Maintaining Positivity in the Workplace

Is your business booming, your whole staff happy as a clam at high tide, and the workplace basking in a shared feeling that the sky is the limit...?

Probably not right now. The corona crisis has many business owners breaking their heads over ways to maintain workplace positivity. But the crisis does not have to be global to cause pain and distress. There are many reasons a company can fall upon hard times: industry-related problems, bad publicity, a strong dollar, a weak dollar…

In this article, we share some ideas on how to maintain workplace positivity in troubling times.

“For the modern workforce, an engaging work environment is a fundamental expectation and a baseline requirement. Many employees refuse to settle for an organization that does not strategically prioritize engagement. For leaders, this means a culture of engagement is no longer an option -- it is an urgent need.”

That is one of the conclusions you can find in this Gallup article about workplace culture. Gallup’s employee engagement survey among a significant number of American companies yields stats that should make every employer ponder over the importance of workplace culture:

• Engaged employees make it a point to show up to work and do more work -- highly engaged business units realize a 41% reduction in absenteeism and a 17% increase in productivity.
• Engaged workers also are more likely to stay with their employers. In high-turnover organizations, highly engaged business units achieve 24% less turnover. In low-turnover organizations, the gains are even more dramatic: Highly engaged business units achieve 59% less turnover.

In Prove that Positive Work Cultures Are More Productive, Harvard Business Review concludes that:

• Employees prefer workplace welfare to material benefits.
• Well-being and welfare come from one place and one place only — a positive culture.

How to create and maintain a positive workplace culture?

“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.” –Winston Churchill

Crisis-proof positive workplace culture has to be built and maintained. It is a priority that is well worth a lot of time and effort from employers and managers. The building blocks are simple, though:

• Purpose. A strong focus on the mission of your company can help overcome temporary setbacks. Ensure that everyone is aware of the ultimate goals and keeps believing in them, even if they appear to be hard to achieve.
• Communication. Clear and continuous communication is essential for a positive working relationship. Your employees need to understand what you want them to accomplish. And as an employer, you should have a clear idea of what they expect from you.
• Encouragement. Encourage your employees to voice their concepts. Even if these are not workable, it is still important that everyone has his or her say. Show each member of your staff that their input is just as notable as a colleague's.
• Recognition and reward. Reward employees who do a good job. Acknowledge their performance in public to make it even more rewarding and encourage others to strive for the same recognition.
• Fun. Relaxation and fun are indispensable antidotes for negativity and stress, especially in difficult times. Fun activities can have a meaningful impact on employee morale and team spirit.
• Care. Show that you care for the physical and mental well-being of your employees. There are many ways to do this. From offering in-house gym facilities to a personal congratulation message on birthdays or other occasions.

Tools for positivity

How can you manage the increased need for communication, motivation, and reassurance in times of crisis? Especially if you employ many remote, non-desk, and frontline staff?

The first thing you need is a solution that allows for fast and effective message delivery across teams. Speakap offers a tool that is ideal for targeted two-way communication with your entire workforce and has lots of built-in features for engagement, feedback, team-building, and fun activities.

The Speakap all-encompassing employee app is a centralized, internal communication hub that connects, informs, and engages your workforce when it matters the most. It allows you to bring all employee communication channels together and deliver personalized content experiences tailored to your company culture.

Conclusion

When the going gets tough, the positive get going. Maintaining positivity in the workplace should be one of an employer’s weighty concerns in times of crisis. There are many ways to stimulate a shared sense of purpose and strength.They all have in common a need for fast, easy, and personalized communication with every one of your employees.

Interested to know how workplace culture strengthens employee loyalty and relationships? Download our latest infographic here!