Collaboration is an important factor in reaching success—especially in business. Your team members work best when they are in an environment that allows them to freely connect with each other. When a company values collaboration, all team members feel they belong to something bigger than themselves. This, in turn, establishes positive feelings that can boost productivity and cohesive creativity.
Below are 5 tips to establish a happy and harmonious environment in the workplace.
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Establish group goals and benchmarks.
Setting measurable goals for team members is key if you want to grow your business. These goals are essential because they give all team members wins that are achievable. What’s great about these simple wins is that they not only breaks down barriers; they also offers positive momentum for everyone in the workplace.
Establishing group goals and milestones also helps new workers easily identify what you expect from them. This allows them to better fit into your business and also encourages more creativity.
Read this for tips on how to set proper benchmarks for your team
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Communicate expectations and accountabilities.
Each member of the team should have their individual and collective responsibilities. Once they have a clear understanding of the role they play, they can work more effectively, more efficiently, and thus can attain goals faster. This also lessens the chances of people stepping on other people’s toes, which can definitely stir up conflict in the office.
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Encourage socialization outside of the workplace.
Opening channels of communication among developers and team members can be done by socializing outside the office. In doing so, you can clear any issue or mistrust between team members, as socialization creates better understanding.
Out-of-office socialization encourages employees to get to know their co-workers better—their social status, their hobbies, shared interests, common friends, and so on. In addition, it lets them wrestle with possible challenges outside of work.
What’s more, because they see their fellow team members in a more realistic setting, individual bias and irrational resentment are decreased—if not entirely eliminated. After all, seeing your co-workers as human beings with interests and problems just like you makes it more difficult to throw them under the bus.
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Create a shared space for team members.
The performance of teams in a company is affected by the physical environment they thrive in. Rather than forcing everyone to stay inside their own cubicles, it’s good to have an open-plan workspace where employees can meet and work together. It also improves relationships between different teams, because they are not physically separated from each other.
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Always say “thank you.”
As simple as it seems, these two words are very powerful when it comes to harmony and happiness. Employees work hard every day and take pride in their achievements, but they can also feel overlooked at times.
By taking the time to acknowledge even the smallest accomplishment makes people feel they are valued. Thank them not only when a project is finished on time, but also when they do simple acts of kindness, like offering to make you coffee or opening the door for you. Make it a habit to give your team a genuine thank you each day.
Bringing harmony to a workplace is easy as long as you’re willing to create the environment you want for your employees. By applying the right strategies to organize your workers and office, you will surely keep their creativity and productivity at a very high level.
