Fostering a healthy work environment

chika ebuzor 17:24 - 18 June 2015

Team Management.

One whose culture, climate and organisational practises create an environment which promotes employees' mental and physical health.

For effectiveness and productivity, the work environment has to be conducive for all. A healthy work environment does not refer to safety and health alone.

Occupational health expert, L. R. Murphy defines a healthy work environment as "one whose culture, climate and organisational practises create an environment which promotes employees' mental and physical health, as well as productivity and organisational effectiveness."

Here are various factors that make up a healthy workplace.

1. Employee Engagement: This involves creating an environment in which people have an impact on decisions and actions that affect their jobs. In this kind of environment employees are given some autonomy to make inputs in the decision making process of the company. This is the secret of Google’s successful array of products.

2. Balance: Employers need to encourage their employees to maintain a balanced life. This is where empathy comes to play. As the team leader, you have to understand when your employee needs time off.

Observe if they are happy on the job, and ask questions about their family.

3. Recognition: People want to be recognised. As a team leader, you can boost staff morale by commending their efforts and giving praise.

4. Employee development: When employees are encouraged to improve their skills through training programmes, they are inspired and happy. Get to know their training needs.

5. The Physical environment: The ambience of a work place has a lot of impact on the mental wellbeing of your team.

When considering your physical environment, here are some questions you should ask: Is it safe? Are the colours energetic or dull? Is the environment clean? Is it too hot or cold? These factors contribute to workplace effectiveness.