For anyone who runs their own business, there are a huge number of different questions to consider with regards to how best to create a thriving and dynamic workplace.
While different strategies designed to optimise productivity are certainly invaluable, there is a good argument to be made that one of the most important things for any employer to do is to create a (relatively) stress-free workplace, so that their employees will feel good about turning up each day, and will be able to consistently do their best work.
Here are several tips for creating a relatively stress-free workplace.
Strive to create a sense of stability and security for your employees
Increasingly in the ever-changing business world, more and more employees are feeling insecure about their job status, and the degree to which they can actually plan their future around a particular role, within a particular company.
The global pandemic has certainly done nothing to alleviate these concerns – and the rise of the gig economy is a direct corollary of this fact.
Easily one of the most important things that any employer can do in order to help reduce workplace stress, is to strive to create a sense of stability and security for their employees.
This can begin with things as simple as providing secure lockers for personal belongings, but it should absolutely also include whatever assurances you can give of career stability, and the fact that the business is invested in retaining its employees and developing their potential, over an extended timeframe.
Foster and emphasise a culture of open communication and collaborative problem-solving
Businesses which are run in a particularly hierarchical fashion, and where all the ideas primarily flow downwards, can have a way of creating a sense of disenfranchisement amongst employees.
Ultimately, everyone wants to feel that they have the ability to contribute meaningfully to the business they work for, and to be involved in the decision-making process in a way that isn’t going to simply attract scrutiny and scorn.
Fostering and emphasising a culture of open communication and collaborative problem-solving within your business is one the best things you can do for reducing day-to-day workplace stress.
Consider doing things such as holding ideation meetings, where each attendee is entitled to voice whatever idea comes to mind, without being subject to harsh judgement and pressure.
Embody an ethic of top-down accountability
One of the things that absolutely should be handled in a top-down manner within a business, is an ethic of accountability.
No one likes a toxic office culture rife with office politics, backbiting, and habitual passing of the buck. But it is rare for these things to develop as features of a business culture, unless they are being showcased and reinforced by people in management positions.
If those who run the company embody an ethic of personal accountability, responsibility, respect, and “leading from the front,” this will likely not only inspire and uplift the employees, but will almost certainly play a pivotal role in shaping the company culture for the better.
