The Challenge of Creating a Human Workplace in an Industry That is Anything But

Many business leaders treat their employees as emotionless automatons without any thought to them as individuals or their personal struggles, which might sometimes affect their work whether they like it or not. Then, it can be a challenge for productivity and success-focused leaders to consider their employees on a person-to-person level. If that is the case for you, here is a guide to creating a very human workplace in a ruthless and cutthroat industry that can often be anything but.

Why is it important to have a human workplace?

It is important to focus on cultivating a human workplace for all of your employees regardless of their role because this can help them feel valued and appreciated. Not only this, but this can boost their mental health and wellbeing and can even prevent them from taking a lot of time off work. Not only this, but you might find that a human workplace can allow you to more easily stay in line with employment laws, such as those involving accessibility and discrimination. With a happier workforce, you might find that your business is more productive and that deadlines are reached more easily. Not only this, but you will be able to build a great reputation for yourself as a brand, as well as an employer.

Why is this sometimes a challenge?

Although your heart might be in the right place, creating a human workplace for your team members is sometimes difficult. Not only do you constantly have to keep your budget in mind, but you must also have the time required to host meetings with individuals. This is also sometimes a challenge since most leaders will want to prioritize the success of their business, which they might believe that a human workplace for their employees could compromise. It can also be a challenge to develop a human workplace as employee input is required to create this, and some employees might be reluctant to share their ideas because they do not feel comfortable putting their opinions out there.

How can you create a human workplace?

You can create a human workplace by instilling processes to deal with common issues such as bereavement. Rather than firing any employee who takes time off for bereavement, you should have a support network in place for them and you should make sure that they are able to take compassionate leave if they need to. If necessary, you might consider heading onto a course to find out how to better manage this in the workplace. You might also speak to the employee in question about what they need, such as a staggered return to work, and you might try to be understanding if they are less productive or if their work is of a lesser quality than usual. If you want to create a kinder workplace for all, you should consider researching managing bereavement in the workplace further.

You can also create a human workplace by speaking to employees about the changes that they would like to see and keeping an open dialogue, which will allow employees to come to you with any feedback or issues that you have. This will allow you to make changes on a case-by-case basis and will ensure that no one struggles with a problem or a life event alone. You can encourage employees to speak to you about problems by maintaining a positive relationship with them and by creating a great track record of defending your employees and being compassionate.

Not only this, but you should offer well-being days for your employees which they can use on a hobby or activity that they enjoy and are passionate about or that might help them to destress. You should consider setting up well-being classes and offering a gym membership to those who want to boost their mood through exercise. You might also offer a discount on counseling services and talking therapies, as well as health insurance. You should offer your employees additional time off for family celebrations and their birthdays, and you should host parties to celebrate your employees at the end of the summer and the holidays.

It is also important to create human-led policies that will allow your employees to realize where you stand on certain issues, such as bullying and discrimination, so that they know that they never face to face these without the full support of their manager and the owner of their company. You should also update these policies often so that they can remain in-line with your company’s developments as it starts to grow and with the current laws and employee protections that are in place.