When you work with a team of happy colleagues, the workplace becomes a much more motivating place. The environment in which you work shapes your mood and well-being more than you know, so it’s vital to make this as successful and productive as possible.
In a perfect world, we would go into work every day and be surrounded by a positive workforce. This situation can be created, as it’s far from impossible. You just need to know how to do it.
Motivation and productivity can be encouraged in several ways regardless of whether you are a new manager, a junior member of the team, or a long-term senior management member who doesn’t usually deal with staff directly.
Not only does a positive workforce make for a happier environment, but it is also vital for helping and motivating colleagues, and to boost confidence and self-motivation.
Communicate – and often
If colleagues know that there is an open line for communication, this will eventually make them feel like they can be open with their thoughts. It also encourages any helpful opinions, and even complaints come to the forefront.
If an employee feels like they have the freedom to share their thoughts and feelings, it makes them feel like their voice matters. You can push this by involving staff in group discussions, where people can raise their hand and give input. Weekly meetings for advice and thoughts is a good one too. If you are a manager, let your teams know that if they ever wish to share their thoughts on a topic, the door is always open.
Celebrate success
In some workplaces, it can seem like only the negatives are shared. The constant feedback of things that need improving can lead to a demotivated and unhappy workforce. Sharing success by praising your colleagues or rewarding them often will open the opportunity to acknowledge those who have worked hard and succeeded.
For example, if one of your colleagues hits a target, celebrate with them. If someone comes up with a useful idea, praise them for it. If someone contributes to a winning campaign, share their excellent work with the rest of the team. By pointing out the hard work of individuals, it will only make the work team want to work harder and keep up the positivity and praise.
Find out what makes the team happy
If you don’t know what makes your colleagues happy, it can be hard to bring happiness to them. Everyone differs when it comes to what makes people happy. Some colleagues may be motivated by pay and bonuses, whereas others happiness may be affected by other nonfinancial factors, like an easy commute or having friends at work.
There’s an incredibly informative article on the Hiscox blog which highlights some of the factors that make employees happy. The key is to discover what these are and explore if these factors can be met. Maybe a co-worker wants to take on some leadership skills, or some may enjoy having social activities in the workplace to look forward to. Encourage your colleagues to share these with you to help develop a happy work environment.
Set the example
How you express your own personal attitude and actions at work can massively help set the scene for others. You can easily become an example, setting the way for how others can follow. From how you communicate openly to colleagues, the passion you put into your daily tasks, how you approach problems and tackle challenges, all can be rubbed off onto your colleagues.
A positive personality in the workplace can become contagious – so live up to this! If you can inspire people to act and behave in the same motivated and positive manner you carry, you’re onto a winning plan.
Start by showing your colleagues that you appreciate what they do. Be expressive with praise and ‘thank you’s’ and encourage the work team to communicate and share ideas openly. With a bit of time and effort put in, you could be changing the overall atmosphere and morale of the team, leading to a motivated, happy workplace.
