Is your workplace a healthy or hostile one?
It is all too easy to just tell business owners that they should strive to foster a healthy workplace environment, but achieving a positive atmosphere at the office isn’t as easily done. Often, it takes careful observation to pinpoint unwanted habits and the determination to coach employees on what is acceptable behavior in the office.
To aid in understanding what some workplace red flags may be, focus on the following behavioral qualities that will pose some difficulties in maintaining a desired business stasis and offer an opportunity to coach your workers.
If your employees are unwilling to take any blame for their actions and are consistently deflecting responsibility onto others, then it is probably time to take them aside for a discussion to remedy this issue. Having the integrity to own up to mistakes that one has made is important for many reasons. Not only does admitting when one has done something wrong allow for a teachable moment to grow as an employee, but it also ensures that interpersonal relations aren’t tarnished by unnecessary finger pointing.
Another way to hone in on an undesirable employee is noticing whether that person is absent under pressure. It is easy for someone to be present and engaging when the stakes are low on the job, and it speaks volumes that an employee would crumble and flake when the going gets tough. It is important to have staff that supports one another, rather than leaving their coworkers high and dry when they are needed the most.
Not only is it important to notice whether your employee is honest or supportive, business owners should also take their employee’s dispositions into consideration. Erratic behavior or reactions are severely unhealthy in the workplace. No one wants to be walking on eggshells because someone in the office is prone to throwing fits over everything. If one of your employees is easily upset and affects the entire mood of the workplace, then it is important to coach them about the proper ways to conduct themselves for your business. Also, the way that the erratic employee interact interpersonally with their coworkers reflects how they might act with clients.
Focus on fostering a healthy, stable workplace is one of the most beneficial ways to promote success in a small business. It should be a priority to find employees that are supportive of their coworkers, honest with one another and themselves, and consistently maintain an appropriate demeanor in the office. While business owners will have to put forth effort to observe and coach their staff, it is worth it in the end to strengthen your business’ environment to better serve your clients.
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We also covered how to approach hiring in our February Issue of our Success Insights Newsletter, sign up for monthly small business success tips.