Creating a Healthy Workplace Culture in 2021

It’s no secret that as we come to the end of the year, and the start of a new one, things are going to look very different than they did in the past. Lockdown restrictions, remote working, limited contact and extra shifts are all small examples of how things will look different in any workplace for the coming year. With these changes, we will also start to say workplace culture and habits changing as well. It is important to buckle down and face these issues head on than pretend things will magically get better in 2021 and we won’t have to worry about it. Let’s first figure out where to look.

It’s important to start with the first proper step, communication

Clear and concise communication is arguably the most important step towards helping a team transition. It is important to note that you do not have to be a manager or supervisor to communicate and effectively facilitate change. In fact, if team members communicate effectively, it makes the supervisor’s job easier as well. It is important however that people in leadership roles practice this daily, if not every minute.

Communicating properly to your team can be daunting especially with all the things you might already have on your plate, but they will thank you for it in the long run. If a leader begins to make big decisions and changes without letting the team in on their thought process, how does that constitute a team at all? Properly relaying messages like this also creates a group mentality where team members feel like they understand what goals they are contributing to. Nobody likes to work towards an undefined goal, and in a time like this, unity and clarity are more important than ever!

As a team member, there are ways you can help encourage a culture of effective communication, even without a leadership role:

Ask questions

This may seem like an obvious point but it cannot be stressed enough. As a team member it is important to make sure everyone is on the same page and if a leader says something that doesn’t make total sense to you, odds are others didn’t get it either. Make sure you ask questions and help the leader get their point across to everyone else.

Asking questions not only clears the confusion for others but also shows team members that questions are welcome and in fact encouraged. Now that a lot of meetings are online via video call, this leaves even more room for confusion and also leads to new social situations where it can be unclear when questions are appropriate. Unless it’s been determined beforehand, experiment with asking questions at different times or even ask your leader to ask for questions more often during the meeting.

Nobody has ever been in a situation like what we are experiencing now so there isn’t much to look at in terms of precedent. That is why it is imperative that every team member contributes to experimenting with the new environment.

Familiarize yourself with the platform

Speaking of experimenting with the environment, start to get a feel for the platform. Many businesses have moved to conferences online through zoom, blue jeans, and various other platforms. While they all have general similarities and features, each also has a few hidden gems to them that can make meetings run a bit smoother, or even more fun.

As a leader or team member, it is important to be aware of these features and utilize them to the best of your ability. Many companies, ones I work with included, used to do weekly or monthly team building exercises. These activities would include bowling, karaoke, movies, and things like that. Obviously during lockdown and in the future with restrictions coming up, things like that are not going to be the same. A resource still available to us however, is these conference call applications. Many are free and even if that isn’t the case, they can be very affordable. As a leader or team member, you could host a game night of sorts through one of these applications which helps team members get to know each other better and also breeds a sense of community that a lot of us are lacking since social interactions are so limited.

Don’t be afraid to delegate, and don’t be afraid to take on a little extra

With how quickly things turned on their heads because of COVID-19, it’s pretty safe to say that you never know how crazy things can get until you’re in the middle of it. Because of this, it is important that a team knows who they can rely on for certain tasks when things get a little rough. If someone on the team is having a hard time, they should not be afraid to ask for help from a leader or peer.

The same goes for leaders. Delegating tasks to team members is exactly how they learn the skills that help them reach leadership positions themselves. Allow them room to grow and see things from the perspective they’re aiming to achieve. This will surely help them reach their goals quicker and they will know what to do once they’ve made it.

Going back to that sense of community I keep mentioning, new roles are being developed and new responsibilities with them. Remote working and reducing hours in an office/store have created a very unique atmosphere teams were not prepared for. Delegating tasks is not an admittance of weakness or being lazy but rather an acknowledgment of how important team work can be. Play on the strengths of your team while slowly creating a unified message that everyone can get behind.

Lastly, understand the power of relationships

“You could be the best in the room but you won’t be your best self without others encouraging and challenging you.”

This quote really stands out to me as it goes to show there really is no “I” in “team”. Find a purpose in the things you say to other team mates, during and after work hours. What you say to each other creates the basis to your relationships more than ever when interactions are more digital than physical. This isn’t to say spend hours mulling over every word, but understand your own intention and make it as clear as you can.

As a leader or senior, this is especially important. Newer members of the team will associate you directly with the company’s message and if you can’t uphold it through a proper relationship, neither will they in the future. It truly starts with you and can end with you if you aren’t careful. Your relationships interact with others and create huge ripples through the team that nobody can fully realize alone.

The culture is what you make it

No one person can control the workplace culture. It comes down to the communication between peers and leaders, as well as the members of the team themselves. Each individual has something important to say and they deserve a space to feel valued. Good leaders know that they never stop learning and good team members know their title alone doesn’t decide their worth. I want to leave this article off with a good bit of knowledge my mentor taught me:

In order to get the best from each other we must

Believe the best in one another

Want the best for one another

Expect the best from one another