If you want people to be motivated to go to the workplace where they spend a good part of their day, it’s important to consider and put in place what people need and want.
I recently returned home from a day of work and some errands and noticed how good it felt to walk in the door and relax at home. I enjoy the feeling of home, the amenities, and the person I share my life with. This made me think of how people feel going to their workplace.
Many companies have over the years implemented attractive features at work, like game rooms, workout areas or gyms, showers for those commuting by bicycle and more. Team building events have also been popular and are coming back again.
But it’s crucial to consider the emotional and psychological aspects of employee needs as well. The foundation of that is trust and feeling that appreciated and respected. Having a good relationship like a best friend at work is very important so that employees know they have someone to confide in and share any problems or issues.
Therefore, I often promote the practice of mutual coaching, where employees learn about each other and implement a few basic coaching skills. The better you know and understand someone, the more effective you can be at coaching them.
The coach can be the boss, but it is best to create an environment where people can choose who they want to get closer to for emotional and psychological support. People do not have to become psychologists or counsellors, but simply need to use a few basic interpersonal skills.
Here are some things to consider for improving the workplace experience:
- Ways to get to know fellow employees
- Fun activities
- Contributing ideas for workplace improvements
- Recognition program
- Regular feedback on performance
- Someone to call a best friend at work
- Challenging projects or assignments
- Participation in company social and community events
- Easy access to coaching and support when required
- Participation in continuous improvement initiatives
This is a starting list, but you can do a team exercise to brainstorm more and then narrow the list down to the top 3-5. You can then have teams come up with ways to improve in these areas. Just make sure that if you get people’s input, you need to act on the best solutions or communicate what you can or cannot do.
Even though it is now fashionable to have people work from home full or part-time, it is important to have people work together physically, as it is much more stimulating and allows for developing better team spirit.
Start now to improve the workplace so people will want to make the commute and feel happy to do so.