supplying teams with comfortable corporate workwear is one way to promote unity when you’re implemented diversity.
3. Find ways to make work fun
Time flies when you’re having fun. By making work less “worky” and a bit more fun, you can increase your employees’ productivity substantially.
Think about video games. Never has there been a video game that reached millions of sales because it was easy. Video games are multi-billion dollar industry because they’re engaging and challenging, not because they’re easy, and yet gamers can spend hours transfixed and fully engaged in what they’re trying to achieve, no matter how difficult it is.
Work can be the same for your employees “Fun” does not have to come at the cost of cutting back on employees’ duties. Allowing some light office banter, encouraging collaboration, embracing a smart-casual work attire rule and creating little corners around the workplace where employees can convene together informally, is one of the keys to forging excellent relationships and turbocharging productivity.
4. Invest in your staff as part of your daily practice
You wouldn’t visit a gym only once or twice in a year and spend 6 hours working out if you wanted a great physique.
The same applies to encouraging productive workplace relationships. A company can’t spend a large budget once or twice a year on a grand team building event with branded workwear and expect production levels to increase. By implementing small principles in the daily functions of the company, you will get sustained and lasting results.
For example, allowing employees to take lunch breaks at the same time might seem counterproductive if there has to be a “close time” over lunch. However, this small measure has proven itself to be significant in increasing productivity. Creating spaces for co-workers to sit together away from their desks has proven to be another exceptionally powerful strategy.
Find ways to help your team positively thrive and your business will flourish
When employers discard the notion that work is all about each person contributing to the companies profits, we can find true ways of increasing productivity while enabling people to thrive. Employees spend a significant portion of their waking lives in the workplace. By making it positive, motivating, and enjoyable, companies will see better participation, more engagement from their workers, and this is how high-functioning teams are built.