7 ZERO COST Ways to Create a Great Work Environment
One of the coolest power moves I’ve ever seen was when Sara Blakely first sold Spanx and threw a huge, celebratory party for her staff. She gave every employee a first class, round trip ticket to anywhere in the world they wanted to travel to AND a check for $10k.
I have always admired Sara as the ultimate #sheboss for many reasons. It's clear she walks the walk everyday and invests in her people. To be able to reward them in such a decadent fashion is my ultimate dream as a business owner.
But let's be realistic, for almost all of us when we are starting out, this simply isn’t possible. And for those of us who continue to run small-ish businesses, even successful ones, we may WANT to treat our team to extravagant gifts but quite honestly, what we do day to day has a much bigger impact overall than a once in a lifetime splurge. We often make the idea of positive leadership more complicated than it needs to be.
So with that said, here are 7 ZERO COST ways to create a great work environment while building respect, a healthy collaborative team dynamic, as well as boosting communication and morale!
1) Say "thank you" and say it often! I know it's beyond basic, but I’m telling you, it works. Be specific about the thing(s) you’re thanking the person for and if it was for a particularly big thing or project commitment, give them a card. (I said zero cost as I’m assuming you have some basic thank you cards on hand at all times. I do think it's worth the investment to have some for this type of occasion). I do like to include some kind of gift card or some flowers for finishing a big task, but if you’re on a tight budget, the card with a personal note is more than enough!
2) Keep your weekly meetings to exactly 60 min but allow for a 10 min warm-up prior to the start of the meeting for a casual check in conversation. Ask how people are doing and if anything new is going on in their lives that they’d like to share. At the 60 min mark, even if there is still unfinished business, schedule a follow up for later in the week.
3) Conflict resolution: This system WORKS! Here are the steps: 1. Sit down with the employee and have them tell you what they’re feeling frustrated about. Don’t interrupt, just write down a couple of notes. 2. If the complaints are more general and less specific then it means that the overall morale and connection just needs work. If it's specific to a particular issue, make sure you write down any quick ideas that come into your head about ways to solve the problem. 3. Unless there’s a VERY simple solution to whatever has been brought up, let them know you really heard them, thank them for their honesty, and then set up a follow up meeting between 24-48 hours later, no longer than that. It's crucial that you wait at least 24 hours before meeting up and no more than 48! 4. Let your employee know that you’re going to think everything through and start working on solutions. 5. Ask them to please do the same! If they have ideas for ways to improve whatever the situation is, they should bring those to the table as well.
4) Show up for them and show an interest in their lives beyond work. I’ve had team members who are singers, artists, actors, comedians, bartenders, etc.. Over the years I’ve made it a point to encourage staff to share when they’re performing, or if they have a special show coming up.
5) Give your team members the option of taking a mental health day, especially if you see that they’re struggling.
6) Look for ways to give back to your community that are meaningful and involve your whole organization in the process, even in small ways and small gives. Just letting your team know that this is a part of who we are makes people feel good about the company they work for. (BONUS - Ask your staff if there’s a cause that’s near and dear to them that they’d like to bring to your attention.)
7) And lastly, don’t WAIT until a problem develops to check in with your team on a regular basis. Become good at reading faces and cues and if you start to sense that something is awry, seek them out and ask if they need some help, or are struggling, or if there anything you can do to support them.