25 Simple Ways To Increase Motivation In The Workplace

Last week, my team leader organized an outing for all of us. We went for a picnic close by and had a lovely day full of friendly, informal interactions which refreshed us greatly. We returned to work with renewed vigour, and that made me realize how important motivation is for employees to perform well and enjoy their work- as well as the various things that can be done to increase motivation.

So, what are some simple ways to increase motivation in the workplace? On the employer’s part, a few things the company and managers can do to motivate employees include taking feedback regularly, giving rewards and recognition, etc. Employees can motivate themselves by participating in all office activities, forming friendly relationships with colleagues, and so on.

Nowadays most individuals spend the majority of their day, at least five days a week, in the office space, working. Thus, people have many opinions and differing perceptions of their workplace. Due to stress and long working hours, many employees feel tired and find themselves lacking in motivation and enthusiasm to continue, and to deliver their best performance. If managers motivate and encourage their employees, it will also increase the employee’s attachment to the company and will ensure they stay on for longer, as compared to less motivated employees who would leave as soon as they had the chance, resenting stagnation.

To ensure that employees feel energized and keen to continue working for the company, it is necessary to keep them motivated and driven in their attempts. It is important to understand that motivated employees never fail to give their best and also go home every day satisfied with their workplace. Many companies misunderstand the concept of motivation to be limited merely to monetary incentives and promotions, but in reality, motivation is far beyond money and material assets, concerned more with employee satisfaction and happiness at the workplace.

Why is workplace motivation important?

Before discussing some ways and means to increase motivation in the workplace, it is useful to consider the precise role and importance of such motivation for employees. As it is, the act of going to work every day, performing routine tasks, can be quite monotonous sometimes and can feel irritating. In such a case, it is necessary to find ways to motivate employees at the workplace to boost performance as well as mood. Not only does motivation serve in bettering employees’ performance, but it also builds an atmosphere of positivity, cordiality and high energy in the workplace. Moreover, motivated employees will also find it easier to put in effort even for the toughest tasks and will be able to face many hurdles gracefully.

In the long run as well, motivation is particularly important for both the employees as well as the organization. Employees who experience motivation and hence, fulfilment at their workplace, are likelier to stick around at the company rather than leaving quickly for better opportunities. This will directly benefit the organization as the employees they have will be gainful, productive Opens in a new tab. and yield great results throughout the years. Thus it is good for employers to do things that motivate and inspire their employees, as well as for employees to motivate each other and themselves continually.

25 Ways to Enhance Motivation in the Workplace

Professionally, there are some methods to motivate employees that most companies agree upon. These include appraisal, promotion, raise in salary and other compensation. However, these are largely formal measures. There is a lot more beyond this that can be done regularly and on an informal level to motivate employees. These measures consist of the following, among many-

1. Reward system– Apart from official rewards and recognition, there should also be informal acknowledgment and recognition at the workplace. Everyone wants to be appreciated and praised for their good work, and so do employees. Employers are advised to observe instances of hard work or good performance by employees and appreciate them verbally and/or by email from time to time. As an employee, you can do your bit to motivate your colleagues by pointing out their good work as well. To motivate oneself at work, one should also not forget to reward and incentivize their own selves for completing a difficult task.

2. Physical wellness– It is said that all work and no play make Jack a dull boy, and the same is true for employees in a workplace. The workplace and associated tasks come with their own set of pressures, so to relieve that stress and motivate employees; it is recommended that offices should have a gym or recreation area where activities such as yoga, Zumba and aerobics can be practised. Employers should encourage their employees to partake in physical exercise to relieve stress Opens in a new tab. and motivate them to take care of their health, so that they also perform better at work. As an employee, you will find that exercise such as dance, yoga, cardio, will boost your stamina and revitalize you, providing motivation to you at work.

3. Appropriate allocation of work– One misconception many employees and managers as well hold is that taking on a large workload shows sincerity, hard work, enthusiasm as well as skill. However, taking on too much work will bog you down, drain your energy, create confusion and will prevent you from giving your best, which serves as a de-motivator ultimately. Being unable to finish all the work or finishing it in a less than optimal manner would make one feel like they are not very adept and cause severe de-motivation.

Thus, as an employee, avoid taking more work than you know you can do at a time. Speak to your manager or superior and chalk out your Key Responsibility Areas, explaining your capacities and coming to an agreement. Similarly, if you are a manager, you can simply assess your employee’s capabilities and assign work accordingly.

4. Stay organized– A complement to taking up an appropriate workload is the habit of staying organized. As an employee, it is advisable that you make a daily to-do list in a planner, if you like, or on post papers you can stick at your desk. Organizing your tasks neatly, preferably putting tasks of urgency higher on the list and ticking them off as you finish them, will help you get the work done easily and will also motivate you to finish the rest of the tasks well. An optional pointer is that you can use colourful pens, markers and paper to note these tasks down, as colour coding can serve as a great differentiator and may also brighten your mood. Staying organized is a must for motivation, both for high ranking managers as well as for junior staff, as it makes one feel that they are on top of things and not struggling.

5. Remember to take breaks– As mentioned before; there is a certain monotony that can set in to daily activities. Office life is no different. As most work today is largely sedentary, remember to get up and take a break. It’s a good idea to go out and get some fresh air, which will not only energize you, but will also help motivate you to get back to work. Moreover, a break does not necessarily mean going out. You could always walk around the office, get some tea or coffee, chat a bit with a colleague, listen to some music or read something.

6. Separate work timings from time spent in leisure– What one often forgets or overlooks in the daily routine is taking out time for their very own selves. It happens many times that one has to take office work home due to spill over. That cannot be helped, but you must remember to allot some time to your own personal relaxation, be it an hour, or more if you can afford it. At the very least, try to put aside half an hour to forty five minutes on weekdays and devote it to doing something you enjoy- reading, watching television, etc. In the time reserved for these leisure activities, try not to let work come in between. Thus, when you go to work the next day, you will be fresh and motivated.

7. Seek feedback and advice– Asking for feedback is a good idea at work, since it lets you know where you need improvement, as well as all the areas you, as an employee or manager, excel in. Such feedback is an excellent motivator- if you get suggestions on where to improve, it’ll motivate you to work harder in those areas, and positive reinforcement will give a feeling of accomplishment. For employers and senior managers, it is advised that feedback and constructive criticism be delivered with compassion, consideration and useful advice that motivates the employee and helps them grow professionally as well as individually.

8. Build lasting relationships– The workplace becomes an even more engaging place to spend the majority of the day when one has friends and like-minded people to talk to and spend some time with. There is already a lot in common between people who work in the same office, so it’s a good idea to bond with colleagues and have meals with them. These friendships will provide motivation to come to work and perform tasks every day, because of the interactions in between, and will also boost the mood.

9. Remind yourself to learn from failure– When something goes wrong, particularly at work, and it was your mistake, don’t sit down and despair over it. Rather, learn from the error you made and make sure it does not happen again. If you are making particular errors each time with a certain task, ask your colleagues and/or manager for advice on how to rectify it rather than giving up and feeling de-motivated- you would be surprised how many people are willing to assist rather than judge. Remind yourself of all the struggles you have overcome in the past and let your past successes motivate you to perform well at work.

10. Step out of your comfort zone– While this may seem counter-intuitive to motivation, it really is not. It is a good idea to challenge oneself in the work sphere by taking up new tasks and new projects which demand out of the box thinking and creativity. If there are new skills to learn, try your hand at those. Learning new things and overcoming challenges will motivate you at your workplace and will ensure you are ready for future tasks. If you are in a managerial position, encourage your team to take up new and challenging tasks. Encourage them and guide them if they get stuck with something, so that they feel motivated by the entire process. (We have written a related article – 26 Workplace Wellness Activities You Can Implement Today Opens in a new tab. )

11. Alter your mindset– It has been proven that our psychology has a lot to do with the way we do things and react to circumstances and situations. If you perceive any task as difficult, boring or tiresome before even attempting it, your mindset will negatively affect the task in question and you will lack motivation to complete it. Since you have already perceived the task in a negative light, very little can change your mind when you start working on it and that will likely ruin the outcome. Instead, look forward to even the most tedious work. Head into every task and project with a positive mindset and tell yourself good things about it: that it will be easy and fun to go about. This will give you the required motivation and energy for every task.

12. Think long-term– Sometimes we tend to lose sight of the light at the end of the tunnel. We forget why we are doing something and what we hope to achieve by doing so. When you feel low or de-motivated at work, remember what first inspired you to start working at the company, or for that particular project. Assess whether, over time, these goals or aims have changed and how that change reflects itself in your work. Once you recall what motivated you then or understand what drives your efforts currently, you will have a purpose again and feel motivated to achieve whatever you set out to.

13. Begin with easy tasks– Unless something must be completed urgently, a good way to increase motivation and energy is to begin with easier, smaller tasks and progress to tougher ones. If you start with the most difficult task, it may de-motivate you if you keep struggling with it. Then it will become a tough prospect to even carry out the work you find easy and interesting. However, if you start with easy tasks, it will motivate you when you observe your progress and make a count of all the things you already finished.

14. Keep positivity around you– In order to retain motivation at work, it is important to remain positive come what may. While you should focus on being positive and behaving so with your colleagues as well, you should also surround yourself with the kind of people who nurture that positivity within you. Stay away from gossipmongers and the kind of co-workers who talk behind backs and never have a kind word for anyone. Such people will drag you down and de-motivate you.

15. Socialize outside work– While it is necessary and even interesting to have work-centric discussions in the workplace particularly, it is also important to step out of the office environment and bond with colleagues and superiors outside work. Make plans with colleagues to catch a movie or have lunch at a restaurant. This kind of socialization will create fond memories of your colleagues and workplace for you and will be a good motivating force as well. If you are a manager, try organizing fun activities for your team, even if it does not include going outside the office. Every fortnight or month, you can have a catch-up session or an hour of fun games like charades. This will serve in motivating the entire team and creating a positive work environment.

16. Decorate your desk space– A good way to motivate oneself every day is to keep such things in front of your eyes that inspire you and give you strength and happiness in difficult times. You can put up posters of quotes and such words that encourage and energize you, perhaps some family photos, pictures of pets, friends, and fond memories. Consider keeping a potted plant and other knick-knacks such as your favourite mug, a nice stationery-holder, etc. Seeing the things you love every day when you go into work, will make an excellent motivator. Also remember that a clean workspace helps calm the mind and clear it of tensions and muddled thoughts- so keep your desk neat and organized to feel motivated. (We have written a related article – 25 Desks Your Office Needs for Health & Wellness)

17. Make complex tasks simple– As a manager or team lead, one thing you can do to motivate yourself as well as the employees you are responsible for, is turning new or difficult tasks into simple and fun games. Supplement this venture by giving out small tokens of appreciation for good work, like little badges, cards etc. Even as an employee struggling with a task that is tedious, you can attempt to make a game out of the tough work and watch as it gets done quicker than before. Break down larger tasks into small bits, so that it never feels too much or overwhelming to finish.

18. Provide authority to decide– This tip will work for anyone who has people reporting to them. What you can do to motivate these employees is providing them with distinct autonomy and authority. That is not to say that you should leave every decision to be made by them, such as deadlines, etc. But it will really motivate them if you allow them to decide such matters as how they wish to complete a certain task, and are accommodative of their needs. The idea behind this motivation technique is to clearly state the tasks and aim of these tasks, while giving the employees freedom to decide how they go about it- providing them liberty along with correspondent responsibility.

19. Believe in healthy competition– While there is often unspoken competition between employees working together in hopes of recognition and perhaps, promotion; it is important to keep in mind that it should be healthy competition. To remain motivated, consider it a friendly game rather than real rivalry, because the latter would only create negative emotions such as resentment. If you believe in healthy competition, you will be motivated to do your best and to learn how to improve if you don’t win.

Never take it personally or too deeply if a more deserving employee is chosen for rewards and recognition, but try harder instead and seek advice from them on how to perform better. However, if you feel that you are constantly being passed on and are always overlooked despite best efforts, it may indeed be time for a switch in jobs.

20. Leadership– If you are in a leadership position, remember that it is important to have a mission and vision and share that with your juniors and colleagues. Employees need to know that the people they are looking to for guidance and support at work, have a positive, clear and forward-facing attitude and can handle any challenge with a smile on their face.

If you want to motivate your juniors, make sure they see that you too are motivated and focused. Be transparent with your team as much as possible, as very few situations are as de-motivating as being left out of the loop and kept in the dark. Seeing your dedication and accountability will inspire and motivate your team to practise the same values.

21. Career growth– Sometimes one may feel like they have been trying hard to move ahead in their career but are stuck in a rut. That can feel very de-motivating and tiring to even the most positive people. But that’s when it is important to evaluate the situation and consider the options before you. The first thing you can do is assess why you are not moving forward and have an honest conversation with your manager about the same. If you can inform your manager of these roadblocks, it is likely he or she will try to clear them and help you.

Knowing where you are, what you need to do and how you may achieve that, is a good motivating factor. On the other hand, if you are in a managerial position, from your end you can try and make sure that no one in your team is facing such hurdles to promotion or general professional growth. Take account of their skills and capacities, areas of improvement, and hold sessions with them to motivate them and help them.

22. Introduce change– While comfort is necessary to produce good work, it is also true that sometimes too much familiarity breeds contempt. Employees in manager capacity must ensure that some change and newness is introduced in tasks and projects from time to time. Perhaps if one employee is very good at a certain task, or is adept at a particular skill, introduce them to learning a new skill or trying their hand out at a new project. If new practices, technology, skills are put forward and everyone gets a chance to try it, it will motivate employees. As a junior employee seeking motivation as well, you can ask your manager to involve you in new and exciting projects as and when they come up. The novelty will motivate you to participate and do well.

23. Be grateful– It is easy to confuse gratitude with rewards and recognition, as the idea behind both is similar- appreciation. However, gratitude is less quantifiable, and is part of a more humanistic approach to motivating and guiding employees. It is a good practice for managers and senior level executives to get their employees together every week or month, to go around and take turns expressing gratitude, for what they have in done their personal lives as well as in the professional sphere. It is important to do so by yourself as well, every day for a couple of minutes. Counting your blessings will lighten your mood, fill you with inner peace, and will motivate you, giving you a reason to continue work.

24. Celebrate small achievements– So focused are most of us on big goals and larger than life dreams, we often forget to appreciate the little things- especially forgetting to congratulate our own selves on small victories. It is important to take time and smell the flowers, to applaud every accomplishment, no matter how small, made by you as well as those around you at the workplace. This will motivate you to keep achieving and set a standard.

If you are in charge of a team, the same principle applies: celebrate little things, like a meeting wrapped up nicely, and events in team members’ lives, such as work anniversaries, birthdays, etc. This will make the office an enjoyable place where people thrive and feel inspired to work hard every day because of the atmosphere of trust, warmth and camaraderie.

25. Embrace team work opportunities– In today’s work environment, team work is seen increasingly in most organizations. Not only does a cohesive team finish work effectively and on time, it is also useful to complete big projects and helps in building interpersonal relationships among employees. Not everyone however is a team player, but you need to accept and take up team work opportunities with grace and enthusiasm when they are given to you. It is extremely motivating to have a supportive team beside you for difficult tasks, to help you and motivate you when you need it. Managers too, should encourage and create chances for employees to work as teams, with different members from time to time. This will create interest and motivation in employees.

To conclude, it is not necessary that all these above mentioned measures be practised together and all the time. In fact, that would be overwhelming and exhausting for everyone involved, and that is the opposite effect of what motivation intends to do- that is, energize and inspire employees to give their best. However, it is certain that these measures should be considered and implemented in small batches from time to time to make sure that employees don’t lose interest and motivation to continue working.

Many managers make a mistake when they assume that employee motivation should come naturally and they have no hand in providing the same. In fact, managers should play a vital role in creating positive situations for motivating their team. The best thing about the above mentioned tips and measures, moreover, is that these can be implemented in any workplace, no matter what the team/ workforce strength is like and what the industry is.

Finally, to motivate all employees, it is important for managers to make them feel comfortable and a part of the team. Thus, managers must remember to understand and appreciate diversity, treating employees appropriately and respectfully. Employees feel the most motivated when they are respected and valued at their organization and are involved in tasks, decision making and new processes. On their part, employees can motivate themselves by participating whole-heartedly in office activities and after-office functions as well as taking up new projects enthusiastically. Just as a positive work environment motivates employees to perform well and keeps them happy, motivated employees in turn create a thriving work ambience.

Join Open Sourced Workplace

FREE Service Provider Membership sign up here – https://www.opensourcedworkplace.com/create-service-provider-profile

FREE Workplace Professional sign up here – https://www.opensourcedworkplace.com/sign-up Opens in a new tab.

Listen to the Open Sourced Workplace Podcasts here – Apple, Spotify, Anchor, Google, or OSW Website

On Fire At Work – Eric Chester

Eric Chester is a leadership expert who uses some of his connections to bring us the kind of insights into leadership that you can only get from the very best leaders in the world. In fact, he claims to have gone “straight to the source” in an attempt to “uncover their best-practice strategies for getting employees to work harder, perform better, and stay longer.”

(Sign up for Audible and get On Fire at Work plus one other audiobook for FREE – click here)

It’s a pretty good elevator pitch, but it also cuts right to the heart of what On Fire at Work Opens in a new tab. is all about. Better still, with over 25 different leaders included in there from companies like Marriott, Siemens, Wegmans, 7-Eleven and Ben and Jerry’s, you can rest assured that there’s plenty of knowledge here for you to tap into. And better still, while it’s only natural that the best leaders would end up at some of the biggest companies, the advice that they have to share can be applied to companies of all shapes and sizes. (Check out the latest price on Amazon Opens in a new tab. )

And Chester is an expert and a thought-leader in his own right, with a career stretching over 20 years and a half dozen published books to his name. He’s delivered over 2,000 paid keynote speeches on three continents and brings all of that expertise to bear here. And while it’s true that the book is four years old by now, it has a sort of timelessness to it because the ideas and concepts are just as relevant now – and they’ll continue to be relevant in the months and years to come.

On Fire at Work

adj. 1 highly motivated to perform

2. feeling energised and joyful while on the job

3. extremely committed

4. determined to perform above expectations

5. the level beyond employee engagement

syn: productive, loyal, all-in, inspired, dedicated

ant: lazy, apathetic, careless, checked out, inattentive, lackadaisical, half-hearted, dispassionate

(see also: profitable company, employer of choice)

On Fire at Work – How Great Companies Ignite Passion in Their People Without Burning Them Out

Employee engagement isn’t the ultimate goal: it’s just the starting point. That’s the main concept behind this book, and indeed Chester dedicates most of this book to some steps you can follow once you’ve already established a certain amount of engagement in the first place. But first, he needs to dispel a few illusions and to confront why his topic is so important in the first place.

“Today’s old school employers don’t place much credence in buzzword-sounding mumbo jumbo like employee engagement and workplace culture,” Chester explains. “For the most part, they’re fair-minded, practical people who pay wages in exchange for labour. So if you want one of their paycheques, dammit, just do what’s asked of you and keep your mouth shut. That’s ‘the deal’ as they see it.”

The problem with this approach is that these days, people go to work for much more than mere money, and if your only incentive is a financial incentive then it goes without saying that you won’t perform at your best. Fortunately for us, Chester shares the seven pillars of workplace culture, the seven things that employees are looking for from you:

1. Compensation
2. Alignment
3. Atmosphere
4. Growth
5. Acknowledgement
6. Autonomy
7. Communication

A How-To Guide to On-Fire Employee Performance

The rest of this book is largely dedicated to individual chapters on each of those seven pillars, and so we’ll take a look at each of them in turn and give a brief overview of what they mean to managers, although there’s no way that we could ever go in as much depth as Chester goes into his book. You’ll probably want to use this as an introduction to the key concepts and to spend some time developing them further yourself, and if that’s not enough for you then you can always pick up a copy of the book, too.

Let’s get started with the subject of compensation, of which a salary is the most obvious example. Chester points to data from Gallup that suggests that between 31-44% of Americans would quit their job if they won $10 million in the lottery. He also notes that an employee’s paycheque and their engagement level aren’t joined at the hip and adds that while your employees don’t all deserve the same compensation, they do all deserve to be treated fairly.

The problem is that too many companies stop there, and if they do then they’re missing a trick. “Exchanging money for time is easy to calculate,” Chester says, “but without any additional incentives or performance bonuses , these time-based compensation models will disengage and demotivate your people faster than you can say ‘train wreck’.”

Alignment and Atmosphere

Chester points out that “a company’s core values mean nothing unless they’re embodied and displayed by the people who work at the company”. That’s where alignment comes into play, the idea being to inculcate core values from the C-Suite to the custodian’s supply room.

Here, Chester brings in one of the heavyweights, pointing to Kelly King, the Chairman and CEO of BB&T Corp., who said, “There’s been a shift in our society over the last 20 years or so where there’s more of a view toward values. Many universities are teaching that there’s no such thing as absolute honesty. Honesty is relative, which is totally contrary to our culture. We do our best to screen new people to see that their values are as aligned with ours as much as possible. We spend a lot of time teaching our beliefs because our culture is very solid, firm and thick. After some time, you’ll either find your place or you’ll leave.”

Next up, we have atmosphere, which Chester says is all about ensuring employees are safe, well equipped and, perhaps counterintuitively, that they’re goofing off. “The entire concept of workplace atmosphere can seem somewhat nebulous,” Chester says. “What one might consider a great atmosphere could seem dreadful or repulsive to someone else. Perhaps it’s all just a matter of personal taste. And while some cultures are playful and almost circus-like and others are stark and sterile, all work and no play, two key questions remain: Which cultures are the most productive and profitable, and what exactly constitutes an effective workplace atmosphere?”

Growth and Acknowledgement

The idea of growth being important is hardly a new one. Companies need growth if they want to become more profitable, and individuals need growth if they want to feel fulfilled in their role and keep coming into work with a smile on their faces. Part of this comes down to providing people with the opportunities, the tools and resources that they need to continue improving, but Chester has a little further wisdom to share on the subject.

“The more skilled and talented employees are,” Chester says, “the more likely they are to be motivated to learn new skills, develop their talents and expertise, and improve their perceived value both at your company and in the marketplace. A top performer who works for you wants to be better tomorrow than they are today. Moreover, those top performers may even be imagining the day when they themselves are in your job or at a similar level within your organisation or somewhere else. And that’s a good thing.”

Let’s move on to acknowledgement, the next chapter, in which Chester takes a look at what it really means to put people first. He points out that acknowledgement is basically a higher form of recognition. “To acknowledge something requires thought plus action,” Chester says, “whereas to recognise something is often a neutral, passive act. You recognise the distinctive human forms in a Picasso painting. You acknowledge the painting’s beauty and the artist’s mastery.”

Many employee recognition programmes are exactly that: they’re programmes. They don’t feel natural and can even backfire. Instead, you need to build not recognition but acknowledgement into your company from the ground up, putting your employees first and your customers second. One simple way to acknowledge people is to use their names, which Dale Carnegie said was the sweetest sound to any person in any language. “Imagine how one of your managers, franchisees or employees feels when you greet that person by name,” Chester says. “They probably walk a little taller the rest of the day just knowing that someone so high up the chain cares enough to remember.”

Autonomy and Communication

The idea behind autonomy is to build an army of intrapreneurs, internal employees who act like entrepreneurs by using their own agency to live that old cliché of being the change they want to see in the world. There’s a great little case study here on eBay founder Pierre Omidyar which we won’t go into detail about here, but which shares the overall lesson that you need to be smart enough to realise you’re not smart enough and then to hire someone who is.

“On-fire employees – the kind you’re looking to hire and keep – are looking for some latitude to make decisions in the workplace,” Chester explains. “The best kinds of employee training enable employees to build the confidence they need to face a variety of situations without freezing up.” That’s what the autonomy chapter mostly comes down to, and empowerment is the key word here. “Rather than micromanaging each task an employee performs,” Chester says, “spell out what the end result should be. Set boundaries and clearly articulate expectations while giving employees the latitude to figure out how to meet those expectations.”

And finally, we have communication, which you could argue is what’s needed to bring the rest of these elements together and which Chester refers to as “the inextricable link between transparency and trust”. He argues that poor communication is a culture killer, and separates information into three categories: what employees need to know, what employees should know and what employees want to know.

“No matter what the situation,” Chester says, “employees feel a stronger connection to their leaders and their company when they feel they’re kept accurately informed and continually updated with any and all developments.” To show just how important effective communication in a crisis can be, he talked to Frank DeAngelis, the former principal of Columbine High School. One of the ways that DeAngelis communicated was through his actions.

“Immediately following the tragedy that rocked the world in 1999,” Chester explains, “DeAngelis vowed that he would remain Columbine’s principal until the class of first grade students in the elementary school that fed into the high school had graduated. His goal was to prevent a mass exodus of faculty and staff and restore peace and stability to a deeply wounded community.” DeAngelis eventually retired in 2014 after completing his mission. Talk about actions speaking louder than words.

Conclusion

Now that you know everything you need to know to inspire your employees to be on fire at work, the next step is to put what you’ve learned into action. The good news is that the concepts themselves are easy enough to understand and to put into practice at your company. In fact, Chester gets the balance just right, sharing both the overarching concepts themselves and the practical advice you need to actually make a difference at your company.

There are also plenty of stories that are designed to show each of the concepts in action, and while it’s unlikely that you’ll find yourself in exactly the same situation as some of the other companies that he mentions, there’s plenty of food for thought and you’ll find that the ideas you discover here will stick with you and make a real difference to the way you approach management both today and in the future.

Remember that igniting passion in your employees ultimately comes down to providing them with a spark. You can’t force people to be passionate about something, but you can at least provide them with the infrastructure and the encouragement they need. The good news is that Chester’s advice is tried and tested and that it comes from some of the best leaders in our modern world. Now you just need to provide your employees with plenty of support – the rest is up to them. Good luck.

(Sign up for Audible and get On Fire at Work plus one other audiobook for FREE – click here)

Check the latest price of On Fire at Work on Amazon HERE Opens in a new tab.

Watch Other Book Review Videos on Open Sourced Workplace – CLICK HERE

Open Sourced Workplace Book Reviews

The Elemental Workplace Opens in a new tab. by Neil Usher

The Employee Experience Advantage Opens in a new tab. by Jacob Morgan

Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World Opens in a new tab. by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler

The Future Brain Opens in a new tab. by Dr. Jenny Brockis

Radical Candor Opens in a new tab. by Kim Scott

Why We Sleep Opens in a new tab. by Matthew Walker, PhD

The Best Place to Work Opens in a new tab. by Ron Friedman, PhD

How Google Works Opens in a new tab. by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg

The Employee Experience Opens in a new tab. by Tracey Maylett, EdD and Matthew Wride, JD

The Culture Code Opens in a new tab. by Daniel Coyle

The Toyota Engagement Opens in a new tab. by Tracey Richardson and Ernie Richardson

The Healthy Workplace Opens in a new tab. by Leigh Stringer

The Future of Work – Attract New Talent, Build Better Leaders, and Create a Competitive Organization by Jacob Morgan

Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think Opens in a new tab. by Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Kenneth Cukier

Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work Opens in a new tab. – Piyush Patel

HR On Purpose Opens in a new tab. – Steve Browne

Work Rules Opens in a new tab. – Laszlo Bock

Peak Performance Opens in a new tab. by Brad Stulberg & Steve Magness

The Future Workplace Experience Opens in a new tab. – Jeanne C. Meister and Kevin J. Mulcahy

Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work – Paul L. Marciano, Ph.D.

Recommended Personal Development Books

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad Opens in a new tab. by Robert Kiyosaki:

2. The 4-Hour Workweek Opens in a new tab. by Tim Ferriss:

3. How to Win Friends and Influence People Opens in a new tab. by Dale Carnegie:

4. The 48 Laws of Power Opens in a new tab. by Robert Greene:

5. The Way of the Superior Man Opens in a new tab. by David Deida:

6. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl:

7. Mastery Opens in a new tab. by George Leonard:

8. Mindfulness for Beginners Opens in a new tab. by Jon Kabat-Zinn:

9. The Obstacle is the Way Opens in a new tab. by Ryan Holiday:

What Is An Agile Workplace? (How To Create, Introduce, and The Importance of An Agile Workplace)

In any organization, employees are productive if they enjoy doing what they do, enjoy working at the company and enjoy delivering results that the employer wants. There are so many factors at work that may affect the morale and productivity of employees, but one way that employers can boost productivity is by creating an agile working environment.

So, what is an agile workplace? An agile work environment involves creating a flexible as well as a productive environment where employees can thrive to achieve the corporate strategy. It involves creating working areas within the office such that employees have freedom as well as the flexibility to work where they want and when they want to. An agile workplace makes it possible to increase profitability by focusing on what the employee do and providing office space that meets their needs.

An agile working environment is based on several factors, spaces, environments and different individuals who may either work individually or collaborate as a group. Agile space in its own sense involves such things as collaboration space, focus space, relaxation space, team meeting space, concentration space, inspirational space, and phone conversation space. An agile workplace provides flexible working spaces for different activities in the workplace ensuring that employees are engaged and productive. (We have provided additional definitions in our Glossary – what is an agile workplace Opens in a new tab. )

Importance of An Agile Workplace

Any office space or workplace can become effective, efficient and more flexible if it supports a dynamic workforce rather than a static one. By getting rid of desk ownership, an employer can increase population that is associated with office spaces. With that in mind, there are so many factors that tend to affect the morale and dynamism at work from a dark office, an unsafe environment to computers not being placed in the right angle.

All these factors combined contribute to an unhappy disengaged workforce who affect the profitability of any company. As an employer, it is up to you to find ways of dealing with such issues and making the environment as conducive as possible such that employees enjoy working there and doing their jobs.

One of the best ways and what most employers are adapting is creating an agile working environment. Agile working is revolutionizing offices all over the globe and bringing a sense of individualism as well as collaboration in different industries. The whole point of creating an agile working environment is to ensure that employees are given the freedom as well as space to work where they feel comfortable. This could be a collaborative bench space or a quite pod or even just the traditional desk as long as the employee feels comfortable and can deliver. (Learn more on what is space management Opens in a new tab. in our previous article)

One of the mistakes that most employers make is try and squeeze as many people as they can into one space since they assume that in doing so they will be cutting on costs and boosting collaboration. In reality, however, this only leads to employees feeling uncomfortable and is a major cause of demotivation and such workspaces may be the main reason why your employees are not as productive as they are expected to. It may also be the reason why you have high turnover and can’t seem to retain star employees because they feel choked up by the environment such that they can’t be the best they can be at what they do.

Reinstating personal space as well as boundaries is one of the things that you should be striving to achieve as an employer. Not only is an agile work environment beneficial to employees, but employers can also reap the greatest benefits from such an arrangement. In creating an agile working culture, absenteeism will reduce, there will be increased productivity and you will be reducing both operational and real estate costs.

Introducing an Agile Work Environment

For any employer, creating an agile workplace should be a slow and a well thought out process and in line with corporate strategy. Sometimes changes that are introduced at work without the employees being aware end up not working. When you are integrating agile working, the zones that you should concentrate on are focus, meeting, collaboration and social.

Focus zones involve having open plan areas, with quiet and small pods down the corridors making up about 50 percent of the office space. Collaboration spaces, on the other hand, are for when workers need to come together either for quick chats or to boost creativity. While collaboration space should not necessarily be a meeting room, it should be accessible to everyone but a bit shielded and should make up about 30 percent of the total office space.

After you have created these spaces, the rest of the space can serve as social and meeting areas where employees or teams can meet for confidential matters or have lunch. When you are introducing an agile working environment, one thing you should discourage is employees eating at their desks because they need to take breaks and step away from their desks if they are to be productive.

How to Create an Agile Workplace

In the past years, the workplace has undergone immense changes and companies have no choice but to adapt so as to respond in a quick and efficient manner. Despite technology being able to boost efficiency and productivity, very little can be achieved if employees are not engaged to boost creativity and innovation.

One of the ways companies are using to boost creativity and productivity is by introducing agile working which involves moving away from the highly structured traditional work environments by breaking barriers and giving employees independence as well as autonomy to not only enjoy what they do but where they work. If you are thinking about creating an agile workplace, here are a few things that you should take into consideration.

Encourage Flexibility

Flexibility is the whole point of creating an agile work environment. Flexibility involves more than just how employees do their work but where they do it. Rather than tethering your employees to the traditional office desks with wired phones and bulky computers, encourage flexibility such that an employee doesn’t have to come to work five days a week from 9 to 5. (We have written a related article – what is workplace flexibility Opens in a new tab. )

Give Employees the Skills Needed to Succeed

While an agile work environment can offer flexibility, sometimes you may find that the company is demanding too much than what employees can handle. Rather than your employees coming to work to handle the same repetitive tasks, encourage innovative solutions to problems and working in teams to accomplish different goals.

More Leadership than Management

While leadership and management go hand in hand in the smooth running of a company, they are not entirely the same. Managers are responsible for enforcing accountability and directing tasks, while leaders are focused more on empowering and inspiring others to accomplish the objectives set out which is what you should encourage if agile working is to succeed.

Providing Identity and Purpose

While your employees will certainly enjoy the autonomy that results from an agile workplace, giving them total control over their work doesn’t always guarantee productivity or engagement. As such, you need to find ways of giving their jobs a sense of identity that aligns with their ideals and values. Employees who find meaning in what they do are likely to be more committed to meeting targets than those who don’t.

The Changing Demographics at Work

One of the things that employers should pay close attention to when it comes to creating an agile work environment is the changing demographics in today’s working environment. How do you make the work environment work for both millennials and baby boomers? Different demographics have different requirements, needs as well as preferences. To accommodate everyone, there is a need to put into consideration all these characteristics.

The best way you can address each and everyone’s needs is to use firms that offer workplace consultancy. By analyzing the preferences of different groups of people through either workplace monitoring or personalized interviews, such a firm can advise on the best way to organize the office.

Baby boomers are usually the older generation who are used to change since they have been there through it all from the advent of smartphones and laptops to flexible-working and due to that, they are adaptable. Studies have it that this older generation is more comfortable with a formal and structural office. They also prefer face to face conversations rather than sending a text or an email and as such a collaborative working space will work best for them.

Millennials, on the other hand, are already agile in that they are already working on laptops at home or in cafes or libraries. As an employer, you shouldn’t change this but highly encourage it. Millennials are always looking to change jobs and will look for a company whose work environment suits them and allows them to have a better work-life balance.

Generation X, make up the smaller group and what this group values most is work-life balance. They are at that point where they have their own office and as such, you need to be very careful about any change you want to introduce. With such a demographic, outsourcing a firm or workplace consultancy may be the best way of managing communication.

The final group is the generation Z. Like millennials, they are always on the move and are just about to join the workforce. They are agile and self-motivated and they value personal development and as such need the space to make that possible.

Different demographics continue to force change in the environment, and employers can accept this and create an agile working environment that suits each and every one.

What Is The Eisenhower Box? (What is the Difference Between Important and Urgent Tasks?)

Every day we have a lot of things to do on our list, so it might be difficult to decide which tasks to complete first. When you need to decide which tasks need to be done first, and which one can wait, one of the most used strategies is the Eisenhower box as a powerful tool for time management and better efficiency.

What is the Eisenhower Box? Eisenhower box or Urgent-Important Matrix helps in identifying which of the tasks should be prioritized upon their importance and urgency, and which tasks can be delegated or not do them at all. Eisenhower Box is a simple tool for decision making and increasing productivity.

The name of this box comes from its inventor Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was the 34th President of the USA. Before becoming a president, during World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, and later on, Supreme Commander of NATO.

Throughout his career, he needed to make many tough decisions that were important and urgent. So he wondered on which of the tasks to focus for the day.

If he was faced with equally important tasks, he asked himself, if certain tasks need his personal touch or can be done by someone else. If the latter was the case, then he considered that the task is no longer important. Also, if pressing matters can wait until the following day, then they are no longer urgent.

This method of time management has been considered as an effective tool for increasing daily productivity.

How to Use the Eisenhower Box?

The Eisenhower Box consists of four quadrants Do First (Important/Urgent), Schedule (Important- Not Urgent), Delegate (Not Important – Urgent), and Eliminate (Not Important – Not Urgent).

At first glance, it might seem that every task can be done within the same day, but when you determine which task belongs to which quadrant, it will be a lot easier to define the priority tasks, the tasks that can be scheduled, delegated or ignored completely.

First Quadrant – Do First

The first quadrant contains tasks that are critical for your career and personal life and need to be finished as soon as possible. These tasks are important and urgent. Also, this quadrant is called “the stress quadrant”, since all of the tasks here are important and can lead to stress.

Ideally, you should spend most of your time in the day dealing with tasks in this quadrant.

Here you need to ask yourself if the task needs to be done by you personally, are you going to be responsible and are there going to be some sanctions if you don’t carry out the task. If the answer to these questions is “Yes”, then the task is important.

Next, you need to check if the task can be postponed to tomorrow or in the following days. If the task needs to be done today or within a few hours, then the task is urgent.

The tasks in this quadrant need to be managed properly as well as the taken actions need to be efficient and quick in order to avoid negative consequences. As an example of tasks that need to be in the first quadrant are responding to time-sensitive email from your manager or a client, or reviewing an important document.

It would be best if you have some free time in your schedule so you can handle some crisis or issues that come up at the last minute. Of course, there will always be some activities that you can’t foresee.

Also, in this quadrant are the activities that are left until last minute depending on their nature or because of poor planning or poor delegating. These activities can be eliminated by proper planning ahead of time. You can schedule them in the second quadrant to make sure they don’t become urgent.

Second Quadrant – Schedule

The second Quadrant called Schedule contains the tasks that are important and not urgent. Here are the tasks that should be put in your calendar and help you in achieving your long term goals. This is the part where you should invest most of your time.

With managing the tasks properly in the second quadrant, it reduces the stress by preventing certain tasks to become urgent, thus completing important and urgent tasks in a reasonable time in the near future. Always leave sometime in your schedule available in case some unforeseen events occur.

Same as in the first quadrant, you need to ask yourself if the task needs to be done by you. If “Yes”, the task is important. Next, if the task can be postponed for the following days, you should schedule it and not waste your time on a task that is not urgent. Because you won’t be able to complete the tasks that are already in the first quadrant.

However, people need to be very careful with scheduling tasks and sticking to that schedule. If nobody sticks to the schedule, the Eisenhower box won’t be of any help. The scheduling process is not postponing, but a plan for carrying tasks according to their priority.

As an example of tasks that need to be included in this quadrant are deciding when to do your exercising, meeting your family, or obtaining some kind of certificate and degree. All of these tasks are important personally and for your career, but can be aligned with your schedule.

Just because the activities in the second quadrant are not urgent doesn’t mean that they aren’t important. The association that urgent matters are important, is not true every time. If your long term goals are constant, everything that will benefit those goals needs to be in this quadrant.

Third quadrant – Delegate

As the name says, this quadrant is referring to the tasks that can be delegated to other people since these tasks are usually less important to you than to the others but still are urgent. You need to learn how to properly delegate certain activities. You can easily keep track of the tasks that you have delegated by telephone, email, or a meeting to check on the progress of the activities.

In this quadrant, you need to ask yourself if the task must be done by you, or can be handled by another person. If the answer to this question is that the task can be done by another person than this task is not very important to you. Also, whether the task is urgent and needs to be completed by the end of the day, or it can wait. If the completion of the task can wait until tomorrow than the level of urgency is pretty high.

Another important question you need to ask yourself is whether the task you are asked to do benefits you directly or helps you in getting closer to your goals.

As an example of tasks that should be in this quadrant are when someone is calling you to help them on certain matters, request for stepping in a meeting, asking you for a favor that is urgent, etc. All of these tasks can be delegated to someone else that would be a better person for the task or by giving helpful information, that will help the caller to handle the situation by themselves.

The activities in this quadrant, most of the time are distractions such as answering phone calls, responding to urgent emails from colleagues and family, etc. Sometimes these activities may seem like activities from the second quadrant when in reality they aren’t. They will only keep you from making a real progress.

This quadrat is often the most challenging one in terms of time management. You need to be able to say no to certain tasks and look for an alternative solution. If you are already working on an important project, you can’t split yourself in two just because some task is urgent and can be carried out by someone else.

Fourth Quadrant – Eliminate

The last quadrant is called “Eliminate” because it’s consisted of activities that you shouldn’t be doing since they are not helping you in fulfilling your long-term goals – because of their time-wasting nature. Usually, these tasks can be scheduled later in the month or quartal, and are not under the direct responsibility of one person. Also, these tasks usually solve by themselves.

You need to identify all of these activities and eliminate them, so you can have the much needed time for important and urgent tasks. We often spend a lot of our time on these activities.

Few examples of this type of activities are checking social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, etc.), web browsing during working hours, playing video games, than reading emails where you are cc’d, etc.

These types of emails usually are a way to create evidence and don’t need to be actually read. So it is a waste of valuable time whether by following up on emails that are intended for another recipient or checking the social media’s news feed.

All of these activities can lead to not being able to complete important tasks in the first and second quadrant on time.

However having some downtime will help you in regaining your energy, so try to use your break to re-energize and not procrastinate.

Tips for Creating the Eisenhower Box Properly

– Having a to-do list will help you in feeling less stressed. But while creating the list you should always ask yourself which of the tasks need to be completed first.
– Try not to put more than 8 tasks per quadrant. You need to remember that using this matrix is not about dividing the tasks only, bur for finishing them on time. Before adding a new task to the box, make sure to finish the most important one in the list.
– Make sure to include tasks from your personal and business life in the list. This way you will be able to finish not just the business tasks, but also do some activities for yourself and your family.
– You need to set up your priorities by yourself. Do not let others dictate your day or distract you. Plan your day upfront in the morning and at the end of the day, enjoy the feeling of successfully finished tasks.
– Most importantly, try not to procrastinate much.

Procrastination and Eisenhower Box

For example, if your manager asks you to create an important document for the next board meeting, and you have only a few days to write it while having several important tasks at your hands, can cause you additional stress, you won’t be able to concentrate and you will be more prone to procrastination.

Time stressors are the number one factor of causing stress at the workplace. When being stressed is very usual to spend most of your time on tasks that seem important and urgent in the moment, although those tasks belong in the third and fourth quadrant. So you will end up procrastinating.

So, how to beat these time stressors, and start working on tasks that really matter?

Start by doing a one-week assessment to see how much time you are spending on each quadrant each day. This will help you in evaluating the time spent and will give you an idea if there is a need to reorganize your day.

Another option is to take advantage of the “2-minute rule” as a great way to avoid procrastination and get all of the tasks done. The first part of this rule is: if you can do the task in less than 2 minutes, such as sending an update to you manager or answering an email, don’t add the task in your to-do list, or schedule it for later. Simply do it.

The second part is if you need more than 2 minutes for a certain task, start it. By working on the task for 2 minutes, you will get things going and you will break the procrastination. For example, if you need to write 1.000 words essay, start by writing as much as you can in 2 minutes.

What is the Difference Between Important and Urgent Tasks?

Great time management requires being efficient and effective at the same time. To not waste our time, we should focus not only on activities that are urgent but are important as well. To minimize all the stress of having too many tasks at our hands and even more tight deadlines, we need to understand the difference between important and urgent tasks:

– Important activities are the ones that help us achieve our long-term goals, no matter if they are personal or professional. These activities will help you in being more productive and proactive, which will lead to making better decisions, and avoiding decisions that will not benefit your career or personal life.
– Urgent activities are time-sensitive and demand immediate attention. Usually, these are the activities that are causing most of the people to be stressed and anxious, because the results of not being able to deal with them will be immediate.

Once we separate the important from urgent activities, we will be able to focus on the activities that are essential for our goals, and not waste our time on unimportant urgent tasks.

What Does Planning Mean in the Eisenhower Box?

Planning is a pretty important process when creating the second quadrant. The task list needs to be clear with the correct time indication. Do not fool yourself by thinking that certain tasks that will take 3 hours of your time, can be done in an hour. This way you will only confuse yourself and cause additional stress.

Try dividing the larger jobs in a few smaller ones, so it would be easier to complete them and meet all of the deadlines. It can be quite motivating to know that the to-do list for the day is successfully completed at the end of the day.

This will boost your motivation to start the following day with more courage. By dividing your tasks into the quadrants of the Eisenhower Box, it will be a lot easier to prioritize and know exactly when some tasks need to be eliminated or delegated.

How Does the Eisenhower Box help in Accomplishing Your Goals?

First of all, you need to set your goals, otherwise, you won’t be able to eliminate tasks that are time-wasting and time-consuming. You need to ask yourself: What are the values that drive my personal and professional life? And what do I want to accomplish?

The answers to these questions will help you in deciding which activities to do and which activities to eliminate. When you are sure about what you want to accomplish it is a lot easier to define which tasks are important to you.

The Eisenhower Box is a useful tool for proper decision making and with that proper time management, which will result in increasing your overall productivity and eliminate all the behaviors that will lead you into wasting time and not towards your goals.

Workplace Bullying and its Effect On Productivity

Bullying has always been a taboo concept in the workplace. Oftentimes, it starts as simple teasing which eventually leads to a collective form of degrading a co-worker. Throughout this article, we will be giving tips on how to resolve such issues through proactive resolutions. In doing so, each workplace will have more harmonious relationships and better working synergies.

How does bullying in the workplace affect someone’s productivity? It can have various repercussions on the different aspects of a victim’s life that are directly related to their productivity. Because the victims are burdened with the bullying, their physical, mental and emotional states are heavily affected, they tend to not concentrate on and prioritize their work.

Workplace bullying Opens in a new tab. has been very prominent especially in companies or businesses that try to maintain a certain brand. It often occurs to newcomers in the workplace or someone who doesn’t vibe well with the majority of the team. Unlike in a school setting, it is not that common for victims to call-out to their bullies for this leads to more teasing and bullying afterward.

Bullying in the workplace may also be caused by previous bullying cases that may have negatively influenced someone to be the same. Oftentimes, bullies who do not start off as bullies were affected by a previous case wherein they were the victim. Because of the turnout of events, these people adapt to such problematic behaviors and take out their revenge on other people—those whom they think are lesser than them, the weak, and those who have less to no power in the institution they both belong in.

This behavior can lead to abusive relationships, public humiliation, and continuous intimidation for a bully to get what he or she wants from the target. Besides bullying alone, we have written a detailed article on everything you need to know about workplace intimidation Opens in a new tab. as well.

How Exactly Does Workplace Bullying Affect Productivity?

There are different forms of workplace bullying—physical, mental, verbal. These are all done repetitively to create a degrading environment for a person or group of people. This behavior often occurs when someone in the workplace acts superior or is favored by a colleague of greater authority; take for example a supervisor, the manager, the vice president. When such confidence is acquired, there is a tendency to come off as bossy or arrogant especially when certain insecurities take place.

Sadly, the rate of workplace bullying has been continually increasing through the years in different parts of the world. But luckily, many non-government organizations and affiliations have moved forward in addressing such concerns through different public statements, advocacy campaigns, and other initiatives to further assist those who are in need of help.

As workplace bullying is common in a lot of environments worldwide, those who are greatly affected are the victims. The longer victims tolerate and allow such events to happen, the lower their productivity rate becomes. Workplace bullying is also considered harassment which causes a lot of mental, physical, and psychological effects on a person.

It is definitely not an easy occurrence to deal with as it happens repetitively with much worse effects. As various encounters occur consecutively, the victim suffers and this can develop into other problems which may be harder to resolve. What aspects are affected then?

Physical Effects

The physical effects of workplace bullying can be devastating. Even if the bully does not physically harm the victim, the effects on the victim’s productivity can lead to physical deficiencies.

A study Opens in a new tab. has proven that workplace bullying affects the physical well-being of a person. How frequently a person is bullied is linked to the amount of sleep and rest that he or she is able to get. With so much going on in the person’s brain, they are not able to rest well due to the many thoughts circulating inside them.

As victims try to absorb all the events happening to them, it is very common for them to have an existential crisis. This leads to lack of sleep and focus, which in the long run affects their performance in the office. In extreme cases, if not given immediate counseling or help, the victim may also resort to self-harm which has far more concerning effects and outcomes not just to the victim but even to other people involved.

Psychological Effects

It’s not only the victim’s physical well-being that is harmed through workplace bullying but also their mental health. It may not appear as obvious but workplace bullying has a lot to do with mental health. As bullying is closely linked with psychological harassment and violence, the impact on their mental well-being can be as severe as physical violence.

Psychological issues that are closely associated with workplace bullying are as follows:

1) Panic Attacks

In the context of the workplace, panic attacks often happen when the victim recalls a previous bullying experience upon seeing the bully or anything that reminds him or her of the incident. Panic attacks can be very serious especially when it proceeds to hyperventilation. Not only is this a psychological effect but it also results in heavy breathing and difficulty in basic inhaling and exhaling.

2) Clinical Depression

Since bullying is a repetitive series of events, it is possible for a victim to develop depression. Depression as we know it can lead to a lot of troublesome effects and outcomes Opens in a new tab. . With the feelings of isolation, degradation, apathy, and violence deeply rooted in workplace bullying, depression can occur especially if the victim keeps all the pain, guilt, and shame all to himself.

3) Complex PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

When workplace bullying becomes a long-term experience for the victim, this may often develop into Complex PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) usually occurs after a traumatizing event like accidents, assault, harassment, and other related incidents. Of course, bullying is included in the list of long triggers which could lead to PTSD.

As the target experiences repeated traumatic experiences, the symptoms showing PTSD are more likely to show more. Not only can the symptoms show or develop into mental illnesses such as this, but the psychological harm can be extreme as well.

When a bullying victim develops PTSD, they tend to lose their sense of individualism and succumb more to the bullies. This leads to a low rate of productivity caused by self-doubt and frequent self-isolation getting the job untouched or undone.

4) Clinical Anxiety

Targets who have been continuously victimized by bullies in the workplace may be diagnosed with clinical anxiety as well. Anxiety can develop in simple habits which can affect their work productivity. These include nail biting, sudden nervousness, lack of energy, short attention span, reduced focus, and frequent social uneasiness.

However, clinical anxiety may not always look as negative as it presents itself to be. There are cases wherein a worker is diagnosed with clinical anxiety but he or she seem to display little to zero of the symptoms. If this happens, the productivity rate in the workplace may not be affected, but in the long run, it will drop more quickly than expected.

5) Feelings of Shame and Guilt

Yes, having feelings of shame and guilt are also psychological outcomes of workplace bullying. Feelings of shame often happen when the bully harasses the victim in such a way that the target is publicly humiliated or made fun of. This affects his or her perception of himself and can lead to angst and loss in confidence.

Feelings of guilt occur when the victim realizes that he or she allowed himself to be bullied by the perpetrator. When this happens, the victims end up debating with themselves whether it is time to stand up or just let the situation be. Sadly, this is one of the dilemmas of most victims because it is always a hard decision to choose between allowing themselves to suffer in exchange of wanting a peaceful life or fighting for what is right and just.

Emotional & Economic Effects

Workplace bullying can also have some odd effects on the behavior of the victim. In times wherein the victim is made fun of material possessions, the target tries to disregard these judgments by trying to fit in. They might go ahead and try overspending for items which he or she may think will make their bullies befriend them or they start being emotionally unattached to the situation and changing their attitude in order to fit in.

Either way, these can directly affect their productivity because of the variables linked in with work. With victims losing their priorities in order to save themselves from humiliation or further bullying experiences, other aspects of their lives, especially in their workplace, get severely affected.

Being economically bullied is also another case. Workplace bullying can also be connected to being economically bullied Opens in a new tab. because the lack of financial support and can really take a toll on the overall productivity of the person—not having money to eat, to ride public transportation, to buy certain wants and needs. These can all affect productivity and overall well-being in the workplace. Financial instability, which is a big issue in workplaces that do not give their workers just and even pay, is also an underlying issue.

With many aspects of a person being affected due to different types and forms of workplace bullying, productivity levels are also inherently affected. The effects don’t only manifest on the bullied worker, but also greatly affects the reputation of the company and all the other factors attached to it. Because of this, it is very essential to be knowledgeable about how we can combat such hostile behaviors in the workplace and promote holistic well-being and harmonious relationships instead.

What’s the next step to consider once the effects of workplace bullying are understood?

Tips to Resolve Workplace Bullying

We know it’s hard to really confront bullying issues especially in what is supposed to be a professional environment such as the workplace. However, tolerating it will not help in resolving the problem and letting it be may lead to worsening working conditions, affecting not just you but the whole team as well.

With this, it is very essential to know what can be done to help yourself, help other people being victimized, and hopefully, help make the bully realize why hostile behaviors should not be accepted in a society that should always strive for peace and prosperity.

1) Professionally Confront the Bully

In reality, not everyone is willing to undergo confrontation most especially with people who seem to be superior or powerful. However, in incidents such as workplace bullying, it will be very helpful for you to approach your bully in order to resolve the problem. This can help you overcome them and also help the bully improve his or her character.

Abusive behavior should never be tolerated and as much as we would like to just give a long, full content speech, it is also essential to hear the side of the other party. Who knows, the bully may also be faced with a devastating life event causing him or her to act in such a way.

Although, regardless of the situation, it would be very essential to have a sit-down session with people involved and have important points raised. Giving the parties an open space to discuss their issues can be a very helpful avenue to let the emotions flow for constructive criticisms and suggestions on how to improve.

2) Acknowledge & Make It Known That Bullying Should Not Be Tolerated

As much as easy it is to only let a victim’s side be known, it is also important to acknowledge and understand the other party. In instances like these, it would be beneficial to have an objective facilitator, someone who is not in any way sided with any party. By doing so, everyone involved can be assured the discussion will be impartial and nondiscriminatory. This makes the conversation easier for all the parties concerned.

In the course of healthily discussing all points and concerns, it must also be clear to everyone who may be a victim, bystander, or bully, that bullying is and shall never be tolerated especially in a workplace setting.

There are several legal repercussions to those who violate this and criminal offenses can be charged against those who are linked to the offense. In addition to this, with or without the law, it is not be a behavior accepted in any workplace. With different companies and businesses starting, there are surely core values, visions, and missions implemented. The leaders in an office should safeguard these values and should make certain to ensure their employees that bullying should never be accepted at all costs.

3) File A Report

In the case where a bully does not want to listen or continues to degrade more people in the office, take legal action immediately Opens in a new tab. . This is necessary before things spiral further and become worse for all the victims of the bully. Report the misconduct to any high official and if it happens to be that the workplace is biased, take it to legal offices outside the workplace. Know your rights and show assertion. This is essential for bullies to realize that they have no control over anyone and that they are all of the same feathers as you.

With a legal report filed, hopefully, a change of attitude is bound to happen. However, be wary that you are protected if ever the bully does try to threaten your life in other ways.

4) Be Transparent

In the course of doing these legalities and ensuring that you are protected and secured, it is important to document each step of the way. By doing so, any kind of sabotage action can be counteracted. In a pressuring environment such as the workplace, connections can be utilized to execute unfavorable and ethically questionable actions.

With this, it would be helpful to have an ally by your side to help, support, and fight with you if the going gets tough. And of course, if you’re lucky, it would help your case to get each action documented as heavy proof to show all the harassment you have been through and make it a case to really inspire others to stand up for themselves and not allow more bullying to take place.

5) Seek Help

Being a victim of bullying can be a really challenging place to be in. Sadly, each story is not as empowering as the others and it takes a lot of courage to really stand up for yourself. Even if you feel that you are okay and that you’re functioning well, remember the importance of seeking help to ensure that you are well in all health aspects—emotional, psychological, physical.

Set an appointment with a doctor. Talk to your family Opens in a new tab. . Vent out to your friend. Write a blog post. Journal away your thoughts. Having avenues for you to ensure that your well-being is good and well-taken care off are also steps to not just help yourself but also help the people around you understand that self-care is just as important as standing up against bullying.

With these steps in mind, you can hopefully put a step forward in addressing social issues such as workplace bullying and serve as an inspiration who have yet to battle this.

Proactive Solutions You Can Try Against Workplace Bullying

Rising from a bullying experience is not as easy as it seems and sometimes retaining that level of productivity you once had can be hard to achieve as well. But fret not! Despite the challenges and difficulties, there are still several ways on how you can try to combat bullying while still helping yourself heal from all the traumatizing experiences. Yes, it can be challenging and sometimes triggering, but helping others grow helps you develop a sense of resiliency, leadership, and inner strength. Here are a few ways you can slowly build yourself to hopefully avoid bullying from happening again and help others help themselves:

1) Correct Before It Gets Worse

Oftentimes, bullies have a certain persona which is quite common from person to person. There are usually similar characteristics that can be easily identified especially if you have encountered a bully before. With this, being vigilant and proactive can help kill a problematic behavior before it gets worse.

You know what they say, old habits die hard, and it is important to ensure that you give your colleague constructive feedback to help them be better and improve the behaviors that can be harmful in the future.

Approaching your colleague can be as easy as a casual talk, or sharing an experience, or asking about how their day is. Once you have developed a warmer connection with them, providing feedback or suggestions can be easier. Do note that this kind of solution is for their own benefit as well.

2) Develop a Healthy & Productive Team Culture

One of the problems in the workplace which often leads to bullying is culture and traditions. Sometimes, being rude or public humiliation is done because it is the prevalent ‘culture’ in the workplace. However, it is important to take note that culture and traditions change depending on certain realities and needs. Tradition should never be an excuse to be used by anyone in the workplace to take advantage of someone else or humiliate someone.

In developing a healthy and productive team culture Opens in a new tab. in the workplace, it is important to try to get everyone to be more involved. As teams change per period—when people come in and go—it is important to really see to it that everyone creates a healthy culture that is empowering, uplifting, and equally positive to create a more productive environment Opens in a new tab. for everyone. When this kind of mindset is instilled in everyone, more outputs can be done and work would feel less like a burden since there are healthy work relationships among you and your colleagues.

3) Instill Responsibility & Accountability

Not everyone may be able to jive easily at the start when everyone in each team can come from different backgrounds. Some may also lack very important team player qualities that are very essential for work, especially in coming up with different outputs which will affect the team’s overall performance.

It is important to instill responsibility and accountability in everyone. If you are the team leader of any team, learn how to set expectations and goals at the beginning of each work experience. And if you are a team worker yourself, it would be good to suggest this to the person managing everyone.

Instilling responsibility and accountability in everyone will help develop a sense of teamwork among everyone. When the going gets tough, no one will point fingers towards one another because a team member is willing to be accountable for any mistakes or shortcomings. But it does not stop there!

Team members who acquire responsibility and accountability do not only take the blame for something wrong that had happened but is also willing to work on it and involve everyone who can be of help in the situation. This kind of sensitivity and group synergy develop maturity among the workers as well as decrease incidences of bullying because you and your colleagues have a greater level of friendship with one another.

4) Resolve Conflict Properly

In the workplace, it is a common struggle for team players to lack the knowledge of how to resolve conflict. This is very important because no matter how well a team works together, conflict can just really be inevitable. Conflict management Opens in a new tab. is one of the issues not really taught in the workplace because most employers focus on technical concepts. However, for a team to really function well and last long, knowing how to resolve conflict is the key.

Knowing how to resolve conflict can really be challenging, however, this also helps in lessening cases of bullying in the workplace. When each conflict is resolved maturely and properly, bullying is less likely to happen and each conflict becomes a learning experience for everyone. Conflict Management can really be crucial not only within the team but also for when they interact with outside clients, partners, or other stakeholders. This skill does not only increase levels of productivity in the workplace but it also helps in personality development and social and self-awareness.

5) Check Up On Each Other

It can be quite awkward to genuinely ask about how each other is doing in the workplace,. However, these little conversations can really spark a difference among the members of your team. When someone makes their presence felt to the other, healthier relationships are bound to happen. More than just keeping a working relationship with your colleagues, it could also be helpful to go beyond that.

By checking up on one another, you start to understand the reasons behind certain behaviors and the others will feel cared for. More often than not, healthy relationships help in avoiding bullying cases in the workplace. Because of this, productivity levels can be maintained at an optimum and no one would have to suffer as a victim of bullying in the workplace—you’re all just good colleagues healthily working with one another.

How Can Companies and Employers Help Out?

There are more tips on how to be more productive and at the same time avoid bullying in the workplace but of course, without proper execution, the results may vary. Although we can give tips on how to promote well-being in the workplace, it is also essential for these attitudes and mindsets to come from the team in order to better absorb the learnings and not just do it for the sake of it.

Sadly, sometimes no matter how people in the workplace try to address a certain issue such as bullying, it just won’t work without the administration’s support. It would also be much more helpful if organizations and companies provide a more hands-on procedure on how workplace bullying can be prevented in order to promote well-being and improve productivity instead.

1) Do a Background Check Before Hiring

Companies and employers can really do a lot for their workers and this starts even before the employees even officially enter the company. That is, during their interview. By doing a background check on the people they hire for their businesses and teams, it is critical to conduct a background check Opens in a new tab. . Doing so can help save co-workers from possible damages and threats that may come with the person to be hired.

However, it can also be a controversial situation to deal with. Some may say that not giving previous bullies a chance can be faulty on their end, and that can be true. With this, it is essential for companies and employers to introduce personality development sessions especially if the candidate or prospect for the job has an alarming background or problematic behavior. This kind of standard operating procedure will not only help the person but it will also help the productivity of the team in the long-run.

2) Conduct Regular Check-Ups

In the course of the actual work experience, it is very important to have regular check-up sessions on employees to get to know the strengths, weaknesses, and things to improve on of each team. Not only should this be done for the team members but everyone involved, including team leaders, managers, supervisors, and the like.

These kinds of evaluation and sessions can be a way for companies to check the wellness of the members as well as the goals and objectives set by each worker at the start of the term. If you’re wondering how to do this, we have written a detailed article on how workplaces can help workers design wellness goals Opens in a new tab. and objectives that can be essential for their personal and professional development.

Workplace Security Inspection Checklist (49 Essentials To Include)

Last week, at work, my colleagues and I received an e-mail from the Security and Operations team, reinforcing security protocol to be followed in the office and emphasizing the need to stay alert to remain safe. This made me think of all the security measures the security department must have to consider, and made me wonder about the specific guidelines and checklist they have to follow.

So, what does a workplace security inspection checklist comprise? It is a set of guidelines and verification questions around all aspects of security in the workplace, meant to regularly check compliance with safety regulations and to keep security policies up to date. A good checklist covers employee personal safety, safety from hazards and from external threats.

Workplace security inspection is an important component of maintaining and improving the existing security system in place. A workplace security inspection checklist helps in pointing out those areas that require immediate attention and in testing out newly implemented security measures as well. The checklist itself must be updated from time to time with changing requirements. Generally, such checklists are created keeping in mind factors such as the country’s workplace safety regulations, location and type of space the office is in, the kind of work done in the office, etc.

Creating a workplace Security Inspection Checklist – The Process

While creating an ideal security inspection checklist for the workplace, it is important to consider company policies and regulations. The existing security system and protocol for physical as well as cyber security has to be studied and analysed carefully before creating the checklist. Moreover, it might be advisable to have conversations with employees from all levels, especially managers, on the current security measures and how they think these may be improved. It is also wise to remain updated with improving and newly developed security measures such as alarms with sensors, specialized locking systems, automatic doors, etc.

Also, there is the need to assess the kind of information employees possess at the moment of the security system in place, so that the checklist can also be prepared accordingly. Most importantly, while creating the checklist, one should think from the viewpoint of someone visiting the office for the first time, someone who has no prior awareness of such things as the locations of the emergency exits, the entry/exit protocol, etc. That way the checklist will be more thorough and will examine the security system completely.

Once the checklist is made, the inspection can begin. As the inspection proceeds, the team in charge will come across the flaws in the system and will be able to start making the necessary improvements. There are several security audit agencies these days that do a good job inspecting the office security thoroughly and then provide detailed feedback.

49 Essentials to Include in a Workplace Security Inspection Checklist

There are myriad factors that must be kept in mind to create the perfect security inspection checklist. The duty of a security inspector is not easy as they have to take into consideration so many aspects of security and safety, and it is not possible for them to remember all of these by heart. Thus, the checklist must include everything related to the security system of the office, so that all grounds are covered. It is necessary that the security inspection checklist should be shared not just with the concerned team, but also with all the people working in the office, to ensure maximum compliance to, and understanding of the protocol. Here are 49 points that must be included in every workplace security inspection checklist-

1. The first thing to check for would be whether adequate and well-defined documentation exists for security protocol in the office. This security includes, but is not limited to physical security of the employees, cyber security measures, precautions against natural and manmade disasters and safety hazards Opens in a new tab. . The checklist must ask if such a document exists and if it covers all the aspects thoroughly.

2. Next, it is important to ask about monitoring and surveillance. While different workplaces have varying rules regarding privacy and monitoring, it must at least be ensured that entry and exit points must be kept under CCTV surveillance 24/7.

3. Additionally, the checklist must ask about monitoring of cyber systems and all areas of restricted access, as it is important that no unauthorized person should be able to enter these. If not by CCTV surveillance, the checklist should ask if these areas are supervised and patrolled continuously by trained security personnel.

4. Along with this, the checklist should include questions regarding stairways and halls as well. It should be ensured that these spaces where people walk through frequently are free of obstruction in the form of storage boxes, wires, etc.

5. The checklist must question the level of access from outside the office, as well as within the organization. What is the procedure an outsider follows to enter the office? The checklist must include practices such as taking names, details and ID proof of outsiders coming into the office along with verified purpose of visit. If any external agencies such as repair persons and utility staff enter the office premises, their credentials must be verified between the office and the agency.

6. An important question to ask in the checklist regarding access within the company and hence within the office, is about employee identification. The necessary information pertaining to every employee along with a clear photo ID should be available on the company’s database for the security team to peruse when they may need to. Internally, the checklist should ask about the different levels of employees and which level has access to what kind of information and/or access to physical parts of the premises.

7. Regarding employee identification, the checklist must also ensure that employees have ID cards and/or badges that are distinctive and only these can allow the employees access to the office premises and to restricted access locations within. The checklist should also ask about the use of magnetic strips in the ID cards to automatically allow entry, and that such cards are withdrawn from employees after they exit the organization.

8. The checklist should also focus on the aspect of employee training with regards to security and safety. Are all the employees properly trained to assess security threats and protect themselves as well as each other against them as best as possible? For example, are employees trained on what to do in case of a fire? Have employees been briefed on cyber security protection measures and are aware of simple things they can do for safety, such as locking their belongings, shredding confidential papers after use, etc?

9. The checklist must ask about alarm systems. Does the office space, including parking lot, entry, exit, emergency exit and restricted access area, have a functioning alarm system installed? In case of intruders by any chance, such an alarm system will come in use and should be up to date. Fire alarms should also be functional and installed over the office space.

10. It is advisable for the checklist to ask about lighting systems and functionality, particularly in potentially risky areas of the office premises, such as the parking lot. It should be checked that the lighting in such zones is fully functional, not prone to flickering or dying out and is adequate to see well.

11. One highly important part of the checklist must be devoted to the presence and storage of hazardous and potentially dangerous items/material in the office space. Are flammable items marked as such and stored carefully in designated storage to ensure safety? Do utility staff who may work with or near dangerous material have awareness of the hazard and are trained to handle it?

12. It should also be ensured that hazardous material should be kept in secure and locked storage locations where any sort of leakage or spill can be contained easily. The checklist should ask about the measures taken to mitigate the damage caused by such incidents. Further, at workplaces where such materials are in proliferation and stored in large quantities, ideally a list should be available detailing the properties and use of each substance to prevent any form of confusion. This storage should be extremely restricted access in nature to avoid terrible accidents.

13. The checklist should ask about the entry and exit points of the office. Apart from being under surveillance and security guard patrolling, are these areas free from obstruction so people can come and go safely? Are exit doors, particularly emergency exit doors, marked properly and clearly? Are emergency exit signs lit up and devoid of malfunctioning in any way?

14. Along with having trained security guards patrolling the entry and exit points, it should also be checked that the office premises are shut down and locked properly after everyone has left. In any case, there should always be physical security Opens in a new tab. present if possible, or at least CCTV surveillance. The checklist should also put forward points such as –Do the security personnel work in alternating shifts? Is the system such that the gap between one guard leaving duty and another taking his/her place minimal? Is there a clear identification system at all points for the guards?

15. Stairwells and stairs themselves should be part of the checklist. The checklist should ask if the stairs and walkways are maintained properly and the flooring is in good condition to avoid incidents of people tripping and falling. The inspection should also check if the hand railings of the stairways are properly secured and are present in every stairway.

16. The flooring of the office is another important part of the checklist. The checklist must ask questions regarding the general condition of the floors- are there cracks, damp spots, snags in carpeting, etc, that could be potentially harmful to people walking? Is the flooring slip-resistant and are carpets places properly to avoid slippage? It must also be ensured that dangerous substances such as oil, grease and even water are not spilled across floors, stairs and walkways.

17. Another component of workplace security inspection must include checking the pantry/cafeteria zone as well. Places where food, raw material and supplies of such kind are stored, should be inspected thoroughly according to the checklist, for cleanliness, hygiene. Alongside, wherever employees may be eating, it should also be checked to ensure the absence of hazards such as rodents, fungus due to leftover food, etc. Eating and food storage areas should be inspected regularly to maintain hygiene and see that they are clean at all times. (We have written a related article – WORKPLACE SECURITY AWARENESS: Everything You Need To Know in Implementing Workplace Security Awareness Policy)

18. Apart from storage of hazardous materials, general storage should also come under the checklist. Are the cupboards and storage cabinets in good condition, with door hinges functioning properly? The sturdiness of storage cabinets should also be checked and ensured that each storage facility contains materials of weight and type, which is meant to be stored in it.

19. The checklist must ask if every item to be stored has an appropriate demarcated spot to be stored in. The storage space should be adequate, not overloaded or overstuffed and not underutilized either. It is equally important to check if the stored material is secured in place to prevent it from slipping, sliding or shifting and consequently spilling out of storage the moment it is opened.

20. Additionally, the checklist must ask if the storage areas are kept clean and free of unnecessary or waste items. The storage must also be organized categorically, which the checklist must ensure.

21. In case of high storage spaces and cabinets, the checklist must ensure that heavy items are not stored at the top as they may fall directly on the head, arms or shoulders of employees and cause injury. Heavy items should be stored at lower height levels for safety. In case the shelves are very high, the checklist must ask what means the company has provided for employees to access such spaces, and if the means are safe.

22. It must be ensured that racks of any sort are arranged carefully so that they don’t have the risk of falling over and causing damage. Fragile items such as those made of glass and breakable material should be kept in secure, immovable spaces.

23. The next aspect a workplace security inspection checklist must cover is lighting and ventilation. Other than parking lot lighting, office lighting is also important. Employees need different kind of lighting for differing purposes, so the checklist must ask about the quality of bulbs used in the offices, particularly over the workstations- is the light LED, and if so, what is the saturation level, and so on. It must be ensured that the lights are all functioning well, not flickering and not going out without reason. The fittings of the lights should also be checked under the inspection. The checklist should ask about reflective glare caused by any lights and also about the maintenance of cleanliness of bulbs and lights.

24. The checklist should inspect the level of ventilation in the office space. Is there enough balance between the air conditioning and/or fans inside and the fresh air outside? Is there enough natural lighting entering the space? The checklist must also ask about the temperature control of the office- whether there is a central system that governs air conditioning/heating and other factors such as humidity, movement of air, and so on.

25. Another necessary aspect to check on is the presence, use and maintenance of electrical equipment in the office. It should be checked that all cables, cords, extensions, sockets etc are in good condition- not torn or exposed. The checklist should ensure that all switches and switchboards are in perfect working condition and none of the switches cause electrical shock or static. It must be checked whether all electrical equipment such as computer systems and other machinery are in good condition and have been maintained as per regulations.

26. For the safety of utility staff who assist with transportation of goods, machines etc, the checklist must ensure that all equipment used to lift/carry/transport are in top condition and are not likely to fall apart. It should also ask that the staffs that use such equipment are adequately trained to do so.

27. The checklist should define the top parameters based on which equipment may be tagged and reported as faulty. It should check if there is such a system in place to report faulty equipment, and if so, what the process for the same is.

28. In terms of appliances and equipment, it is also necessary for the checklist to raise points about the maintenance and cleaning of electronics such as the refrigerator, microwave, kettle, coffee machine, if these are available in the pantry/cafeteria. It should be checked that such appliances are cleaned regularly and are in good working condition.

29. When equipment is considered, it should be checked if items such as photocopiers, printers, shredders, laminators, etc are kept in good condition and are preferably located a bit away from the workstations to avoid disturbing the employees as they work. Additionally, the checklist should question if sound-protection from noisy machinery or equipment is being used by the office. It should be checked that employees are aware of the correct procedures to use such equipment.

30. With regards to facilities for the staff, there must be a separate section in the checklist. The checklist must ask if the washrooms are adequate in number as per the number of employees and that these washrooms are kept clean. The cleanliness standards of the washrooms should be checked with respect to the kind of thorough cleaning that should be done, and the quality of material used for cleaning.

31. It should be checked that the flow of water in the flush of the toilets, in the taps and handheld showers, is proper and regular, and that hot and cold water taps are marked distinctly. The checklist should include questions about the presence of proper disposal bins and sanitary napkin disposal machines as well. It should be checked that waste in bathroom dustbins is cleared regularly.

32. The checklist should enquire about the presence of a well-stocked first-aid kit in the office premises, preferably one in each separate part of the office. The first-aid kit should contain at least the minimal required items such as antiseptic, surgical tape, cotton wool, anti-inflammatory cream, etc., if not, more specialized medicine. The contents of this medical box should be refreshed as and when required and items stocked when needed.

33. Additionally, all employees should have easy access to emergency contact numbers in case further medical Opens in a new tab. assistance is required. The contact information of responders should be displayed in prominent locations and definitely on the first aid kits themselves. Training should also be provided to employees on what to do in case someone requires medical aid, which should be confirmed by the checklist.

34. It is necessary for the checklist to enquire about the fire extinguishers placed in and around the office. There should be one extinguisher per distinct area and the checklist should ensure that these are in working conditions, are tested regularly for functioning, and that all employees are aware of how to use these if the time comes. Alongside, fire alarms and signs must also be tested out regularly to ensure their functionality.

In case of an emergency, do employees have a fixed evacuation plan allotted for them? Is this plan, along with charts and simple instructions, available in different sections of the office for the employees to peruse? These are factors the checklist must include. The checklist must also ask if evacuation drills are performed from time to time to train the staff, and how frequently these are performed. (We have written a related article – 25 Workplace Security Tips For Employees)

36. Also important to check is the re-entry process after an evacuation drill. Employees need to be aware of exiting as well as entering the office correctly after such a situation. The checklist needs to ask about this process as well.

37. The workstations and seating arrangements for employees is also an important part of security inspection. The checklist can ask questions regarding the height of the work desk, the comfort and quality of the chairs provided, whether the chairs are adjustable and revolving in nature, etc. Further, points can be raised about the amount of space each desk offers and whether that space is enough for the tasks to be done.

38. Spacing of the workstations also concerns spacing around and between the desks. Do the employees have reasonable space to move around without dashing into something and potentially hurting themselves? On the other hand, the checklist should also focus on whether there is any unused space which can be utilized better.

39. The list must confirm if there is enough storage space with each workstation. Additionally, it must see if the drawers, cabinets and bins are arranged properly and not in such a way that they obstruct movement or take up too much space. There should be a waste bin with each desk space, and it should be emptied on the regular.

40. It will be useful if the checklist asks additional questions about the optimization of the workstation- whether document holders and similar items are present, and if employees have been briefed on organizing their desk spaces well.

41. The checklist should also deal with housekeeping facilities and competence. It should be checked that staff members who work for housekeeping work regularly to keep the workplace tidy and in aesthetic condition. The checklist should also see if housekeeping staff are aware of basic rules and regulations, such as what cleaning material to use on which surface, avoiding disturbance of employees’ personal belongings on their desk, etc.

42. Security is also concerned with the well-being of the employee, both mental and physical. Thus, the checklist must have points regarding whether the computer is located at an appropriate distance from the employee when at the desk, whether anti-glare is used, if the height and angle of the screen is optimized, etc. The height and positions of the chairs should be adjustable, as should the monitor of the screen.

43. When it comes to inspecting internal and personal security, the checklist must ask if employees are aware of such norms as code of conduct, what constitutes personal and professional violation, sexual and racial discrimination, and so on. Detailed documentation must exist on all these grounds, along with procedures on how to complaint or raise an issue if an employee faces any of this at work.

44. Since security also entails taking care of the employee’s personal well-being and ensuring that they have complete peace of mind at the workplace, the checklist may include the provision of mental health avenues for employees. For example, is there a part-time counsellor or therapist who comes in once or twice a week to provide mental support and guidance to employees? Is there a game/recreation room in the office to help employees unwind?

45. The checklist should ask if regular feedback is taken from the employees on their perceptions of how safe and secure they feel at the workplace. Are employees asked to submit anonymous feedback on whether they find cyber and physical security measures adequate? Do they find the workplace a safe and nurturing space to grow professionally and personally?

46. Cyber security is an increasingly important component of workplace safety now. It can be easy for hackers and malicious intentioned persons to break into the organization’s network, so the inspection checklist must outline factors that safeguard against such a security breach. The checklist must ask if there are strong firewalls in place, blocking outsider entry into the company network. It should be enquired if the company has a cloud based control system in place; as such a system is the best protection against external threats.

47. Employees should also be trained to be wary of how they share information online, such as verifying if a certain person sent an important email, not opening suspicious websites or links, and so on. The checklist should also ask if any instances of unauthorized access or attempts of such access are reported immediately and taken action against. It should also be checked what such preventive/protective action entails.

48. It should include points about employee training and orientation on various fronts. For example, are new employees trained on their job and assigned a mentor to guide their progress? Is there a specific set of guidelines pertaining to employee orientation and on-the-job training, and if so, is this document readily accessible and available to all? When an employee is assigned a new job role or responsibility, is fresh training carried out for their growth as well? The checklist should ask if new employees are briefed on everything about the company, their specific job roles, the company culture, prospects of growth, policies such as attendance, hierarchy, dress code, etc. There must be a separate training session for every new task, role and position in the company as well as an orientation every time new technology, equipment/ processes are introduced that the employees are going to use.

49. One of the most important elements of security is transparency and flow of information within the system and a solid wall blocking the contents of this system from external threats. Thus, the checklist should confirm if the designated people within the organization, such as IT and security department, are able to access the security and surveillance (cyber and physical) system required. On the other hand, the system must be sealed tight so that outsider breach is prevented and at worst, detected and combated as quickly as possible.

Open Sourced Workplace

Recent Articles

Why is workplace motivation important?

25 Ways to Enhance Motivation in the Workplace

Related Questions

Join Open Sourced Workplace

On Fire at Work – How Great Companies Ignite Passion in Their People Without Burning Them Out

A How-To Guide to On-Fire Employee Performance

Growth and Acknowledgement

Autonomy and Communication

Conclusion

Open Sourced Workplace Book Reviews

Recommended Personal Development Books

Importance of An Agile Workplace

Introducing an Agile Work Environment

How to Create an Agile Workplace

Encourage Flexibility

Give Employees the Skills Needed to Succeed

More Leadership than Management

Providing Identity and Purpose

The Changing Demographics at Work

Related Questions

How to Use the Eisenhower Box?

First Quadrant – Do First

Second Quadrant – Schedule

Third quadrant – Delegate

Fourth Quadrant – Eliminate

Tips for Creating the Eisenhower Box Properly

Procrastination and Eisenhower Box

What is the Difference Between Important and Urgent Tasks?

What Does Planning Mean in the Eisenhower Box?

How Does the Eisenhower Box help in Accomplishing Your Goals?

How Exactly Does Workplace Bullying Affect Productivity?

Physical Effects

Psychological Effects

1) Panic Attacks

2) Clinical Depression

3) Complex PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

4) Clinical Anxiety

5) Feelings of Shame and Guilt

Emotional & Economic Effects

Tips to Resolve Workplace Bullying

1) Professionally Confront the Bully

2) Acknowledge & Make It Known That Bullying Should Not Be Tolerated

3) File A Report

4) Be Transparent

5) Seek Help

Proactive Solutions You Can Try Against Workplace Bullying

1) Correct Before It Gets Worse

2) Develop a Healthy & Productive Team Culture

3) Instill Responsibility & Accountability

4) Resolve Conflict Properly

5) Check Up On Each Other

How Can Companies and Employers Help Out?

1) Do a Background Check Before Hiring

2) Conduct Regular Check-Ups

Related Questions:

Creating a workplace Security Inspection Checklist – The Process

49 Essentials to Include in a Workplace Security Inspection Checklist

Related Questions