Business
How do you know if you’re in a toxic work environment? We know doing business well is good for business. So we’re making active choices to create an ideal workplace culture. Here are five tips so you can too.
Work environment plays a huge role in our day-to-day well being. Of course, personal and professional dynamics at work affect our stress and quality of life in the moment. But workplace health also informs our creativity, confidence, ambition, and so much more. So it’s absolutely worth taking some time to consider just what is (or isn’t) working for you about wherever you work.
Thankfully, it’s becoming more and more common these days to connect with people who are thinking about these same questions. Lots of them are making big changes in their workplaces to support the well-being of their colleagues and employees. I love working with businesses and teams who care about each other — it makes the collaboration so much more real.
Respect can take all sorts of shapes and forms, but fundamentally it means we’re taking the time to really see each other. When employers celebrate an employee’s contributions and accomplishments, it’s not just an arbitrary accolade. They’re making a statement to that person and to the rest of the team that they recognize the energy and skill that goes into a job well done. They’re saying out loud to the community that that person and the work they do matters.
Good ideas and valuable results are born at every layer of business. We love working with companies who see us as trustworthy partners and who listen to the wisdom and perspective of their whole team. When folks know their contributions are valued, they’re more likely to speak up with a brilliant idea or take that amazing project to the next level.
We’re by no means denying the competitive water we are swimming in. But behind every sale is a real human looking to meet a real need. No matter the sale — whether we’re offering our public relations and marketing services or coaching CPG clients about products — we value the process of connecting with people and understanding what underlies our business relationship.
These folks aren’t just trying to get paid. They see a need and see it through to resolution. What does this have to do with their workplace environment? Well, There’s something to be said about finding meaning in our work.
When we know our contributions actually enhance a person’s life, even at a very basic level, we are more motivated to do our work well. It’s a human thing, you know, to care about one another.
If you know me, you know this one’s on the list. In my healthiest collabs, the businesses I work with are showing up as real humans living their real lives.
They aren’t sacrificing the truth for an air of professionalism or some sort of image they want to project. Passion and dreams build energy and support way more resilience than an unrelatable grind. And to what end are you pushing if you get even better results this way?
Authenticity builds trust and connection. What’s more, the most real clients have so much integrity. And, in the world of PR, a company’s integrity is literally public. Their authenticity helps them shine.
Work is important, but none of us wants to be a robot. We’re actual people with passions and people and places we love. Time away from work is just as important as time at work. We’ve got to restore our brains and bodies to show up to our work and collaborations with all our gifts and really be able to shine.
We frequently see businesses fail in public for the way they work in private. Just as toxicity breeds disease, a healthy workplace is good for business. In public relations, we’re not just concerned about what’s happening behind the scenes but also about how those background details affect the same businesses in public. It’s easy to know who’s reaping the benefits of a healthy workplace environment.
Maybe you’re thinking you’re fine. Some of these suggestions just seem too time-consuming. They probably require too much effort. It’s above your pay grade. It’s beyond your scope.
But honestly, following along with these five business examples saves so much time and energy for you and your business in the long run. Reduced stress, improved communication, and stronger results are just a few of the impacts I’ve noted in stepping away from toxic work environments and cultivating an ideal workplace culture that is respectful, inclusive, and open to change. What about you?
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