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What is a Positive Work Environment and Why is it Important?
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A positive working environment is a workplace that promotes employee safety, growth and goal attainment. These environments are most conducive to a successful workforce as they encourage employees to perform to their highest ability. Companies can achieve a positive working environment by focusing on their overall culture, supporting employee growth and making employees feel safe and comfortable.
Positive working environments provide several benefits for both employees and employers. This is because this type of environment can lead to employee success and happiness both personally and professionally. Here are four reasons why a positive work atmosphere is important in the workforce:
Increases productivity
Having a positive working environment is a great way to increase your work output. When you're happier, you may be more productive and more equipped to complete your tasks efficiently. This can also help you become a better employee, which leads to personal gratification and potential financial upsides.
Improves morale
Because your mood and attitude affect your team members, a positive working environment can be a good influence on those around you. When you view your work in a positive way, it can influence how others in the workplace see their responsibilities too.
Fosters growth
When you're motivated to succeed in your position, you're more apt to find opportunities to advance in your career. When your employer provides positive reinforcement, it can make you feel like a valuable contribution to the company, and it may motivate you to continue or improve upon this behavior.
Promotes collaboration
When you're motivated on an individual level, you're more likely to support and encourage others in your company. This can also lead to improved professional relationships with your colleagues. The greater the bond is between coworkers, the better chance a company has of achieving its short- and long-term goals. This is because teamwork is often the foundation of company success.
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Practical Tips to Achieve a Positive Mindset
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Start the day with a positive affirmation.
How you start the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Make an effort to start your day with positive affirmations. Talk to yourself in the mirror, even if you feel silly, with statements like, "Today will be a good day" or "I'm going to be awesome today." You'll be amazed how much your day improves.
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Focus on the good things, however small.
Almost invariably, you're going to encounter obstacles throughout the day-there's no such thing as a perfect day. When you encounter such a challenge, focus on the upside, no matter how slight or unimportant it may seem. For example, if you get stuck in traffic, crank some of your favourite music and sing out loud. If the store is out of the food you want to prepare, think about the thrill of trying something new.
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Turn failures into lessons.
You aren't perfect. You're going to make mistakes and experience failure in multiple contexts, at multiple jobs and with multiple people. Instead of focusing on how you failed, think about what you're going to do next time - turn your failure into a lesson.
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Transform negative self-talk into positive self-talk.
Negative self-talk can creep up easily and is often hard to notice. You might think I'm so bad at this or I shouldn't have tried that. When you catch yourself doing this, stop and replace those negative messages with positive ones. For example, I'm so bad at this becomes Once I get more practice, I'll be way better at this. I shouldn't have tried becomes That didn't work out as planned-maybe next time I'll go about it another way.
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Celebrate Small Victories by Using a Checklist
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How often do you pat yourself on the back? Do you know what you have accomplished at the end of each day? If you like many of us these days, the answers are "not very often" and "no idea."
Stress, worry, and fear have impacted many of us in myriad different ways this past year. Combined that with a hectic work and life schedule, sometimes we feel as if we're drowning in responsibilities and aren't even sure if we've managed to accomplish anything in a given day. This can only add to stress loads and create negative energy.
Enter the simple checklist. They've been around forever, and encompass every style from a crumpled list on a piece of paper to digital apps. But there's one thing that they all have in common: checklists keep you on track. They can help you organize both long term and short term goals. If dealing with time constraints, checklists can help you to know exactly where you need to allocate time and efforts to be most productive. Checklists also break down larger problems into smaller tasks. After all, a few smaller tasks can be less overwhelming than one large project.
Although extremely simple in concept, the humble checklist can assist you, your workload AND your positivity by helping you:
- keep track of what you have actually completed rather than solely focusing on the ongoing list of what you need to do.
- remind yourself of your accomplishments as you check off each completed task on the list.
- comment on how you completed that task, and help you realize what you liked or found most effective in achieving this goal.
- realize what you could change to optimize your time and your efficiency - it can help you to understand what you do differently the next time you approach that task.
- celebrate your successes which will keep you motivated if you see progress rather than a continual workload.
A notepad or a digital to-do list is a simple way to keep a regular routine to your day but even more importantly it lets you take control of your tasks, gives you insight into your time management and productivity, and can serve as a positivity booster as you review all your accomplishments.
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Self-care is about engaging in nurturing activities that keep you healthy and content. It shouldn't be thought of as a luxury that only 'other' people can afford. Rather, it's something inexpensive that you integrate into your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth and washing the dishes. Simple activities like going for a walk, listening to relaxing music, or meditating are for free and can be easily added to your day-to-day routine.
A study published in the August 2019 International Journal of Nursing, "Self Care: Where are we now: Where are we going?" shows that having a clear, daily self-care routine reduces stress, eases anxiety, improves concentration, minimizes destructive emotions, and even boosts happiness. In addition, research suggests it has the potential to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
It's important to differentiate between self-care and self-improvement. The latter often stems from a desire to fix something wrong with yourself. Self-care does not solely focus on the future, but on positive experiences that have an impact on the now - they help you be mindful and understanding of what works for you as an individual.
If you are creating a daily self-care checklist, you might borrow from what you see online. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that. But it's worth remembering that everyone is different. Instead of focusing on what others are doing, why not prioritize what matters to you? Perhaps you need emotional connection or dedicating time to your favorite hobby. Or, it could be that you have a medical condition that prevents you from exercising as many self-care lists suggest. In any case, decide what works best for you. If you are struggling, share your self-care intentions with a doctor or professional for further guidance.
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Five Easy Ways to Create Positive Energy in Your Workspace
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1. Bring in Some Light: Dimly lit offices can cause eye strain when looking at a bright screen, which can have negative effects like headaches or fatigue. Make sure your workspace has the right amount of light so you can work comfortably and accomplish tasks. If you have the luxury of a window, move the desk nearby, open the curtains and let the space - and you - breathe.
2. Add Greenery: Bring nature into the office with a few plants. Humans have an innate need to interact with the natural world, and working inside closed buildings denies employees a great deal of this interaction. Benefits of greenery include stress relief, better productivity, cleaner air, and an inspiring and attractive work environment.
3. Pick a Colour Scheme: According to the Wright Theory of Colour, different colours can illicit psychological responses and emotions. For example, blue can stimulate the mind and lead to increased productivity, while yellow is shown to stimulate emotion and increase creativity. Secondary colours like purple, green, and orange also show positive psychological benefits. Green provides calmness, purple promotes contemplation, and orange creates comfort.
4. Get Organized: A cluttered desk can result in a cluttered mind. Getting and staying organized might not come natural to everyone, but you'll be thankful for your tidy workspace in the long run. Not only does clutter waste valuable time, but it also affects productivity.
5. Make it Personal: You sit at your desk for several hours a day, five days a week, so why not make the space your own? Even if you are working from your own home, displaying photos and artwork in your office not only makes it personal, but it can also improve your mood and productivity. Art and photography can help with creativity, and even lower stress levels. Personal photos can also remind you of people or places you love. Throwing on some of your favourite music (softly if you're in an office) can also lighten your mood.
Positive energy in your workplace is the easiest way to promote success. If you don't have an energetic and upbeat feeling while at work, chances are you won't be very productive. Positive energy is more than just having a "glass half full" mentality, it's also about the space around you!
Do what you can to make your workspace a positive environment, so it keeps you motivated. When your workplace has a positive energy, you'll be able to:
- Be more productive
- Have an overall better mood
- Feel more awake and alert
- Stay comfortable at your desk
- Accomplish more tasks
Look at your workspace and think about how you can liven it up with some positive energy. You don't want to feel burnt out at your workspace every day, so take the necessary steps to set yourself up for success!
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