By Manpreet Singh

“Positive work environment” is a common phrase with a lot of wordy business definitions. In short, it describes a workplace where employees feel motivated and appreciated. Having this kind of culture is an essential part of any healthy business, so here are a few points on why workplace positivity matters and how you can  create it.

Why to be positive

Workplace positivity boosts your bottom line. It’s correlated with higher productivity, easier recruitment, and much lower employee turnover.  Workplace negativity, on the other hand, has bad consequences of its own, being linked to depression, insomnia, and anxiety in employees, all of which hurt performance as well as the lives of your employees.

Employees in a positive environment also rebound from setbacks faster. In 2005, researchers Isen and Reeve wrote that positivity  gives employees the motivation needed to complete a task. In other words, happy workers get stuff done, even when things are tough.

How to be positive

Another benefit of workplace positivity is that it’s easy. One of its biggest components is your relationship with your employees. Demonstrate trust in them by taking  what they say seriously, and by strategically delegating important tasks to them. To do this, all you need to do is have meaningful conversations with your workers. This will make them feel more engaged and important.

The way you communicate also matters. In a positive workplace, a boss isn’t just an overseer; they ask for (and use) ideas and feedback from the whole team. You’re their leader, but everyone wins when you give your employees a say every now and then.

Positivity also means fun, a staple of any healthy business. Enjoyable rituals in the workplace get employees excited to come in. At TalkLocal, we reward hard work with great break-time options, including a video game corner and a snack bar that overflows with junk food on staff birthdays.

To run the best company you can, you need positivity; research repeatedly shows that having the right environment is almost as important as having the right equipment. Fortunately, creating the good vibes that will propel your company forward is pretty simple. Just respect your employees and make sure they’re happy to work for you, and you will find them going above and beyond your expectations.

This entry was originally posted on Sunday, April 26th, 2015 at 10:00 am and is filed under Small Business Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.