The workplace culture you create for your business will dictate a lot about how your employees work together and feel about their roles. If you are trying to run a company that values connection, creativity, and the ability of your employees to work together, it is crucial to establish a setting that allows these qualities. There is no magic key that makes everyone feel great about their jobs. In fact, cultivating this type of culture takes time and effort, but it can be done. These suggestions from 6 Group can help you improve collaboration while maintaining a positive and open work environment.
Become a Servant-Leader to Establish Trust
A servant-leader is an individual who leads the company, but does so in a way that helps employees. Finding out where your employees need you to step up, what types of tools they need to do their job better, or both, can make a huge difference when it comes to building trust and establishing a meaningful and lasting rapport. Mind Tools explains that, as this type of leader, you set the tone for your company.
Trust is essential if you want to lead your staff in a way that makes them feel comfortable enough to practise open communication. As the boss, you'll need to build trust and show your employees that they can come to you when there's an issue or if they need help. Make it a daily goal to demonstrate how you care about their needs and want to build trust, and don't forget to address the issue of trust at work. The more you demonstrate your ability to listen and learn without backlash, the easier it will be to gain trust.
Hire Collaboratively
Collaborative hiring is a great way to find the perfect fit for a role. By working together as a team, everyone can provide input on which candidate would be the best choice. This process not only allows employers to have a greater understanding of their needs and requirements but also helps to ensure that everyone in the organisation is satisfied with their decision. Collaborative hiring encourages diversity and fairness, and its success relies heavily on involving all relevant stakeholders in the selection process. It is an effective way to hire someone who will be a valuable asset to your team.
Have an Open-Door Policy
Having an open-door policy means that employees can go to management with any concerns or questions they might have about the company, their position, or problems they are running into during their workday. If your company doesn't already have open communication, starting with an open-door policy is a good way to get people thinking in a different mindset and help them start to build trust in you and the business.
Some employees will still be uncomfortable sitting down in your office to talk about positive or negative things, so consider adopting walking meetings. Since they are less formal, people tend to be more comfortable speaking to higher-ups when walking. If your office is in an area with a high walk score, then suggest that you walk around the neighbourhood or to a cafe for a cup of coffee the next time someone asks for a meeting. Not only will you get some exercise (and probably a better cup of coffee than in the break room), but your employees will see you as more approachable.
Ask for Feedback Regularly
Business News Daily points out that getting feedback on a regular basis can help you find out what your company is lacking and what you can do to make it a desirable place where people want to come to work. Contrary to popular belief, asking for feedback is good, because it helps your employees to feel valued and it allows for more confidence when it comes to collaborating together or trying out different ideas.
You can ask for feedback on the company, new processes you are trying out, tools that your employees are given, or anything else that you are unsure about or want to improve. There are a number of effective tools to help you in this regard. The right collaboration tech, tools, and platforms make your efforts more streamlined and easier to implement.
Try to be open-minded when employees suggest larger changes, too, like training practices, staff appreciation, or even changes to your business designation. It could be that one of your managers or senior leadership notices an opportunity to change tax benefits or even liability protection. A limited company can protect your personal assets and provide tax benefits that are different from other structures, like partnerships or corporations, so be open to learning the pros and cons of switching.
Consider a Team-Building Event
If you haven't thought about doing a team-building event, this might be a good time to try it out, especially if you notice resistance or you want to get different members of your company together more in an effort to work together.
Depending on the size of your company, how many teams you have, and what your overall goals are, there are different activities you can do to help foster collaboration, trust, and communication between various parties. This could be anything from a simple game to visiting an escape room together as a group.
There is no magic key that makes everyone feel great about their jobs. In fact, cultivating this type of culture takes time and effort, but it can be done.
Make Leadership Changes for Positive Results
If you are trying to get various team members to collaborate together and develop better communication within your company, you’ll need to take an honest look at your current practices. It can be hard to learn that you aren’t the kind of leader you thought you were, or that practices you instituted aren’t benefiting your business. However, learning these things and working to change them will make you a better leader and build trust with your employees. Together, these changes will make your employees happier and ensure that they will collaborate together more often.
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