You know a well functioning workplace when you see it.. You also know when it’s not so good!!
I was at the hairdresser today – and this is what I saw:
- Staff doing the ad hoc cleaning jobs that need to be done (but often don’t get done). More importantly – without being asked.
- People actively helping each other out but with a clear sense of who needed to do what.
- Laughter and fun and camaraderie amongst the team.
- Lots of communication so everyone knew what was going on.
In short:
- Each person knew what was expected of them.
- There was a functional and harmonious team.
- The boss did over and above the right thing, but knew she would get it back in spades in terms of productivity, loyalty and a consistent work ethic.
- There was an overriding sense of trust and that people liked each other – at least enough to spend eight hours today together in a small environment.
Do you have a well functioning workplace?
It’s always a good litmus test- what would people see and say about your team if they were observing you for the first time? If you don’t know, here’s an easy test. Ask someone who doesn’t know the team or the workplace to do a walk through. Ask them to observe what they saw about the environment the way that people interacted with each other, what the general ‘feel’ was.
It’s an interesting test – because it is here that people will often tell you about the noticeboards that are filled with irrelevant and out of date information. About how there is a sense of overwhelming quiet. People sitting next to each other emailing each other rather than getting up to talk.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Look around different workplaces.
- How can you tell when a workplace functions well?
- What would people say about your workplace and your team?
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See you tomorrow (yes a month of posting daily!)
