Good Ways To Curate A Supportive Atmosphere Within Your Company

Becoming a business owner means taking on more responsibility than ever before. Not only do you have a legal entity to turn into a profitable company, but the human element can be so unpredictable and hard to manage. Which is why it’s so important to know what goes on in your office, and make sure you’re actively curating a supportive atmosphere.

So, once you’ve found the right office space, it’s time to focus on building the best atmosphere – a.k.a., one people actively want to work in! But what does it take to set up a working situation like that? Well, we’ve got some good tips for you below. Check out our list if you’re worried you’ll struggle to make your workplace a good company to be in.

Understand Different Employee Needs

Some employees are going to need different accommodations. If you hire someone in a wheelchair, let’s say, you’ll need to provide easy access in and out of the building, as well as design an inclusive space for them to work in. But if you’re someone who is not disabled and requires no such special assistance, this can unfortunately become an afterthought.

As such, it’s up to you right now to ensure that this issue is pushed to the top of the priority list. Hiring talent for your business means you’ve got a diverse pool of candidates to pull from, and you need to ensure anyone can come through the door and find a good place to work. It’s a matter of thinking from someone else’s perspective, and seeing the job through to accommodate them.

Set Up Break Facilities

You’re a small operation right now, and that’s fine – you don’t need to provide a 5 star service that’ll make everyone want to come and work for you! You just need to provide the very basics; toilet access and a break room with a sink, fridge, and drink appliances.

You should also stick some tables and chairs in there to give your team a place to sit, chat, and eat during their lunch break. A couch could also be a good choice, but they tend to be more pricey, and you don’t want to eat into your budget unnecessarily.

You’ll also want to keep break facilities as clean as possible. No one will want to use toilets that only get cleaned once a week! You can outsource these tasks to a local cleaning company, or you could do some cleaning of your own – it’s up to your budget to decide.

Know How Physical Hazards May Occur

There can be many physical hazards within the workplace, even if you’re just working within a traditional office. The amount of specialist equipment and machinery on site at all times can be hard to navigate around, for one, and turn into dangerous hazards in their own time, for another. And that’s why it’s good to work out how these dangers may occur, and what you can do right now to prevent them.

For example, you can go on NEBOSH National General Certificate training courses to gain a real qualification in safe workplace set up. This will give you the leg up in office layout and design, and what rules and regulations you’ll need to keep to as a business owner.

Employing people to work for you comes with the assurance that your company values life and experience above all else, and offering that guarantee from the offset will make your team feel much more secure when on the job.

Set the Social Tone Early on

You’ll want your workplace to be perceived as a friendly place. This means you’ll need to set the social tone early on. You can do this very easily by operating an ‘open door policy’, and never shutting yourself off from your own team.

While desk privacy is a good thing, pulling down cubicle barriers and encouraging an open working space can help conversation to follow. It’s also much cheaper to go without closed-layout furniture in the first place! Go out and talk regularly and don’t look back.

Give Back

Giving back is a big part of being a responsible employer. You need to ensure your team members get just as much from you as you get from their labor. And that means you should offer some kind of benefits package.

Yes, you’re a small business with not a lot to give, but you can offer proper vacation time and even health insurance. A little bit goes a long way here; if your employees know it’s not just the salary they can get from you, they’re going to be much happier in doing their best work.

Don’t Be Afraid of Personality

Personality is what sets small businesses apart from each other. So, whatever brand image you’re pushing out there, make sure it gets proper representation within your workspace as well. This will help the atmosphere to center on your company and the message you’re bringing to the masses.

Plus it’s just nicer to stare at good art on the wall, rather than a simple whitewashed canvas! Try to design your office around the kind of business you are, and the kind of people you are as well. Bring some life, color, and personality into the space.

It’ll go a long way to helping you build team rapport, and can even help you put some more motivation out there. A comfortable desk area, with employees able to bring items from home, is one you can settle into quickly!

Setting the scene just right is a good way to put your business on the map. After all, if people like working for you, they’re going to tell people about it! And that reputation really makes the rounds, both on the company side and the consumer side. So make an effort now to curate the atmosphere to the best of your abilities. There’s nothing more productive than leading a happy team who love coming to work for you!

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