6 EASY WAYS TO CULTIVATE SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT AT YOUR WORKPLACE

Have you ever wondered how does one balance a supportive environment for your employees while meeting the goals and not overspending?

Organizations have varying methods to cultivate the supportive environment including; yearly company trips to bonuses and incentives to motivate their employees. However, there is a clear distinct difference between motivational strategies and the establishment of a long-term supportive environment.

While it is possible to motivate an employee for a time, the establishment of a supportive culture at the workplace is the essential foundation in achieving long-term employee satisfaction.

In the following section, we would share 6 easy ways to help you create a supportive environment for your employees (Williams, D.K., 2017)

1. Employees are human beings, not resources.

Let’s begin with the definition of “supportive”. Supportive means caring about the overall wellbeing of an employee and not just work performance. As an organization with a successful implementation of a supportive work environment, one would recognize an employee’s desire for work/life balance, respects promises of flexibility and strengthens the trust between manager and employee.

When higher management displays respect towards employees as more than simple work resources, it would motivate the employees to reach higher levels of performance while remaining with the company for a long period of time.

2. Acknowledging employees’ achievements

The first step towards acknowledging employees’ achievements is to establish a set of clearly defined goals. When the goals are met, be sure to celebrate the achievements.

Recognition of achievements builds a positive organization culture while encourages employees to excel in their jobs (i.e. as simple as praise, an employee would automatically try to give the same level of performance or even an improved effort.

3. Provide employee autonomy

A core factor to building a supportive environment is learning to trust that your employees would utilize their working hours to accomplish their goals. Based on research from Tel Aviv University that was published in Psychological Science has revealed that “even the least powerful employees will commit to finding ways to make their organization more efficient if given the autonomy to make decisions and execute the improvement measures they find most useful” (Williams, D.K., 2017).

A strong sense of autonomy would instill feelings of empowerment rather than micromanagement.

4. Inclusiveness of families in business

It is the dream of almost every employee to have a reasonable work/life balance. An organization with a supportive environment would allow flexibility during normal working hours to accommodate family events that arise (e.g. medical, school activities).

Employees are said to be highly productive an engaged when they are given the space to balance between work and personal life. There is equal evidence in improved physical and mental health improvements with practice of workplace flexibility.

5. Treating employees as a family

It is said that an employee spends at least 1,920 hours throughout the year with their co-workers (Williams, D.K., 2017).  Employees are commonly said to spend more time at the workplace more than at home. Quite often, employees and co-workers quickly become like family in most organizations. This culture works as a corresponding support system and is a factor to be considered in building a supportive work environment.

6. Eliminate fear

The establishment of a sense of safety in a workplace promotes levels of engagement as this directly motivates individuals to handle difficult tasks, creates a space for learning and development as well as it significantly improves their performance. A psychologically safe environment opens doors to ideas sharing without the fear of criticism and employees would feel able to make mistakes, admit mistakes and learn from their mistakes.

To build a strong company it is crucial to not just focus on motivational incentives that could diminish with time. Instead, focus on building a supportive organizational culture that recognizes employees as human beings, places huge importance on their mental and physical wellbeing, celebrate their achievements while allowing space for autonomy as a sense of trust, strengthening family ties and allow mistakes for it would be the pathway for great ideas and innovation.

Alchemy Resources, as an HR consulting firm, places high value on these practices and has implemented them in our workplace. We have held training sessions for employees and managers with regard to these topics. At ARSB, we have helped our clients by providing consultancy and training on building a positive culture and cultivating a supportive environment while achieving the company’s goals. Reach us at enquiry@alchemyconsultancy.asia should you need more assistance.

References:

1. Williams, D.K. (2020). 6 Ways to Create a Supportive Work Environment. Retrieved from https://medium.com/the-mission/6-ways-to-create-a-supportive-work-environment-afd2373b909f