Positive culture

1
Professional Workplace Culture For
Employees
Presented by ESI Employee Services Inc.
2
Why is Creating a
Professional Workplace Culture
Important?
3
A Professional Workplace Culture Includes

• Healthy Work Relationships
• Increased Productivity
• A Sense of Safety and Well-being

4
How is it helpful?

• Reduces stress
• Promotes better teamwork
• Enhances job satisfaction

5
Professional vs. Unprofessional

• People enjoy working together
• Changes can be made with full cooperation
• Employees and managers are willing to help
  wherever needed
• Customers report high marks for service
• Problems and issues are discussed openly
• When something doesnt work, the focus is on
  identifying issues not blaming

• People form cliques and gossip
• Employees resist change or undermine it
• Employees and managers stick to its not my
  job attitude
• Customers complain about service
• Problems arent discussed even though everyone
  knows about them
• When something doesnt work, the focus is on
  blaming people or each other

6
Respect

• In a respectful, caring, and responsible work
  environment
• Employees feel valued
• Communication is polite and courteous
• People treat each other as they want to be
  treated
• Conflict is addressed in a positive and
  respectful manner
• Harassment and disrespectful behavior are not
  tolerated

7
You may NOT like someone or choose them as a
friend, but it is your responsibility to figure
out how to have a courteous and professional work
relationship.
EVERYONE deserves to be treated respectfully at
work.
8
What are the Barriers to a Professional Work
Environment?

• Job-related stressors
• Issues with co-workers and/or supervisors
• Difficulty managing responsibilities or tasks
• Personal issues or problems
• Past experiences
• Health issues

9
Strategies for a Positive Work Environment

• Try to understand the other persons point of
  view
• Accept values and opinions that are different
  from your own (or agree to disagree)
• Identify your own feelings before you share your
  concerns with another person
• Do not blame, threaten, or name call even if you
  are angry or hurt
• Report harassment, discrimination, or abuse

10
No matter what your line of work, your degree
of success depends on your ability to interact
effectively with other people.
From The 5 Essential People Skills by Dale
Carnegie
11
Methods of Communication
Sometimes it is not WHAT you say, but HOW you
say it.
12
Verbal Communication
It involves words, tone, and pace.
13
Non-Verbal Communication

• Body language (arms crossed, sitting, relaxed,
  tense, etc)
• Emotion of the sender and receiver (anxious,
  angry, upset, stressed, etc)
• Similarities or differences between the people
  (friends, adversaries, age, profession, etc)

14
Communication The Process

• In any communication at least some of the
  meaning is lost
• The message that is heard is often far different
  than the one intended, due to a variety of
  factors.

15
Some Barriers of Effective Communication

• Misreading body language, tone, and other
  non-verbal forms of communication
• Selective hearing or distractions
• Defensiveness
• Assumptions
• Judgments (e.g., stereotyping)
• Cultural differences
• Stress

16
Barriers to Active Listening

• Mind Reading
• Interrupting
• Filtering
• Rehearsing

17
Effective Communication

• Maintain a positive and concerned attitude
• Be aware of your audience
• Use approachable language
• Say Lets see what we can do, instead of
  automatically saying, No

18
Effective Communication

• Be direct and specific
• Utilize assertive communication skills
• Assumes that I have the right to express myself
  and be heard and so do you, even if we do not
  agree
• Talk about actions not character
• Take responsibility for your own thoughts and
  feelings
• Use direct statements to express thoughts,
  feelings, and ideas

19
Words that Promote Conflict

• You must
• This is so typical of you
• You always / you never
• The problem is
• If you dont do this, then
• Youll never change
• Youre being hysterical
• What is the matter with you?

20
The Iceberg of Conflict
21
Additional Strategies

• Respect each others boundaries
• Acknowledge and solve problems
• Acknowledge the other persons needs
• Listen patiently and repeat back what you think
  you heard
• Use empathy
• Ask questions that will provide you with
  information
• Give each other the benefit of the doubt
• Offer a choice of solutions

22
Additional Strategies

• Try to get along with difficult people
• Remember, difficult people often come into a
  situation with their own set of problems we may
  be unaware of
• Focus on the facts not on their emotions
• Try not to take it personally and focus on the
  whole person
• Listen patiently and let the person express
  him/herself
• Acknowledge the other persons feelings or pain
• Show that you really heard and understand by
  clarifying their words

23
Additional Strategies

• Balance family and work life
• Create a supportive network of co-workers and
  friends

24
Conclusion
A professional work culture is enhanced if
employees continually use effective strategies to
actively listen to one another and work together
to resolve differences in a healthy way.
25
The Leader in Productivity Solutions More
benefits More programs More value than any other
EAP