1. Introduction

Creating a positive work environment deeply motivates and engages employees, resulting in higher job satisfaction and employee retention within the organization, as well as lower stress among employees. A healthy work environment allows employees to share ideas for the company's success, which can help it grow. A healthy workplace can also increase employee productivity while lowering the risk of frequent absenteeism and, in some industries, workers' compensation and medical claims.

A company can have the right people, right tools and right office space but it doesn’t necessarily ensure a positive work environment. On the other side of a positive work environment is a toxic work environment. A lack of proper communication among employees, lack of work-life balance or time off may indicate a toxic work environment. The most obvious indicator of a toxic work environment is that the company's culture prioritizes business outcomes at the expense of employee retention, job satisfaction and mental health.

The company management needs to understand the importance of a positive work environment especially in a high-demand, fast-paced environment and develop an office space that is nurturing and equally prioritizes business success and employee happiness.

A positive work atmosphere is essential for a company's success

A workplace may bring out the best or worst in you

2. Purpose of positive workplace environment

Jobs are not necessarily enjoyable for all. It is hard work with the day-day stress and pressure trying to maintain work-life balance. But a good workplace environment allows employees to work with a free mind and proper communication among employees along with work-life balance which increases productivity ensuring the success of the company. Here are some of the points why a good working environment is essential for the company.

1. Free minded and joyful employees are excellent role models for their fellow employees, inspiring them to find joy in their work spreading happiness throughout the company.

2. Employees who enjoy their jobs are more productive and happier, which helps the business run smoothly.

3. Stressed out employees can have a disastrous effect on their work jeopardizing the reputation of the company.

4. Managers who enjoy their jobs inspire their employees' dedication, happiness, loyalty, and confidence.

5. A positive workplace offers huge benefits by enhancing employee-employer relationships working together for the common good.

Working with positive people improves the work environment and productivity

3. Importance of positive workplace environment

A positive work environment versus a toxic work environment highly affects the mood and the productivity of the company and ultimately determines its success and growth. Having positive thinking employees is important because it can either elevate or degrade the mood of the entire workplace. A toxic employee can change the equation between his employees, allowing others to behave in a similar manner, becoming toxic themselves and tumbling the company into a toxic work environment. Therefore a positive working environment is important in today’s world.

Just like a toxic employee can degrade the mood of the entire workplace thereby affecting work performance, a healthy and positive employee can turn the same workplace into a wonderful space to work, share ideas, and inspire his fellow colleagues to bring out their greatest potential. Not just a happy workplace, an employee should have a happy personal life as well. It can be done by introducing positive workshops in offices. An employee who is happy, satisfied, and engaged is more likely to produce his best work. With greater productivity, it brings profitable results.

A healthy, uplifting, positive and welcoming work atmosphere can be created by putting the correct measures into place. Since everyone is working for the growth and success of the business, proper standards can be followed and maintained to create such an environment to equally prioritize business success and employee happiness. Because if a company culture only prioritizes business outcome at the expense of employee retention and mental health then the laid down goals can never be reached and furthermore defeats the purpose of the company.

For the company to succeed in reaching its goals, it has to create a positive workplace. Hence, a positive work culture is absolutely necessary.

Employee happiness and satisfaction has a direct impact on business success

People need to feel they are in a space where they can communicate and share ideas openly

4. Methods for creating positive workplace environment

We undoubtedly spend the majority of our time at work rather than with our families at home. So how can we make the office space more supportable? Here are some ways to create and improve the work environment and, in turn, employee engagement.

1. Show gratitude and appreciation to employees for their hard work seeing them as humans rather than just business tools.

2. Incorporate mindfulness practices such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing.

3. Motivate one another through workshops focusing on strengths and building positive reinforcement.

4. Respect personal time of employees and supporting work-life balance (such as by allowing remote work) and reasonable policies for vacation and paid time off.

5. Allow unobstructed flow of ideas among employees and management with no fear of harsh criticism but rather encouragement.

6. Organize fun group activities and gatherings outside of office space that increase team morale.

7. Provide office spaces where employees can go to take breaks or discuss work matters with their co-workers.

8. Improve lighting in the office space, preferably natural lighting as it plays a vital role in improving mood, energy and mental health, greatly impacting focus and productivity.

Bonus Points

a. Explore employee talents and interests giving them more work and projects in their respective area of expertise.

b. Provide opportunities for employee development by determining which areas they would like to learn more about.

We can improve the world by bringing people together, and the workplace is the easiest place to do it.

Compassion is important in creating a positive environment

5. Benefits of positive workplace environment

A positive environment helps boost employee morale, retention and productivity. The benefit of having a positive workplace cuts both ways. Not only the employees, the employee himself is pleased and proud and enjoys coming to work. This further drives the team spirit. Here are some of the benefits of incorporating science of positivity into our day to day business:

● Enhanced Health: When employees report a higher level of wellbeing, it increases their performance, morale and commitment while lowering the risk of absenteeism. Positive work culture reduces stress and instances of health problems.

● Improved employee engagement: Happy employees are more productive than their unhappy peers. Working in a healthy work environment impacts their mood and mental health in a healthy way increasing their drive and improving performance. It becomes their happy place with friendly faces, with enough confidence and job satisfaction and work efficiency is at the peak. . That's why creating a positive work
environment is critical to your company's success.

● Better loyalty: Having loyal employees that serve the cause of the company is crucial. Building trust and improving communication help build better loyalty. An employee should be a paramount, not a profit. Having loyal employees means spending less time and money to recruit new people. And a good working environment with improved employee-employer relationship helps do so.

● Growth and expansion of company: A company can efficiently and successfully take bolder moves with a team of happy employees working and supporting them. A motivated and valued employee is more likely to contribute to the success of the business. It will be easier to take risks with your team having your back.

● Stimulation in creativity: Giving employees a workplace where they can share their ideas without obstruction and the right resources help bring out their creativity. The creative abilities of your employees can be maximized by choosing the right employees for the work who are professional, dedicated and wilful. A good environment ignites enthusiasm, increases innovation, builds trust and drives bottom-line results.

By enhancing the relationship between employee and employer, a pleasant and productive workplace can generate huge reward

6. Steps involved in creating positive workplace environment

Everyone wants to work in an environment that is enjoyable, comfortable, safe, and beneficial to their well-being, as well as one that provides them a better perspective on their career. Here are some of the steps that can be followed to create such environment:

1. First and foremost, the office infrastructure should be checked each morning to ensure that everything is in good working order, such as office temperature, lighting, and so on.

2. Secondly, meetings/ activities should be organized each morning to build team spirit and morale with mindful communication between employees and employers.

3. Work should be broken up with required breaks and snacks for employees sitting at their desks working mentally to recharge themselves.

4. Break rooms, lunch rooms and refreshment spaces should be made where employees can take breaks or discuss work matters with their co-workers.

5. Discipline should be maintained so that employees do not get diverted from their work when there’s things happening in the background

6. Trust employees to manage their own time by giving them proper privacy while ensuring they remain transparent and how they're using their time on the job.

7. Have compassion with the employees to ask them if there are things that’s bothering them and help them.

Making the most of opportunities will only help the business grow

Everything can be changed by establishing a great, pleasant environment

7. Myths

Myth 1: Workplace culture doesn’t start with you
It obviously starts with you. Surrounding yourself with capable and skilled individuals is necessary but at the same time finding people who fit your company culture is also important.

Myth 2: There is a ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ type of culture
Every start up is unique and different inclined towards different types of cultures. The most important is what works best for your business, team and industry.

Myth 3: All of your problems can be solved through employee feedback
You may not always get favourable feedback from your team because they are hesitant to tell their supervisor what is wrong with their management or business, or because the supervisor is not capable of accepting critical criticism about his own organization.

Myth 4: Workplace happiness and personal happiness are two different things
People who are happy at work are clearly happier in their life in general. When you receive satisfaction, fulfilment and significance from your work, it has a favourable effect on your level of happiness. As a result, a happy work atmosphere provides a two-way solution: delight in both job and personal life.

Myth 5: Keeping the workplace environment joyful and positive will be beneficial in all manner

Workplace environment is not the only factor in generating positive outcome, happiness and success. Work ethics and proper actions and strategies are much more important.

8. Do’s and Don'ts

DO’S:

● Keeping clear communication
A good communication and clear understanding between employer and employee is absolutely necessary so expectations are met to achieve the desired result and essential for a positive working environment.
● Listening to everyone’s ideas
Encouragement should be given to employees to express and explore their ideas without harsh criticism. Involving the staff in decision making makes them feel valued and helps better the work environment.
● Recognizing hard work of employees
Rewarding and appreciating employees for their hard work ignites enthusiasm and increases innovation and efficiency.
● Showing trust to every member of the company
Trusting employees to do their work diligently on their own time will make them feel connected with their company and they’ll become more transparent and honest.

DON’T’S:

● Don't make policies that are inconsistent and favouritism
It creates a sense of divide when some employees are given preferential privileges over others. Furthermore, it breaks team spirit and morale. So, everyone should be equally treated.
● Don’t become absent leaders
Employees notice when their bosses are not engaged. Employers, managers and executives should make their presence known in a positive way and be mindful and motivating while communicating with their fellow employees.
● Don’t create hierarchy in the office
When senior staff members are given greater responsibility and invited to internal meetings, you run the danger of your employees' opinions not being valued and being ignored.

9. FAQ’s

What does an ideal working environment look like?
An ideal working environment is a positive one which includes company location, facilities, culture, work-life balance, a pleasant employee-employer relationship and possibilities for advancement.

What can employers do to improve their working environment?
The working environment can be improved by improving communication, hiring great team members, making the office space comfortable and improving lighting.

How do you deal with work-related stress?
One way to deal with it is to react and respond to the situation rather than to stress. Recognizing and handling the situation helps to let go of stress. Another way is to let employees take breaks to divert the mind, allow flexible working hours, remote working, provide counselling. Encouraging social activity helps employees get to know each other, expectations and communication barriers are broken and they can bond and be comfortable together and feel less stressed.

What methods do you use to encourage staff to improve their performance?
Here are six ways to improve staff performance. They are making expectations clear, offering continuous feedback, personally correcting their mistakes, publicly applauding their work, believing in their employees, and making rewards achievable.

When should I aim to make a positive work-place environment?
It should be started even before starting the business. The type of work environment you establish reflects your preferred working style. A good work culture starts with oneself.

10. Conclusion

We now know what makes a great working environment and how critical it is for the company’s growth and success. After creating a positive workplace, maintaining it is a fairly easy task. There should be clear and proper communication between employee-employer and motivating and uplifting energy to drive the company team forward and towards new heights. It is also the responsibility of the employee to keep up the positive energy around him/her and inspire his/her fellow employees to be creative, productive and hardworking. Since the methods to achieve a positive working environment have already been outlined,
the next step is to implement it into business and put them into practice in the workplace. The road to success can be definitely achieved by setting the parameter for a positive workplace environment.

Because it has gained respect and loyalty from its employees, a great firm earns respect and loyalty from its consumers