Three Things All Great Workplaces Have in Common

When you think of a great workplace, what elements come to mind? Your thoughts might run straight to zany workplace perks that have made headlines. For example, tech giant Google built a giant slide in their Zurich headquarters for employees to travel between floors. Though benefits such as catered meals, on-site gyms and innovative meeting spaces help, there’s a lot more that goes into creating a truly great workplace.

An exemplary workplace culture focuses on the employee experience. It makes workplace wellness a priority, empowers employees to progress in their careers and enables efficient collaboration for on-site and remote employees.

So, how do you know if you have a truly great place to work? No two offices are the same, but there are a few things the great ones have in common.

A clear work-life balance is established

According to data collected by SmallBizTrends, 66 percent of surveyed Americans felt as though they didn’t have a positive work-life balance. The proliferation of 24/7 technology and high-pressure work environments can blur the boundaries between work and home hours. If the root causes of poor work-life balance are not addressed, employers risk workforce burnout, which can lead to absenteeism, physical and mental health issues, and high turnover rates.

Great workplaces can’t succeed without a happy, healthy workforce.  Many HR professionals are increasing their focus on establishing workplace wellness programs. Initiatives like these help employees better align their personal and professional priorities, while also creating an environment where healthy behaviors are institutionalized via wellness tracking and friendly office competition. Modern tools, such as a cloud-based HCM platform, help employers and employees alike track performance and engagement data against work-life initiatives, ultimately creating a better understanding of how productivity and work-life balance can coexist.

Employees are encouraged to learn and grow

Career progression is a hallmark of a great workplace. If your employees lack upward mobility and feel stagnant or uncertain in their roles, why would you expect them to be invested for the long haul? An investment in a corporate learning and development program is mutually beneficial for employers and employees. An upskilled workforce is better prepared for leadership roles and incentivized to stay with the organization. In a world where established tools and processes are evolving and changing, the greatest workplaces employ learning and development to stay one step ahead of the market.

Administrative support training can also help senior team members better manage their subordinates. Soft skills, like emotional intelligence and performance dialogue, seem elementary but are becoming increasingly nuanced as the workforce becomes more multigenerational and digitized. Great workplaces know that professional development doesn’t stop once someone receives a promotion to management. When you invest in helping all employees achieve their greatest potential, the whole workplace ecosystem benefits.

Teamwork is a priority

Cross-functional collaboration is a requirement to achieve business objectives. Through the advancement of technology, flexible working arrangements and remote work have become more standardized. Data from CNBC suggests as of 2018, 70 percent of people (globally) worked remotely at least once per week. What was once a “trend” is evolving into widespread workplace practice that enables companies to scale a multinational workforce.

Though your workers may not be located on the premises, they still drive value for your organization. Thus, performance and project management are vital measurements. Collaboration tools and digital meeting technology platforms help unify a disparate workforce and empower cross-discipline teams to work more efficiently on large-scale projects.

None of the above traits can be implemented overnight, and there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Building a great workplace takes careful planning and input from both sides. When your company is a great place to work, that’s reflected in the passion and care your employees bring to the organization each day.  

====================================================

Meg Farrow, the author of today's article, is a content specialist and all-around technology geek. She has a passion for the transformative properties of emerging tech solutions, particularly their potential to disrupt industries and improve our day-to-day lives.