Building a healthy workplace culture is a new aim for most organizations. So far, companies have prioritised productivity and profit goals over employee mental health, which is majorly influenced by the work culture environment.

Knowing this, it should not come as a surprise that many of us are not even familiar with the basic aspects of empowering workplace culture. For this reason, this article aims to provide some key information on how you can build new habits that will transform the culture in your team into a progressive, inclusive, and empowering one.

What is work culture?

A company’s culture is a shared set of goals, values, views, and behaviours that guide the organization. It dictates the way employees interact with each other, how they set and meet goals, how managers hire new people on a team, and how everyone conducts themselves within the team.

Work culture is built up from inside the team, but it can also be influenced by outside sources. Most of the time, the tone for a company’s set of values and promoted behaviours is set by someone else up in the hierarchy and followed by all employees and subordinates. If you’re wondering what makes a good office culture – you are not the only one. Given the various types of workplace environments, many employees are still confused about what a healthy workplace should look like.

Below, you can read more information on what a positive work environment looks like, how you can create it, and how it impacts employee mental health.

The fundamentals of building a positive team culture

A healthy workplace dynamic is made up of individuals who respect each other and their differences and work together to meet bigger organizational goals. This doesn’t sound too complicated in theory, right? Because human beings are immensely complex, we need way more clarity on what positive workplace interactions should look like.

For example, employees should know how a positive workplace culture would encourage them to:

• Set clear team goals
• Promote and prioritise the company’s values and aspirations
• Interact with each other
• Approach failure and mistake
• Celebrate success
• Allow time for humour and fun

A healthy and empowering work environment will ensure that its employees have clarity on what their goals are and what the company’s priorities are. When it comes to interpersonal interactions, this type of culture will encourage unconditional respect, celebrate diversity and encourage inclusion.

Equally important, building a positive team culture will always be achieved while prioritising employee mental health and wellbeing. These are essential for the optimal functioning of teams at all levels.

Putting mental health at work first

As you might already know, an organization where many employees are depressed or burnt out has a decreased chance of success. For this reason, companies must ensure that they establish a set of guidelines as part of the company culture that will positively contribute to enhanced workplace mental health.

Rewarding good work

A good practice of positive workplace culture is recognising and rewarding small accomplishments. Rewards (even in the verbal form) help employees feel valued, appreciated, and seen, which motivates them to do even better.

Creating a culture where everyone is used to acknowledging each other’s work is a great step towards building a more progressive company culture.

Offering feedback and support

Everyone needs guidance on feedback on their work. Besides creating a safe space in your organization where people can be acknowledged for their work. It is also important to offer constructive feedback that helps employee improve their practices and results.

By doing that, employees are shown a healthy dynamic where they are both appreciated for their work besides receiving guidance on how to move forward.

Prioritise employee engagement

Another crucial aspect in building a positive workplace culture is employee engagement. With so many stressful factors and endless to-do tasks, it is easy to forget how important it is to keep employees happy and engaged.

This can be achieved by scheduling team activities where everyone on the team can get to know each other, bond with other team members and feel valued within an organization.

Do positive workplace cultures improve employee mental health?

Mental health at work starts with a healthy workplace culture, where people are encouraged to express themselves, invest in their development, and are listened to. When employees are led by positive leadership examples, they have more chances of applying the same model in their own interpersonal relationships and practices.

Although it is not always easy to change workplace cultures that are deeply embedded in a company, bringing fresh models of interacting, setting goals, and acknowledging success can help.

How can SupportRoom help your organization?

SupportRoom aims to help businesses build a healthier workplace culture by looking after employee mental health. We offer on-demand therapeutic support that is available on your schedule, without needing to book a session in advance.

If this is what your workplace needs, book a free demo here and let us improve your employees’ mental wellbeing.