Image Creating a healthy workplace

AS someone managing a team, you play a pivotal role in ensuring your team’s environment is conducive to working.

While the pandemic has elevated the need to maintain a clean and safe workspace, some managers have also discovered that the returnto-office and alternative working conditions have brought new challenges. If your team is to be effective in the new working conditions, you need to address these emerging challenges to ensure a healthy workplace for everyone.

One of the things you can do is to ensure that your team has the proper equipment and tools. If you require them to go back to the office, place those who work closely together within the same area for faster communication and collaboration. If possible, set aside a small area where your team can rest and catch up with others. If some team members are working remotely, invest in a good communication tool so your team can easily share files and get in touch with each other. Some companies even provide an allowance for their team’s work-from-home setup so that they can create a suitable work environment at home.

Keep open lines of communication so that issues are addressed promptly before they escalate into a crisis. As a preventive measure, set clear expectations in terms of deliverables and your team’s work ethic so that they can conduct themselves accordingly. But also provide opportunities for your team to give feedback especially when there are changes.

Transparency does not always mean telling everything. It means providing critical information that might put people’s work at risk. But note that keeping communication lines open does not mean impinging on your team’s personal time. By being consistent in your behavior and nurturing it with consistent communication, you become trustworthy. Part of clear and open communication is respecting other people’s way of thinking. Many organizations have programs for inclusivity, but their managers do not know how to nurture potential over people’s appearance, gender, race, and even past mistakes. Managers need to focus on how their team’s skills and abilities contribute to the team’s success, and what else they can do to improve their team. This starts in the hiring process where you screen candidates based on the job requirements. However, you also need to hire people based on culture fit because while differences are celebrated, there has to be enough similarities to create space for a professional relationship.

One thing that a manager needs to develop is the mindset that a team member’s work is the work of the entire team. When another department asks for output from your team, they do not see the work as the work of just one team member but the work of the entire group. As the manager, you need to set clear standards in terms of timelines and quality, so your team also understands what kind of outputs are expected from them.

Once timelines and quality standards are set, you need to trust your team to deliver as agreed upon. Allow your team to work in whatever conditions they think will help them to meet their targets without compromising other team member’s workflows. They need to be allowed autonomy to do their work in the best way they know how. But when they do not deliver, you need to have a mechanism in place to coach them, and to impose disciplinary sanctions when needed.

A healthy working environment is also a workspace where everyone feels they belong. Your team should be free to express themselves in a way that does not encroach on other’s work. A significant factor is the way you relate with your team and the opportunities you provide for them to interact with each other. If you have team members working remotely, you need to set weekly catch-up meetings so that everyone knows how they contribute to the team’s overall goals. If possible, develop a team routine that everyone can relate to. I know one manager who conducts a meeting while they take a walk around the floor, just so they can meet their target steps for the day and enjoy a different view.

Another way you can create a healthy working environment is by making your team feel proud of what they have accomplished. Aside from giving clear instructions on deliverables and work ethic, you also need to ensure your team is aligned in terms of goals. A shared purpose enhances innovation because while everyone has different strengths, they are all pulling in the same direction. And when your team succeeds, ensure that rewards are commensurate with your team’s skills and efforts. The beauty of a clear shared purpose is that you can allow your team to pursue personal preferences as long as they deliver the expected results.

A shared purpose also entails helping your team understand how their work matters. As human beings, we draw strength and motivation from doing what is important to us, to our families and friends, and to our community. When they know their work matters, it will be natural for them to look for ways on how they can improve their work processes. Rewards and incentives can only motivate your team to a certain extent. When they find their inner motivation, you will be surprised that they have more to offer.

To help them have a better appreciation of how their work affects the entire organization, involve them in cross-functional projects so they get a feel of how their work affects other groups in the organization. If not, find learning opportunities outside the organization so that they can build a network of contacts for future projects. Widen their perspective so that they can learn best practices that they can adapt to their work.

Creating a healthy workplace requires that you identify what your team needs to succeed and clear any roadblocks. Once you do, set clear expectations, reward their efforts, and make them own the results. A healthy team understands what they need to do, finds ways to make it work, and contributes meaningfully to the success of the entire team. n