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Culture Cubed: Building a Better Office Environment

Written by Steph Ferrer | 2/17/16 11:30 AM

Look around you. Is everyone wearing a genuine smile on their faces, happily engaged in work? Or is everyone just a blur of blank faces, typing away mindlessly just to get the job done? If you agreed to the latter, then perhaps it’s time to upgrade your company culture.

When you step inside the office in the morning, you shouldn’t feel dreadful of the day ahead. In fact, you should feel excited because of the opportunities given to you for you to grow. But due to extreme changes in the economy, all those recessions and problems took a toll on the modern workplace. Offices have grown more drab and dreary as the years passed by, and employees have gradually become less enthusiastic about their jobs - they only take them for the money, making them feel as if they’re just whiling away their time in a box doing things that pays for their bills. The fact that we all need jobs affects how we feel about them, and a major variable as to how we feel about our jobs is the company itself. You may like your job and love what you do, but you might not like the work environment. Maybe the workplace is just not inspiring enough, or maybe you don’t get along with your coworkers because you don’t know them well yet. All of these factors can change the way we feel about our job.

Now, imagine if the workplace was different -- more lively, more inspiring, more close-knit, and more fun. Wouldn’t that be more like a dream come true? Evidence suggests that by improving employee satisfaction, employee productivity also increases. Hit two birds with one stone, right? But exactly how do you get your employees to actually enjoy being in the office in order to boost their productivity? Well, lucky for you, we have the answers.

The first step to creating an awesome company culture is by creating an open and engaging workplace. Nobody can work in a stiff environment and walk on eggshells all the time while still producing excellent work. It won’t hurt to speak your mind about office concerns. Creating an open environment will help your employees trust each other and rely on one another. Having activities your employees will enjoy as a whole will surely do them good in the long run.

After establishing a warm office environment, you have to let the reins loose a little bit and allow your employees to grow. You don’t have to micromanage them, just merely guide them and let them flourish on their own. Always remember that although you are the boss, they also have to do things their own ways. Growth is a continuous process. Step in when you feel like they need help with improvement, or feel like they could do better.

Next, you should make your employees a part of your company’s brand. After all, aside from you, they’re the ones running it. Allow them to embody your company’s values and vision-mission.

Lastly, learn to appreciate them. Recognize their worth and their work when needed to make them feel like they’re doing their job right and that they even excel at it. This will help them strive to do better, and grow as an accomplished human being.

Having a great company culture will help your company reach success. It doesn’t happen in a blink of an eye, so take your time in making your workplace great. Remember, just because you work in a square room, doesn’t mean you have to be square, too.

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