Phillip Lorne Lovin is a contributor for stories on logistics and motivational leadership. In the following article, Phil Lovin discusses the psychology in maintaining a positive work environment, focusing on valuable relationships and employee needs – and keeping things fresh for employees and the corporation.
TGI-M? Thank goodness its… Monday?
A sentence like that has likely never been uttered in a professional work environment, and is there any wonder why?
The vast majority of people liken their workplaces to feelings of demotivation, a lack of value, and other negative connotations that may be detrimental to not just their personal morale, but the sanctitude of the workplace overall. With these emotions so deeply tied to the workplace, Phil Lovin asks, is there any way to turn the tide?
Thankfully, there is. Philip Lovin says that through the practice of strategic positive psychology throughout a work setting, the cultivation of a positive environment, happy employees, and other benefits is far from impossible.
The Positive Psychology Phenomena
It may seem simple enough to say that maintaining a positive work environment will in turn bring positive results in the workplace – from a thriving company to desirable results (higher sales, increased productivity, etc.), but the practice of positive psychology is easier said than done.
Philip Lovin reports that a 2017 study regarding the most effective designs of a workplace, were 3 areas where corporations can instill positive psychology in their work environments:
- Workplace autonomy
- Valuable, professional relationships
- Employee needs
Phil Lovin breaks each of these aspects down:
- Workplace Autonomy
Philip Lorne Lovin reports that if a business or corporation requires teamwork to get a job done, or values individual performance over group cooperation, a certain value should be placed on autonomous performance, as it’s been researched that it bears the best results for the workplace overall.
Placing importance on self-leadership and job autonomy makes it so the individual employee feels their presence is valuable, and in turn makes them feel wanted. Not only does it boost personal morale, but it also helps cultivate and build their own professional skills – thus boosting the performance of each employee explains Phil Lovin.
Growing their leadership skills boosts confidence, allowing an employee to tackle assignments and work-related activities with an ease of mind rather than hesitance in their own ability. In turn, they’ll be able to perform better in a work environment with the rest of the staff as well.
- Valuable Relationships
Building a valuable professional relationship is easier said than done but understanding the importance of them in the workplace will make it a challenge worth taking on.
Professional relationships should be built with superiors and their employees, as well as employees with their coworkers.
Of course, the start of a relationship can be as simple as a “Hope you have a good day” or “Is there anything you need help with?” and build over time. Employees recognizing and praising other coworkers on their skill set and what they’re good at helps a business grow an air of trust and heightened performance.
- Employee Needs
Philip Lovin explains that how the higher-ups in a corporation treat subordinate employees is likely the most crucial area where positive psychology is needed. And it boils down to one simple rule: listening.
If employees are being transparent about areas in which the workplace is falling short, whether it’s something as small as restocking the bathrooms to something as major as workplace harassment, the timeliness in which superiors act upon these complaints shows that they value their employees’ time spent working for the company.
Listening to the needs of the employees will also show workers that they can share their thoughts and complaints without worrying about being ignored or pushed aside. Philip Lovin says to keep things anonymous, employees can post surveys regarding areas of improvement that can be submitted on a rolling basis.
Applying Positive Psychology in The Workplace
There’s no need to spend copious amounts of money on enforcing positive psychology in a business setting – a lot of the changes that need to be made can be done on an easy timeline:
- Empathizing With Growth – Change doesn’t happen overnight; and any corporation who’s willing to see effective change needs to understand that. Setting a goal and understanding that bumps will happen during the journey is vital to employee performance.
- Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork – When working in a team environment, superiors should take the time to learn the skills of each of their employees so they can place them in teams where their talents are important, and shine.
- Keep Things Fresh – Philip Lovin says that stagnation breeds boredom and dislike, so keeping an open work environment (looser schedules and deadlines, remote working options) allows employees to feel freer, more independent, and thus happier in their position.
Though the look of a 9-5 career emanates stability, it’s a model that can always be expanded upon and improved, and with instilling positive psychology where needed can kick off major strides for the modern employee and corporations.
