“A great place to work is one in which you trust the people you work for, have pride in what you do, and enjoy the people you work with.” — Robert Levering, Co-Founder, Great Place to Work
What is a Great Workplace? The Employee View
Great workplaces are built through the day-to-day relationships that employees experience —not a checklist of programs and benefits.The key factor in common in these relationships is TRUST. From the Employee’s perspective, a great workplace is one where they:
- TRUSTthe people they work for;
- Have PRIDE in what they do; and
- ENJOYthe people they work with.
- ACHIEVE ORGANIZATIONAL OBJECTIVES;
- With employees who GIVE THEIR PERSONAL BEST; and
- WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM / FAMILYin an environment of TRUST
Trust is the defining principle of great workplaces — created through management’s credibility, the respect with which employees feel they are treated, and the extent to which employees expect to be treated fairly. The degree of pride and levels of authentic connection and camaraderie employees feel with one are additional essential components.
What is a Great Workplace? The Manager View
From the Manager’s perspective, a great workplace is one where they:
There are nine practice areas where leaders and managers create an environment of trust. Great workplaces achieve organizational goals by inspiring, speaking and listening. They have employees who give their personal best by thanking,developingand caring. And they work together as a team / family by hiring, celebrating and sharing.
What Can Kill Camaraderie & Morale at a Workplace?
A sense of camaraderie and positive morale can be an important force in a workplace — a satisfied workforce reduces employee turnover and absenteeism and improves a company’s bottom line. However, a few basic factors can adversely affect the morale of a company’s employees.
Poor Management
Poor leadership in the workplace is one of the leading killers of morale among a workforce. Employees who have no respect for their superiors may find it difficult to take work seriously — particularly if they believe that a company is so mismanaged that it may not even be around for much longer. Leaders who fail to clearly express expectations run the risk that their employees, unsure of exactly what they should be striving for, will lose morale and stop trying altogether. Lack of personal relationships between management and employees also can lead to a situation in which employees feel like numbers rather than individuals.
Remuneration and Benefits
Low pay and no benefits can be another leading cause of low morale. When employees are underpaid,
they feel undervalued, stressed, and are most likely looking for a better position. Lack of an employee development program may cause employees to feel that they’ve stumbled into a dead-end job. On the other hand, workers who feel that they are paid fairly and have access to development opportunities are more likely to feel that they are valued and part of a team.
High Turnover
Poor management and inadequate pay often contribute to a high rate of turnover. Nothing kills camaraderie in a workplace faster than high employee turnover. It’s difficult to feel like part of a team and develop valuable personal relationships when the members of the team keep changing and everyone knows it’s because people are leaving in search of better work. A high rate of employee turnover encourages the remaining employees to leave a company in search of better working conditions.
Conflict
Although some amount of conflict in the workplace is unavoidable, letting conflict become the norm can be a huge killer of both morale and team spirit. Avoid pitting departments or employees against each other; all employees should feel that they are working together to achieve a common result. Whether you’re doling out discipline or rewards, any appearance of unfairness or favoritism is the fastest way to foster resentment and drive a wedge between employees who should be working together as part of a team.
Why Office Camaraderie Matters
The health benefits of social interaction are well documented and impressive … a lowered stress level, stronger immune system, enhanced cognitive function and even longer life span. And the business benefits of socializing in the workplace are equally remarkable. When gathered together in group settings, colleagues often improve communication, while fostering connections, creativity, trust, engagement and loyalty. But with the increasing reliance on electronic communication, face-to-face interaction in many offices is dwindling, and is often regarded as a hindrance to productivity.
If you find most of your time in the office is spent working alone with little interaction with coworkers, there are implications that can hurt your career and hurt the organization. If everyone works in a silo, the lack of external perspective can hinder problem solving, reduce the flow of creative ideas and make it difficult to connect one’s role to the bigger organizational picture.
If you find your social skills are a little rusty, here are four tips for jumping back in:
- Don’t be a lone wolf.Break away from eating lunch at your desk and make it a point to attend the occasional after-work happy hour as well as the company picnic, holiday party, awards ceremony or other organization-sponsored events.
- Get up and move.Instead of emailing a coworker located just a few feet from you, get up and visit in person to get the information you need. Serendipitous conversations that develop while walking through an office can be very rewarding.
- Raise your hand.Volunteer for a cross-functional project team, corporate committee or volunteer initiative. If these opportunities are scarce, join the planning committee for a company social event.
- Share an interest.Start or join a workplace walking group, lunchtime book club, recycling team, Toastmasters club, weight-loss meeting, or other interest-based group.
Camaraderie among coworkers matters. These relationships build respect and understanding among employees, resulting in increased levels of job satisfaction, improved performance – and sometimes a little lightheartedness and fun.
References
Helene Cavallion July 25, 2013
Forest Time, Demand Media
Robert Levering, Co-Founder, Great Place to Work
By: Elsa T. Bumatay | Teacher III | Mountain View Elementary School | Mariveles, Bataan
