We near the end of the review of the seven individual attributes of the RESPECT model (Recognition, Exciting Work, Security, Pay, Education and Career Growth, Conditions, and Truth) with a focus on positive working conditions.
When I began my research, I anticipated that positive physical working conditions would be among the things employees most wanted. However, I was surprised at how powerful the desire was for a supportive social environment. In fact, of the employees who stated positive working conditions was what they most wanted from their employer, only 18 percent pointed to physical conditions. Most of them—82 percent— identified positive social conditions.
Employees who mentioned the physical aspects of the job mentioned safety and health concerns, as well as equipment and resource needs. Comments included:
- “Healthy and safe work environment”
- “Safety—to get home each night” “I want a workspace that is clean, quiet, responsible, and safe.”
- “To offer equipment that is in good working condition and safe to operate”
Social support means having fun and feeling less stressed. It means having a strong team and being trusted to get the job done. Employees who want a socially supportive workplace want to offer opinions and input and to be heard, especially by their managers. Along these lines, employees made comments such as:
- “There is a need for a healthy, stress-free, and encouraging environment.”
- “The workload should be given out more evenly.”
- “Understanding that there is a balance between work and home life, that I can’t drop everything for work”
- “I want a feeling of working together as a team.”
When it comes to employees’ favorability ratings of their workplace, social working conditions lag the ratings of physical working conditions. We might be surprised by this, but the social aspects of one’s job are cheaper to attend to than safety and physical environment. On the other hand, social conditions at work are harder to identify and often more difficult to remedy. They rely on employees’ feelings of trust and being part of a team. Once damaged, camaraderie and cooperation are often difficult to repair.
ACTIONS TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS
Here are some steps that may help any organization begin to improve physical working conditions:
1. Spread the word about available resources. Many organizations already have resources to supply special equipment, nursing services, safety escorts, “after-dark” taxi reimbursements, or other services. Managers must make sure employees are aware of what is available.
2. Provide safety education. Proper safety training should be provided to educate employees on what to do when things go wrong and to highlight the consequences of inaction.
3. Manage the workspace. A clean and well-ordered workspace can lead to a more efficient operation.
4. Acknowledge different employee needs. Managers should attempt to accommodate individual differences in variables such as height, age, and strength. This will influence how employees relate to safety or environmental issues.
ACTIONS TO IMPROVE SOCIAL WORKING CONDITIONS
1. Create understanding and share information. Sharing may include a discussion of employee skills, talents, and work or project histories.
2. Identify best practices. Employees often have great ideas for improving performance. Managers can conduct sessions with co-workers doing similar jobs to establish best practices.
3. Build team spirit and goal commitment. Annual retreats or off-site meetings provide opportunities to recognize and reward team accomplishments and celebrate with employees.
4. Delegate work evenly and appropriately build on skill sets. Avoid employee burnout by spreading the work around and asking employees whether they can take on more.