A healthy, happy work environment is where staff want to come to work, they want to work their hardest and at the end of the day, feel good about what they are doing. A work environment that they brag about, and one they never want to leave!

Did you know that disengaged employees have:

• 37% higher absenteeism rates
• 49% more accidents in the workplace
• 60% more errors, mistake and defects in their work

Here are some signs of a healthy workplace and some tips on how to ensure it stays!

People are inspired, not scared

You want your team to come in each day inspired to change the world, being challenged and engaged by the business. You don’t want your staff thinking they will never achieve what’s been asked of them, and therefore unwilling to try.

TIP: Getting to know your team is really important. Learn their motivators & their challenges – go as far as even knowing where they’re going on holiday or what their favorite coffee is!

Team Collaboration

If you have a team that are happy to work together on a project and are pulling in people with different skills from other teams to solve a problem, that’s a good sign of a healthy workplace.

TIP: Show people how they contribute to the business; set a clear business strategy of where you want the business to go, and then clearly communicate this to your team. Everyone should understand it and be able to see how their work directly contributes to the goal.

Responsibility & Trust

No one likes to make mistakes, but it happens. In a healthy workplace, when someone makes a mistake they don’t try to hide, and they don’t point fingers at other people. If people feel comfortable to take responsibility for what’s gone wrong and get help from their colleagues to fix it, then you’re in a good place.

Trust follows on from taking responsibility and working collaboratively. If your people trust each other, then they’ll truly be able to work as a team to better the business – that is a true sign of a healthy workplace.

You can take some down time without feeling guilty

Work hard, play hard right? But sometimes you need down to time to recover. If your team feels they have the space to take time for themselves, like a sick day or actually switch off over their holidays, then it’s a clear sign that you’ve got a healthy work environment.

TIP: Encourage your staff to take regular breaks from their desks. Regular breaks help increase productivity and concentration.

People feel like they belong

Thee has been a lot of talk about diversity in the workplace but very little about inclusion. Inclusion means that everyone feels like they’re part of the team and they belong to the business. If team members feel isolated or that their opinion doesn’t matter, this can inhibit their active contribution to the team and weaken overall collaboration within the workplace.

TIP: Celebrate people’s differences – professional or personal. This reinforces that you see each of your employees as human. Don’t forget the power of saying thank you – this can cause people to feel appreciated and recognized.

No Gossip or Politics

Gossip and politics are the worst! This can be incredibly harmful to the morale of the team and something that needs to be fixed immediately!

TIP: Make sure everyone in your business feels like they have the means, and a safe environment to communicate with others. Having regular open meetings is one great method! Communicating about hot tops, projects and any concerns allows you to hear out your teams’ opinions. Communication is all about listening. You want everyone in your team to feel values and respected and know their voice is being heard.