Back to the Very Beginning: How to Create the Perfect Work Environment.

This article brings us back to my very first blog: A Co-operative Spirit, and it closes and completes the circle...

With the staffing issues everyone's facing these days, I'm sure you'll find these suggestions extremely helpful. For a little extra boost in understanding the point of this article, when you've finished it, my first one is only a few paragraphs long, and it will bring us both back to where we are standing, right now...I hope you enjoy it!

There are many factors that go into why people move on from certain jobs. And, there’s no doubt that the pandemic played a very big role in having large groups of people shift careers. Now that we’re slowly getting back on track, there are still plenty of seats to fill. And, this “space” is just as important for your company, as it is for the individuals who will be landing in that spot.

In my personal work experience (many years before Covid) there was still quite a bit of tension found at work. And, although most companies had the bases covered and those slots filled, there was something missing. To me…Is was the positive connection between employees and managers, and the understanding of how specific department’s roles, overlap.

To create the perfect working environment many years ago, you simply had to fill-in those slots, clarify the goal of the position with a little training – and get to work! Now, business is much more complicated than it ever was before. And, this isn’t from technological advances, or how big certain companies are, or even because we’ve developed advanced metrics to measure what’s there, and how that’s working…

No matter how far ahead we advance in the world of business, the very basic, simple fundamentals of how we relate to each other and how each department connects to the one right next to it, will always be present. So, once those seats are filled, how can we make sure that they’ll be filled long into the future, so that we – can get back to business?

Believe it or not, even if you’re a CEO, the very same things are needed by each employee or department to not only do their best as far as production goes, but for hanging in there long after the excitement of the position settles, and becomes routine. So, where do we begin?

Rather than trying to explain the importance and specifics of every major position (since you already know those to a large degree), I’ll ask you a few simple questions, and you’ll easily be able to figure out – for your business, what’s needed so that every position works as well as it possibly can…

If you think of your role, as a worker and a person, what do you really need to be able to do your job, easily? (Meaning, it’s easy to do well because you have exactly what you need to accomplish the task at hand. And, because of that, you enjoy the progress you’re making, for both you – and the company.)

Besides a few role related tools or specific programs etc., the same things that you need to make success come easy, are the same things your employees need, as well. If you’re in Upper Management, you might have more time off, a higher salary, and a few more perks, but the basics of what’s there for you, or what needs to be – are still the same, as any base employee.

So, to be able to critically think with laser like focus on this subject and discover those answers for yourself, draw a circle around a given department, or a specific role there, and see if everything you would need to do a job well done – is in its place. Not only is this good for filling-in those slots, but this allows you to see what’s really there or needed in a much more detailed and personalized way. (How does knowing this, help – you?)

A good consultant can walk you through a few departments and give you some great suggestions on what’s needed. (And, that’s a service I offer.) However, if you see it with your eyes first – it puts you directly in touch with what’s there. Not only will this bring up solutions, but it will allow you to understand at a much deeper level, why those things ARE needed. And, you’ll also see the importance of how this relates to some other departments or roles – that are directly taking you to your bottom line.

Often, due to staffing issues or from simply having so much to do, there’s a great disconnect between people, the numbers – and what’s in place to produce them, consistently. (And, that’s often why those seats might still be vacant.) It’s not necessarily due to negligence, as it is just going along with the fast pace of daily functions, and overlooking the little details that mean a lot – not only to you, but to your employees, as well.

At the end of the day, as workers, what’s needed to perform our tasks well, and to enjoy the process long-term are the same things. So, before you add outside perks to a given position, hoping it will keep people on the hook for a longer period of time (and those things are important) take a careful look at what’s needed by a given employee at every major turn on your business wheel. Not only will you be surprised by how simple and easy those “fixes” really were, but you’ll come to appreciate even more – how everything is working together to accomplish the larger ends you were looking for…

Once you see that your needs, the needs of the company, and the needs of the employees are the same, not only will you bring those ends together successfully, but you’ll discover how there was never really a conflict of interest here at all; between having exactly what you wanted to see show up – and having it stay there with you, too.

As people and professionals, we’ve always had the same goal in mind. We’re two sides of the same coin. Once you see this for yourself, finding “the answer” to the staffing question should come, quite easily.

And, if you need a hand to completely fill-in those details, this just happens to be my area of expertise…Pinpointing, exactly where “our” needs – meet!

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I hope you've enjoyed these articles, and they were helpful at a time when you needed them, most of all. I've learned quite a bit about myself and business in the process of writing them, which took about five years to complete...

My door is always open for any questions on these articles, my services, or what you're dealing with in your business.

At the end of the day, it's not knowing ALL the answers that matters. Lasting success and consistent growth comes down to a willingness to put a few simple ideas that we know to be true in place; only because they'll help us reach our goals in a much easier and more fulfilling way. Any idea, no matter how big or small, simple or profound, or even where it comes from...Is only valuable in what it brings – to us. When we embrace those ideas and put them into motion, what we've been looking for in life and in business, will be created – right there and then.

Which brings us back to where we are, right now: IN-JOY.

Once we're "there" we just keep on making more of it, as well as everything else that we wanted to see. The circle never has to end. It just keeps on moving, with us...And, I believe, in fact I know – that we can make this possible. We've done it before, and we can do again.

And, if the ability to be happy and successful for as long as possible is right here with us, then we only need to take a step into that...

AND, THERE WE ARE.

The Circle – Is Now Complete.