Management styles vary, and if you own a company, your personal philosophy may have a great deal to do with the company’s business philosophy. If your priorities include building a caring workplace, you’ll have to be intentional about the ways you interact with your employees. Here are some aspects you should consider for initiating a caring atmosphere at work.
When and Where Will They Work?
Ever since the pandemic sent many of us home to work, employees have been discovering that working from home has its advantages. Therefore, some businesses still have employees who successfully work from home. Other businesses have a hybrid model: part of an employee’s work will be done at home, while the rest is done at the office.
Another way to accommodate the needs of employees has been to initiate a policy of flexible scheduling. Allowing your employees to choose their schedules will give them a feeling of empowerment. In fact, according to the National Library of Medicine, flexible scheduling results in 20% less work-related stress and an increase in employees’ enjoyment of their jobs.
How Will You Keep Them Safe?
Employees want to be sure their offices are safe. Managers must develop a safety manual to outline measures your company takes to keep them safe. According to the National Floor Safety Institute, the most frequent causes of worker’s compensation claims are slipping and falling at work. These incidents are also the leading cause of workplace injury for workers over age 55.
Your company safety manual must provide a plan to reduce the number of falls. Your company should hold annual educational programs that provide employees with information to help prevent falls. Housekeeping staff should place “caution” signs on wet floors. When the weather is snowy, be sure to sprinkle rock salt on sidewalks outside the entrances of your office. Hiring a professional company to take care of these tasks will show your employees that you care.
How Will You Help Improve Morale?
As a manager, you’ll want to increase your employees’ positive outlook at work. Establish an open-door policy to allow your employees to come to you with workplace grievances. Plan parties or theme days at work, including Casual Fridays. You can inject some fun into employees’ workdays without detracting from productivity.
Employees often have problems at home, and those problems can affect their ability to work and to get along with their coworkers. According to the National Institute for Mental Health, social anxiety disorder can affect individuals at work. This condition can also prevent them from making friends. Providing a service such as EAP (employee assistance program) to provide counseling services will allow them to get support for SAD and other mental health issues.
How Will You Help With Other Needs?
When you get to know your employees, you’ll find things they need to make their jobs easier. Many companies have an on-site exercise facility. Providing an opportunity to exercise will help with the employee’s overall health and provide a convenient place to work out. As a manager, subsidizing the fitness program and planning fitness-related activities, like walking at lunch, weight loss incentives, and stretching during breaks can improve health and show you care about their overall wellness.
Another request many employees have is for an on-site daycare center. Your employees with children will be relieved to have a place to bring their children while they work. Having their children near them may help provide peace of mind, so their minds can be on their work. They can also enjoy a visit with their kids at lunchtime.
Caring business owners and managers will be able to create a caring workplace by demonstrating caring acts. By initiating some of the actions in this article, you’ll find your gestures of caring will be contagious, and your employees will begin to show caring toward each other. This will make your company a nicer place to work, and your employees’ improved morale may allow them to increase productivity.
