3 Ways Leaders Can Improve Their Workplaces Today

There is a lot of work to be done each day in your organization. As a leader, you feel like you are inundated with tasks and responsibilities. But if you stop and think about it for a minute, without your employees there as part of your organization, your job would be so much harder. Nobody wants that, right?

In a world of limited qualified candidates available for open positions and a shift to looking at work as truly an employee experience, leaders need to have actionable items that they can use in their organizations today. Here are 3 ways leaders can improve their workplaces today.

Now Recognition

This is one of the easiest actions a leader can implement, but is often lost in the daily operations of the business. If someone on your team, does something great, let them know whole-heartedly. Now. Don’t wait to say it at the all-company meeting or at your next one-on-one. (You can say it there too.) This recognition occurs on the spot. Thank you’s and high fives are great, but to add more zeal, be prepared with ways to show recognition your way. Keep items like small value gift cards or shout out cards in your desk. Or tailor the recognition nuggets to your individual style. I knew a manager who loved to play the cards that so he gave out playing cards with hand-written notes on them. Another manager liked to play the guitar so he played for his team when they reached milestones on a project.

The De-Clutter Genie

Go with me here. Think Robert DeNiro from the movie The Intern where he cleans up the junk on desk that everyone else ignored meets Marie Kondo. There are spaces in every office that needed de-cluttering two years ago. What if that corner full of brochures from the last 4 marketing campaigns was suddenly cleaned? Do you think someone would notice? Ah, yes. Less junk. More space. One less task on someone else’ list. Better workplace, check.

Take a Break

If you don’t take a lunch break as a leader, many of your employees will simply eat lunch at their desks and work. Research has shown repeatedly that a break away from your desk (or even better the workplace), increases productivity and innovation. Which in turn, improves your workplace.

None of these recommendations require a great deal of money. They do not need a myriad of meetings to roll out. They do require an intentional focus away from the operational part of the business to focus on the human capital, A.K.A people, side for part of the day. I firmly believe finding a way to carve out time during the week to improve the workplace is a challenge every leader should be willing to take.