How To Promote A Balanced Workplace Culture For All Employees

A balanced culture allows employees to feel psychologically safe, which means they can be themselves, share ideas, and feel a part of the culture. According to Science for Work, "realistically speaking, this might look like a team where members seem more likely to talk about mistakes, share ideas, ask for and receive feedback, and experiment."

So, how do you nurture a balanced culture, an inclusive workplace that gives every employee what they require to succeed—whether that's a quiet room or a group brainstorming session?

 

Allow for flexible work schedules

Some employees work best alone, and a flexible schedule is a simple way to encourage a more balanced culture. Employees with a flexible work schedule may be able to come in late and leave late, work from home one day per week, or choose when they want to be in the office.

 

One day per week, WFH

The office (or a specific team) can work from home every week. Many businesses do this in the middle of the week, giving the employees valuable time with family between the start and end of the week.

 

Flexible office hours

Instead of demanding employees to be in the office from 9 am to 5 pm, provide flexible office hours during which all employees must be present at the same time, such as 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., but can come in early and leave early, or come in late and leave late.

 

Complete adaptability

In this case, all employees could choose when and when not to come into the office. You may not specify a set day or days for employees to work from home; it is up to them to determine when they would like to.

 

Reduce the number of required meetings

Did you know that workplace meetings have doubled in the last half-century? Meetings are pretty popular in today's workplace, which values hyperconnectivity.

Employees spend their time hopping from one meeting to the next, which can stifle productivity. This environment can reduce efficiency and cause unnecessary pressure, particularly for those already stressed and worried. This environment may make it difficult to share feedback and ideas in front of many individuals and discourage some participants from sharing.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 46% of individuals who struggle with anxiety say that meetings trigger their anxiety, and 43% say that their anxiety causes them to avoid attending meetings.

To establish a balanced culture, you don't have to eliminate all meetings. Consider the following three alternatives to make meetings more interesting and productive:

• While some meetings are required, others can be avoided. Conduct a meeting evaluation; which meetings are critical, and which can be eliminated or reduced?

• Short meetings that stick to the topic can be just as effective as long ones. Which meetings can you eliminate? Can some be reduced to 30 minutes instead of 60? Better yet, how about 5 minutes? Status updates can even replace some meetings.

• Every employee or division member does not have to attend every meeting. Concentrate solely on critical team members. Set a general attendance limit for each meeting.

 

Set limits—or create zones

In today's office culture, introverts can struggle, which often values collaborative efforts and quality time together as a team.

One of the most main challenges introverts face today is that most workforces are designed to encourage collaboration and appear to be geared toward extroverts. Leaders must empower every employee to make excellent efforts to create a balanced culture. Carstoiu suggests one approach: Carstoiu suggests one approach: "Create a culture that values 'personal flow.'" This can be difficult to achieve if your office has an open floor plan, as anyone can be disrupted at any time, trying to halt their line of thought or workflow.

Worse, an open floor layout may have the opposite effect you expect. According to a 2018 study, employees spent 73% less time face-to-face in open corporate environments.

The good news is that you don't have to modify office buildings or even your workplace to improve personal flow. Instead, consider the following suggestions:

• Install the "stop light" system. Every employee's desk has a stoplight sign. People can approach them when it is green. Yellow indicates that they favour not to be disturbed. "Come find me later; I'm in the zone," says red. You could accomplish the same outcome by enforcing a headphones rule: "Whenever I have my headsets on, I'm unavailable."

• Set up a room booking system for employees to use so they can schedule personal "heads down" time as needed.

• If you don't have offices, create a focus area with room separators where employees can escape distractions. Simple dividers are available.

 

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