In order to be successful in their activities and to face the competition, commercial establishments are constantly striving to optimize their operating principles. Although employees’ productivity and efficiency are essential to a company’s growth, it is not uncommon for situations to arise that affect the good atmosphere among the employees of a company. How do we ensure a good social climate within a company? So, without further ado, let’s dive into this blog and learn some of the things you ought to know about a positive work environment.
Advocate availability, listening, and dialogue
When people think and hear the term working environment, they will first think of physical working space. With the advent of 2020 and the numerous lockdowns, the workspace has changed drastically as most of us had to work from home. Now more than ever, the working environment is far more than just the physical space.
A positive work environment is usually a space that promotes the employee’s well-being, growth, and productivity. In layperson’s terms, it is a space that encourages people to do their best. A few factors that will encourage a more meaningful work environment and this includes having relatable values, a culture of trust, good working practices, and a supportive atmosphere.
In reality, social climatology turns out to be an inexact science. It would therefore be pretentious to say that we can provide 100% effective advice for maintaining an optimal social climate within a company. Nevertheless, when we observe how social relations evolve, we can suggest courses of action to be adapted to the context of each company. The first step in the process is for the company manager to be available, listen, and dialogue. In concrete terms, he must:
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- Make himself available for discussions with employees, listen to their needs for information and questions
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- Establish a dialogue and a listening style resolutely oriented towards the quality and efficiency of human relations.
The head of the company has the possibility of carrying out a social survey if he finds himself unable to identify the evils at the root of the bad atmosphere that prevails in his company. Several specialists carry out this type of operation in France.
Doing proximity management
Proximity management is essential to ensuring and maintaining a good social climate within the company. It consists in:
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- Defining in a precise way the responsibilities, the role, and the missions of the managers regarding the management of the men and the animation of the teams. The head of the company must offer the managers the possibility to have perfect control of the projects and orientations of the company. The manager must also know how the company is organized and how it must evolve in order to carry out its projects.
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- To have management that knows the fundamental rules of labor law, social relations, and personnel management.
Inform and consult employees
Advocating employee information and consultation means:
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- Informing employees of the company’s difficulties and problems
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- Consulting employees, as far as possible, on decisions that must be taken and that are supposed to have an impact on them. Employees should also be involved in projects that involve them.
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- Deal with issues raised by staff in a timely manner.
Have a rigorous approach and analysis
This step requires the company manager to:
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- Take a step back each time and analyze the real reasons for the discontent that has been expressed and the real meaning and nature of the requests or questions expressed.
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- To have a rigorous approach that does not exclude being flexible in applying rules, statutes, and other procedures to avoid various interpretations and abuses.
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- Realize that different forms of concessions may ease or temporarily reduce social tensions without addressing the real problem at hand. The risk is to see stronger and more vivid tensions reappear after a while
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- Have simple indicators that can be adapted to each department. To be able to follow the social climate as it evolves so as to be able to immediately notice a deterioration in it in order to identify the cause of the incidents and to deal with them.
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