An excerpt from Making Your Business Better, Velsoft’s January softskills course release.

What is a healthy workplace culture? It is the environment in which employees interact with each other and carry to the outside world via networking, customer contacts, and production of goods and/or services.

There was a time, and the mindset remains, when company owners believed providing a job and a salary were the only motivations needed to foster a productive workplace. Today, there is a greater awareness of employees as individuals with varied needs. Some requirements are legislated under occupational health and safety laws or collective agreements. Meeting the letter of the law, however, does not always mean a workplace is healthy.

A healthy workplace environment is like any healthy environment – it provides a safe, inviting space that meets the needs of employees and customers, and supports the reputation and productivity needed by the company to survive and grow.

A healthy workplace meets the needs of:

  • Physical environment – good air quality, comfortable temperature control, safe building, effective layout and design, effective lighting and ergonomics.
  • Mental environment – engaging company mission statement and branding, clear responsibilities and career tracks, authentic interactions with management and peers, clear and realistic targets and deliverables, good communication.
  • Emotional environment – feeling valued, appreciated, connected, and encouraged.

Activity

Ask participants to work independently. In their journals, have each list the three ingredients to workplace culture. With each ingredient, list an example of what their workplace does, and something that can be improved or enacted.

When completed, invite sharing with the larger group. Note discussion points on the flip chart.

Beyond healthy workplace culture

A healthy workplace culture is one component of Making Your Business Better. Other topics included in the course are: strategic planning; positioning and pricing; marketing; selling and negotiating; requests for proposals; project management; and team building and productivity.