Creating A Positive Work Environment: 3 Ways To Inspire Your Employees' Best Selves

It’s not a far jump to say a positive work environment is not only good for employees, but also good for business. So, what does it take to transform a company's working environment into one that inspires its employees to perform at their highest abilities?

By focusing on three key drivers of employee satisfaction, you can set a positive tone that fuels your company's short- and long-term business success.

1. Employee Engagement And Meaningful Connections

Engaged employees are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and workplace, according to Gallup. Its most recent employee engagement meta-analysis found almost two-thirds of the U.S. workforce are not actively engaged in their places of employment. Employee engagement is a core business strategy for the most successful organizations, which experience significantly less absenteeism and turnover and higher productivity and sales.

Follow these practices to promote engagement and help your employees develop a deep, long-term connection to your company:

• Empower your workforce by listening to and acting on their feedback.
  
  
• Collaborate with your employees to set clear and fair expectations.
  
  
• Recognize employees for their work accomplishments.
  
  
• Build positive connections between all employees to cultivate mutual trust and respect.
  
  
• Support diverse and inclusive professional growth and development.

2. Work-Life Balance And Proactive Support

Creating a positive work environment includes encouraging employees to find a healthy balance between their personal and professional lives. The stress of a work-life imbalance can lead to job burnout, says the Mayo Clinic, which compromises employees' physical and mental health and severely undermines work performance.

More than half of U.S. workers from different age groups, experience levels, and industries said they feel burned out, according to a March 2021 Indeed survey. Respondents — both those who work remotely and those who work on-site — reported working more hours per week, feeling pressure to work more hours, and struggling to "unplug" from work during off-hours compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employers can prevent burnout and support work-life balance in the following ways:

• Offer flexible scheduling and work arrangements.
  
  
• Encourage employees to use their PTO.
  
  
• Instill a workplace culture that models work-life balance from the top down.
  
  
• Reevaluate employee benefits to ensure they align with current, but evolving, needs.

3. Employee wellbeing and whole-person care

The pandemic has taken a huge toll on employee health and wellbeing, inspiring companies to reimagine their approach to healthcare in the workplace. Sixty-eight percent of North American companies now use “improved wellbeing" as a success measure for their benefit strategies and 65% are looking to integrate wellbeing into their benefit packages, as reported in a 2021 Benefit Trends Survey from Willis Towers Watson.

A strong commitment to your employees' health and wellbeing is key to creating a positive work environment and offering the best support for any challenges they may face. By seeking out seamless, real-time solutions that deliver whole-person care — wellness and prevention, financial health, behavioral health, and more — you can engage and connect your employees to care they need in simpler, more effective, and more affordable ways.

Even during the most unpredictable of times, you can transform your workplace environment and the lives of your employees by listening, connecting, and protecting — to build trust while instilling confidence and peace of mind.