Work Environment Dynamics
Read more at: https://yourstory.com/2020/12/five-simple-ways-build-employee-trust-workplace
Read more at: https://yourstory.com/2020/12/five-simple-ways-build-employee-trust-workplace
Hours of work and its effect on production
The main problem in industries is the ratio of the total hours of work and the total production of the industry. It is a general belief that by increasing the work hours production would increase. But it is not important that increasing working hours would increase overall production, because to calculate it, firstly it is important to calculate the real hours of work and nominal hours of work. Generally there is a difference between actual hours of work and the nominal hours worked; any employer or employee is aware of these things is aware of it.
To take out the ratio between them the factors such as -unproductive working time, rest pauses, slowness, early stoppages, absenteeism, and changes in work pace must all be considered. These are the factors that create the difference between actual hours of work and nominal hours of work. As far is overtime is concerned it was found to be lowering the production. A worker consciously or unconsciously accelerates himself when knows he must put in extra hours that day. However if workers are asked to work overtime without prior notice, then it could create dissatisfaction in them and if it is announced beforehand it might increase absenteeism.
Psychological surveys conducted in industrial organizations suggested that breaks during working time assists in increasing overall industrial production. The length and frequencies of the breaks, and the activities of employees, also needs consideration before coming to a specific conclusion. It is advised professionally to provide regular rest pauses to the employees, if it is not provided officially, the employee would anyhow take rest voluntarily during normal working hours.
If the management provides regular rest pauses to employees, it would decrease fatigue or monotony if exists, and also it increases the goodwill of the organization in the eyes of its employees. The type and nature of work determines the duration and number of rest pauses to be given. To get maximum benefits during rest pauses the employee should change his posture during the rest pause. For e.g. -If he sits while working, then should be encouraged to stand or walk around or vice-versa. The basic thing that should be followed during rest pauses is change of the activity and posture from that of the job. This would decrease the level of fatigue.
One of the major problems faced by organizations is that of excessive absenteeism that affects the level of production. There could be many reasons for it. An employee often has more than one reason for being absent.
Causes that could be the reason for excessive absenteeism are as follows:
1. Poor work habits
2. Personal adjustments
3. Job dissatisfaction
5. Outside or personal difficulties
6. Sickness or fatigue
7. Irresponsibility
It is interesting to note that absenteeism is highest at the beginning and end of the week and lowest on payday regardless of what day in the week it falls. Also the distance of workplace from house and household responsibilities determine the rate of absenteeism. Absenteeism is a very complex variable which is affected by a variety of factors, sometimes it occurs when employees do not get enough time to take care of their personal needs.
There are many external factors that affect the work, like- illumination, and ventilation, amount of noise and temperature of the work environment. It is observed that when the work environment is made pleasant and favorable, it affects the productivity of the employees. Factors such as use of various color schemes primarily on factory walls, benches and machines and in rest rooms influence the work atmosphere thus affecting the mindset of workers to an extent. Sometimes it becomes difficult to calculate the effect of environment change on the psychology of the employee and the total output of production. But certainly if some positive changes like better illumination, temperature control, noise reduction, etc are introduced at workplaces it definitely have positive influence over the mindset of workers.
Music in Industry
One of the most popular work environment changes is the introduction of music during the work hours. The reason of popularity of music is because it could be presented in a number of varieties and intensity. For example - instrumental, classical, jazz, pop, etc... The playing of music during work hours should be controlled by the organization itself in order to avoid the conflict among the employees over the choice of music to be played. It could be provided through piped-in-music or a standard system of industrial broadcasting by the firm itself.
The music could be provided either during lunch hours or at synchronized interval of time, for instance- for 15mins every two hours or as suitable. In repetitive factory work if music is introduced, it could result in increased production which is ultimately combination of quality and quantity, thus overall production is enhanced. However, specific investigation on introduction of music in organizations suggested that for complex industrial job and under stable conditions music does not increase production.
A factor that should be considered for determining the effect of music on production is - the rhythm. If the music is in rhythm with the employee's rhythm of work or when it tends to pace him, then it does influences production. Music should sound melodious to the ears while working, soft tunes or medium paced songs could be played. The music that exerts pressure on the ears while hearing it is not desirable like rock music or heavy guitar music. If such music is played during work it could exert pressure on the ears of workers, so instead of positive output it would add to the element of tiredness.
Noise
The voice that sounds unpleasant to ears is considered as noise. Noise is generally a sound which distracts ones attention, thus interfere the work efficiency of the workers. The noise is distracter or not, is determined by the factor whether it is steady or intermittent. When it is steady, the workers generally adapts' themselves to it; but when it is irregular, takes greater effort to maintain work efficiency.
The effect of noise on a job is apparently determined by whether the noise is necessary element of the job or not. Sometimes noise is a part of the job, so its effect on the production level is determined by this factor also, for example - in textile yarn manufacturing units, the noise of the machinery is the part and parcel of the job profile, thus for the workers it does not affect their level of production. An employee who has adjusted himself to a noisy work situation may be distracted by a sudden silence. However noise levels above 100 decibels (db) should be considered to be harmful for the ears and if exposed to sound more than this could affect the hearing capacity of the person, so employees should be protected from such noise by ear plugs or ear muffs.
Noise of extreme intensity can be irritating and also could lead to ear pain, partial deafness or permanent ear damage. Although silence is golden but working in total silence is also not desirable.
Illumination
Daylight is the best source of illumination for work. Artificial lighting which is in close proximity to daylight in color and composition is next best source of light during work. The distribution and location of light, the intensity of its glare are some factors that has to be considered before installing the lighting system into the workplace. Also the illumination should be such that there is proper combination of artificial light with daylight. As far as possible the artificial light should be free from colors, but in case colorful lights could not be avoided than, the best color for artificial light is the Mazda or yellow light as this color resembles the day light. Light that is unbalanced and of unmatched color is a hindrance for the work and not a help.
The most important difference between daylight and artificial light is their property of diffusion. Lights that are adequately diffused tend to produce fewer glares. Excessive brightness produces visual discomfort and fatigue. In indirect lighting, the light is directed to the ceiling from there it is reflected to the other parts of the work area. This usually results in a high brightness for the ceiling and low intensity in the work area. Translucent bowls are the source of artificial light that reflect part of the light to the ceiling and transmit part of the light downward hence serves as both direct and indirect lighting.
Some jobs require the people while working at a desk to look up continuously or away from the work area; this requires continual papillary adjustment, which results in fatiguing effects. Yellow color light is found to give the best results and next better option is orange-yellow light, but of all colors white is the best option. Proper contrast between the lights of the work area with relation to the wall color, in certain circumstances reduces eyestrain. The fact that negative afterimages occur when the eye is overestimated by one color has been accepted. If a person looks continuously for two minutes at a red circle, and then looks immediately at a neutral background, he will see a green circle at background. Here the image is negative afterimage.
Miscellaneous Factors
Cafeterias now have become an element of necessity in workplaces. Generally factories now-a-days have some restaurants near-by or any eating joint or else have its own canteen. This factor is helpful to retain and attract employees. Snack bars serving sandwiches, other fast foods, tea/coffee/soft drink dispensers have become common in most of the factories. However it is also seen that these cafeterias often become target of employees criticism.
Complaints regarding food/service of the canteen are common thing. Thus it does serves as the source of dissatisfaction sometimes for the workers. But then also it is important because it necessary as an environmental change. It is observed that a rest pause spent in a canteen is apparently more favored than the regular rest pause. Employees like to socialize with each other over a sip of coffee or a bite of sandwich during the rest pause.
One of the important factors in workplaces is the rest rooms. The amount of space provided in rest room, cleanliness of rest rooms, also hygienic sanitary facilities contribute a lot to the attitude of the employees towards the organization. If these factors are not proper in work place then it could have negative influence on the job performance of the worker.
There are many other environmental aspects like temperature of the work area, humidity level, ventilation, etc that are linked to the ultimate attitude of the employee and that influences the overall productivity. Present work scenario demands the employee to spend on an average 8 to 9 hours at the workplace, thus it has become essential to provide them basic facilities and create favorable working condition in order to achieve greater productivity and job satisfaction. Introducing such extra facilities might cost some extra money for the employer but in turn would provide him better working from the workers thus ultimately profiting the employer.
Understanding Dynamic Working
Dynamism at the workplace recognizes that different employees are talented and skilled differently and that different people are optimally productive at different times of the day. It focuses more on an employee’s output and less on the number of hours worked. For as long as an employee plays his part in helping the company achieve its vision, it really doesn’t matter the technology he used or the time of the day he worked.
The concept of dynamic workplace has been actualized by technology. Employees are now able to log on to a remote computer and work from home just as effectively as they’d have done in the office. This allows employees enough free time to attend to their personal business without compromising their responsibilities at work.
But what are the pros and cons of this new development?
3 Pros of a Dynamic Workplace
1. Increased employee retention
As a corporate leader, one of the primary objectives of Organisation should be to create a workplace where each employee wants to come to every day and never wants to leave. A dynamic workplace achieves this by relieving employees off the pressure of meeting deadlines and goals. It focuses more on facilitating employees set and meet their professional goals, and in the process achieve the company goals. Employees celebrate personal and professional milestones, they share happy moments together, they bond, and they mingle with their seniors freely. The leadership creates situations that cultivate togetherness and the feeling of family among team members. As a result, team loyalty increases, productivity levels rise, the employees feel happier, and employee retention increases. In case that does not work either here’s some tips on how to deal with anxiety at work. The company’s reputation as a dream workplace for most professionals in the industry leads to the top talents wanting to join your company.
2. Better workplace relationships
Dynamism enhances communication and knowledge exchange at the workplace. Not being tied down to a desk allows employees to have serendipitous meetings with other colleagues and interact at a more personal level. There is also a smoother flow of ideas between different departments when employees interact freely. And in the case of open-plan offices, employees find it easier to see each other and exchange friendly gestures. All these lead to a happy and healthy workforce. Research shows that good workplace relationships builds a sense of loyalty amongst peers, colleagues are able to look after one another, and everyone feels the commitment to perform well. Employees are also able to find better work-life balance, which is vital for optimal productivity. More over by investing in regular cleans or having a clean and neat environment, this will only add up to their productivity. Additionally this can also be attributed to the morning meetings that people have in the office kitchen. Coffee, morning chatter, catch up with each other’s business progress, is an integral part of building better workplace relationships. In fact, it makes sense to have a comfortable space that is available to everyone. And the good thing is that it is not that hard to assemble one. Nowadays, there are Ready-to-Assemble kitchen cabinets that can be put in the kitchen within the day, so no fuss is created in the office.
3. Easier rotation
Job rotation in low-sensitive positions curbs low productivity and stagnation. It challenges employees to learn more and acquire new skills, which in turn prevents them from coasting and boredom. It challenges employees to innovate and change constantly.
As much as rotation is important, many corporate leaders are unable to rotate employees who are keen on protecting their status quo than on growing professionally. These employees build networks during their time in 4-walled offices and use those networks to create roadblocks against change.
This is not the case in a dynamic office. When an employee interacts freely with colleagues from other departments, he/she stops being skeptical about change. Such an employee appreciates the need for cross-training; the need to learn new skills for higher future potential. That makes your rotation task a little easier.
Cons of a Dynamic Workplace
1. Communication challenges
In a case where employees work remotely and have to telecommute via their home computers, organizing meetings becomes a bit tricky. Thanks to teleconferencing and videoconferencing technologies, however, this challenge is gradually fading away.
2. Noise
When employees move freely in the office, noise distraction is almost inevitable. The good thing is that you can install soundproofing materials in the office to absorb the noise. You can, for example, install an acoustic board under your carpet to eliminate the noise reflection effect of hard surface floors such as wood.
3. Depletion of individuality
From a worker’s perspective, cross-training in a dynamic workplace makes you easily replaceable. Anybody in the office can take your job. Besides, focusing too much on collective success can easily deplete your individual ambitions.
“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.” – Harvey S. Firestone
Management often thinks that wage levels or benefits are the most important elements of creating satisfaction in employees. But instead, workers are saying, “Tell me how I’m doing” or “Help me grow and do a better job.”
Of course they want feedback: It’s necessary to shape their actions and behaviors in the workplace to align with desired culture, established policy, and the leader’s expectations.
For the feedback process to be effective, these three elements must be clearly communicated.
1. Recognition of a specific action or behavior. This recognition can be either in direct response to something we want to see more of or less of in the future. We often say that “feedback is best served warm,” meaning that it should happen as soon as possible after observing the action or behavior, while it is still fresh and relevant.
The feedback process is not appropriate for addressing job performance, attitude, or other longer-term matters. These are better dealt with through a performance review discussion or a coaching session.
The conversation might begin with a description of the action, such as “the way that you helped the team reach a consensus by drawing each person in was great” or “the three crisp and concise conclusions as you wrapped up your presentation really hit the mark.” Or, in the case of corrective feedback, “the tone that you used in replying to Joe seemed very condescending” or “the facts that you presented don’t support the conclusions that you drew.”
Too often people think that they are providing feedback with a very general statement, such as “great job on the presentation” or “you add a lot to this team.” Such general statements have little value for guiding future behavior, thus not really constituting feedback. The more specific and descriptive our statement, the better guidance it provides for future behavior.
Often feedback is better received when we first ask for permission, especially in the case of corrective feedback. Also, when providing corrective feedback, a bit of positive at the front end makes the recipient more open to the negative. An example might be, “Your presentation was good, with a logical flow of the background information and each slide was a nice, bite-sized addition to our understanding, but may I offer some advice?” and then move into identifying specific opportunities for improvement.
2. Identify the impact of the action or behavior. There are two components of impact worth sharing: first, how the action or behavior affected the person giving the feedback and second, the broader impact, whether it be on the organization, audience, peers, etc.
Personalizing the impact makes the feedback easier to digest. Did their action, behavior, event, or process make you feel pleased, intrigued, disappointed, angry, confused, excited, etc? If this is important enough to provide feedback, there should be some emotion that arose, telling you that you should address it. Perhaps this is a good time to remind ourselves that, since feedback is important, we may need to train ourselves to notice those opportunities and to respond and provide feedback.
Providing a broader context aligns the person’s performance with the organization’s values and goals. Did an action add value to a meeting or discussion; did it fit nicely into the organization’s desired culture; did it hinder a project or hurt a team’s collaboration?
Again, our goal in feedback is to be as specific as possible in order to tie the referenced action with the results, either positive or negative. Specifics make it more likely for the feedback to be clearly understood and accepted, thus increasing the likelihood of long-term impact. A statement such as “You were rude, and I don’t want that to happen again” has little value. Rather a statement like this is more likely to gain the attention and acceptance of the recipient: “I was disappointed to hear the rude comment you made when you said ___. That sort of comment breaks down the cohesion of our team and makes it more difficult to work together. We want this organization to be a place where each person is valued and accepted.”
3. Set expectations for future actions or behaviors. Feedback is about identifying what we want more, less, or the same amount of in the future. This requires a statement or a discussion of our expectations relative to the specific action that we are addressing. The feedback process must provide clear expectations for the future. This can be a simple statement, such as, “I hope you continue to find more opportunities to repeat this” or “I trust you understand, agree, and will not repeat this behavior.”
Depending upon the situation, the third step of the feedback process might also include consequences or a plan of action. If we are talking about a serious negative action or behavior, the process may call for identifying the disciplinary action that will take place in the event of a next occurrence. If we have communicated the specific action and the specific impact of that action, it is only natural that a specific consequence be communicated.
On the other hand, the feedback discussion may be related to an action or behavior that is beyond the recipient’s present capabilities. In this case, the discussion may call for either the feedback recipient to create a developmental plan of action or it may require that the feedback provider and the recipient together define a developmental plan.
One of the highest priorities for leaders is the development of the people around them. Effective feedback is a tool to guide that development. Spotting opportunities where feedback is appropriate and then providing it in a way that helps the recipient’s development is the best way to guide the growth of the people that we lead. Nudging the actions and behaviors of team members to align with organizational vision, goals, culture, and strategy is the best way to maximize the effectiveness of the organization. As leaders, we need to understand the power of feedback and prioritize the many opportunities for providing it.
Implementing Integrated Work to Create a Dynamic Workplace
One of the highest priorities for leaders is the development of the people around them. Effective feedback is a tool to guide that development. Spotting opportunities where feedback is appropriate and then providing it in a way that helps the recipient’s development is the best way to guide the growth of the people that we lead. Nudging the actions and behaviors of team members to align with organizational vision, goals, culture, and strategy is the best way to maximize the effectiveness of the organization. As leaders, we need to understand the power of feedback and prioritize the many opportunities for providing it.
Today we will be looking at all the different ways in which you can empower employees and all the things that you might want to consider for better office culture.
Give A Voice To The Employees
People only participate when they know they are being valued.
You need to make sure that your team knows that their opinion is
important for the wellbeing of the company. Crowdsourcing and social
choice are two concepts that you embrace. The tools that you arm your
employees with today are the answer to all the issues that may crop up
in the future.
Not saying that you run a democracy- that is not my intention
but rather a constitutional monarchy. This also ensures that your
employees are on good terms with you.
Listen
A good relationship is built on the foundation of trust and a
good conversation. A good conversation can only happen if you listen.
Lending an ear to your employees is a great way to figure out what is
working and what isn’t.
You will make your own job easier if you patiently wait for a
while and listen to your team before just jumping to the next question
without clarifying the first one. A well-intentioned criticism is much
better than a hundred compliments. Plus who better to know it from other
than the person going through it.
Embrace Randomness
A company always has its own set of goals that it has to follow.
But your employees also have some personal goals that need to be
fulfilled. Here accountability plays a big role. This is also only
possible if you first figure what is that drives a particular person.
You need to pinpoint the motivation that drives a particular person.
Create an environment that helps manage this kind of growth. You
need to hold individual and team meeting that helps create the
opportunity for all employees to define why they want to continue the
way they are,
This way you not only manage to create a better environment but
also become the accountability partner in their quest to achieve their
goal. Genuine interest is the only way to survive.
Follow The Quit Philosophy
This is known as a universal fact. Employees will leave eventually. Not everyone will invest in the same way as you when it comes to contribution to your company. So, then you plan for the inevitable, You train them in a manner that is conducive for the 6 pillars of happiness. These are Relationship, carrier, time off, wealth, health and growth,This is the only way your employees know that you care for them more than just an employee basis.
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