A happy employee is a productive employee. If there is an unhealthy working atmosphere, this has a major impact on the performance of the employees and ultimately the company. Staff are more likely to report sick, conflicts arise more quickly and staff turnover is high as employees do not come to work for pleasure. Investing in a healthy working atmosphere is therefore essential. Just think of the extra savings for hiring new staff and the extra hours of productivity because the lucky employee is willing to work an hour longer. But how do you, as a manager, create a healthy working atmosphere, where employees are productive, happy and also motivated to the core? Try out the 5 tips below and discover what you are already doing and what you can still do to create a healthy working atmosphere.

Be flexible

The time of working from 9 to 5 and having the pagers on the table at 6 o'clock is passé. With modern technology, employees still work in the evenings, but with a 9 to 5 working day this quickly causes conflicts in the private sphere. Be flexible and give employees the freedom to organize their own working day. In addition, experiment with working from home and measure whether this makes a positive contribution to productivity.

Rewards and incentives

It is important that staff feel valued and we are not just talking about a pat on the back for a good performance. As a token of appreciation, there are many other solutions. Financially, this could be a bonus, a training budget or a discount at a certain gym. But it can also be simpler, such as a company party, setting up the casual fridays or social activities outside the home.

Communication

The backbone of every relationship, both business and private, is... communication. It is therefore important to determine how you communicate internally and externally. Are you open and transparent to all employees or just some? Which employees do you involve in the discussion and which do you not? Try to involve staff in decision-making where possible. Ask what they think of a new project or the working atmosphere in general. This way, staff will feel a lot more valued and it is also good to look at the discussion from a different perspective.

The office

This aspect is often overlooked, but the design of the working environment largely contributes to the working atmosphere. Of course, you don't have to immediately start working with slides, a gym, childcare, etc. à la Google, a clean, organized office and some plants here and there can have a major effect on the working atmosphere in an accessible way. In all the hustle and bustle, it is also important that employees can withdraw, because conversations about work quickly arise during lunch. Make sure you set up a place in the office where employees can retreat for a while. Even better, involve your employees and let your employees set this up.

Trust

A study by employment agency Adecco shows that 90% of employees consider equality, honesty and trust to be the most important within an organization. But how do you create this? rely? First of all, by making promises and keeping them. Secondly, make agreements and avoid sentences such as “I'm going to try..” or “I'm going to do my best”. Make sure that you also keep the employee informed, so that he or she also feels involved in the process. Another option to build trust among employees is to first talk about other matters for 5 minutes during a meeting, such as the current news or someone's private life. After all, someone sometimes spends more time at work than at home.