Chances are you don’t even realize that you may be doing a number of things that are harming your employees. Some may be serious shortcomings, while others may just be minor matters of perspective, but either way, they are affecting the workplace negatively. Avoid doing the following 5 things that harm your employees.
- Encouraging an unhealthy lifestyle. The health of your staff should be a top priority. No matter the type of leadership, you should not be encouraging an unhealthy lifestyle. The success of your organization hinges on your actions. Those actions may be unintentionally encouraging unhealthy habits. An example of this is bringing donuts for your team in the morning. The gesture is great, but the choice of food could be replaced with a healthier option to promote greater productivity. Consider fruit and bagels as a healthier option.
- Providing temporary fixes when equipment breaks. Temporary fixes will not provide long-term results. If something in the office breaks, don’t try to fix it with tape or glue, especially if it is something that has to do with electrical equipment. Doing a quick fix like this is putting your employees and organization at risk. Schedule appropriate and professional repairs immediately to things that break in the office.
- Ignoring workplace hazards. You may have taken notice and addressed any big hazards, but don’t forget about the little ones. Conduct regular inspections and maintenance schedules, looking for things such as skid-proof floors, heavy items stacked too high, and blind spots where machinery and pedestrians cross. Provide ergonomic accessories for office workers and gloves for warehouse workers.
- Not accommodating employees that are sick or want to take vacation time. There are times when working through a minor snuffle can be done, but don’t expect staff to work when they have the flu. This also goes for vacation time that your employees have earned. If they wish to take a few days off, then grant them that desire. Forcing your employees to work during times that they don’t want to (or shouldn’t) will result in animosity and more illness being spread throughout the office.
- Not respecting the physical abilities of your staff. Expecting them to sit or stand all day is unreasonable. Even in jobs that require sitting or standing all day, you need to allow for adequate opportunities for your employees to either rest or stretch their legs so that they do not get worn down. For those that sit at computers all day, consider alternative options to sitting such as balance balls, a standup desk, stools, treadmill desks, etc. so that your staff can figure out what works best for them. For those that are on their feet all day, provide padded flooring in the places they stand the longest and encourage cushioned footwear.
See the following articles for more information:
Photo: bwengr.wordpress.com
