Your workplace’s environment affects the productivity of your employees (and their general well-being too!). If you have a negative working environment, people won’t feel comfortable working for your company regardless of how much you pay them.
94% of companies and 88% of job seekers say that a positive culture at work is vital for success.
Not only is this important for your current employees, but a good work culture is necessary if you want to hire from the younger generations. Millennials prioritize people and culture fit above everything else. Plus, 86% of job seekers avoid companies with a bad reputation.
But how do you know if your company has a good working environment, and how do you avoid creating a toxic workplace for your employees?
Today we'll show you how to ensure your company doesn't end up with a toxic working environment. We'll also show you what signs to look out for and what workplace culture actually means.
Workplace culture is what separates good businesses from great ones. When looking to attract high-quality workers and employees to your business, culture is what will matter most.
Workplace culture involves everything from your workplace's vibe, how your employees behave, how people interact with each other, and how you treat your staff.
Culture is what binds your team together and helps strengthen your bond as a company. It also fosters a sense of belonging and meaning. It allows your team to be on the same page and ensures you all strive to achieve the company's goals.
Unhealthy working environments reduce productivity, increase staff turnover, decrease staff morale, and create a general sense of unease in your business.
If you want to prevent a toxic work environment in your construction company, try to look out for these five tell-tale signs.
Every company has some sort of turnover, that's just natural, but if you've noticed an incredibly high turnover, then you might be in a bit of trouble.
If you have a lot of people joining your team and then leaving or suddenly, your best workers have made a run for the exit. This could signify that your workplace is toxic or has become toxic.
You might not have meant for your workplace to become toxic, not many companies do, but if you're losing staff every week, hiring more, and losing them all over again, then your working environment isn't up to their standard.
30% of employees think about leaving because of a toxic work environment. This shows us that a positive environment for your team to work in is essential!
On the other hand, employees are more likely to stay with a business if they experience a positive working environment. So if you want to keep your talented workers on, then make sure they're satisfied with your company.
Your staff will work a lot better if they feel happy with their job. If they're unhappy and unmotivated, they won't have any enthusiasm for their work and probably won't perform as best as they could.
If you've noticed that your staff seem unimpressed about their work or sluggish when doing tasks, then they're not enjoying their time with you. Work becomes sloppy, and your team won't care because the working environment is toxic.
Here are a few things that might be causing this lack of workplace enthusiasm:
People can only handle so much before their brain refuses to deal with what's stressing them out. So if you notice your staff lacks enthusiasm in the job, consider getting feedback from your team.
Trust is vital for a positive and stress-free working environment. You will create a negative company culture if you're not open and transparent with your colleagues.
A transparent company culture actively encourages its employees to be open with them. This allows them to immediately address any issues, preventing a toxic culture.
Being transparent with your employees about your business will improve trust and help them feel more engaged with your company. 85% of employees say they're motivated when given regular updates on company news
Mistakes are bound to happen. We're only human, after all. Nobody goes out of their way to purposely make a mistake at work, yet so many employees are terrified of making mistakes in case they get in trouble with management.
This often comes down to how your company is managed and a toxic workplace culture that harshly punishes failures and mistakes.
The human brain is fragile, and on a construction site, a hard hat isn't the only thing your workers need to protect it. A lack of psychological security is a huge indicator that your company has an unhealthy working environment.
Your employees should be able to come to work and do their job without the constant fear of messing up and being penalized for it.
Most people do their best work when they're out of their comfort zone. But if you're harsh on your employees for mistakes they've made, nobody will want to try new things to improve the job for fear they'll mess up.
Strong leadership is necessary for a positive working environment. If you or a site manager displays poor leadership skills like dismissing anybody who wishes to talk or shutting down suggestions - you have a serious problem. You've got a highly toxic working environment.
This type of workplace works on fear and intimidation, and often people ignore it to stay on the boss's good side. But weak leadership like this contributes to negative company culture. It encourages these fear-mongering behaviors and makes employees miserable.
So if you or a manager are using harsh language to get work done faster, then don't be surprised if your staff start developing the same habits.
We hope our blog has helped you see the value of positive company culture and how you can improve your construction company by avoiding a toxic working environment.
If you want to show your audience that you're a construction company that genuinely cares about the well-being of its staff, then our team will help you out.
At Just For Contractors, we specialize in helping construction companies make their mark online and attract the best talent on the market. We're experts in digital marketing and can help you completely transform your online presence so you can easily attract clients and new hires.
