No place is peaceful and calm every, single day. There is no such thing as a day without any challenges, and if that is what you are hoping to achieve, it’s just plain unrealistic. Finding the right mix of respect, encouragement and accountability can be a start towards creating a great work environment.

Some times the first mistake we as employers make is taking too little time to explain our corporate culture. If someone acts too far out of the boundaries of our norm, it is bound to create friction, and over time it can even cause resentment and anger from those of who have been in your company a long time. In turn, a new employee will be hurt and not necessarily understand what they have done wrong. The whole situation can create unbelievable tension and poison your whole company over time.

Inc Magazine has a great graphic which illustrates some ideas for creating a happy work environment:

Some of the tips they gave will not necessarily apply to your company, but there are some that will:

Recognize your employees successes. You don’t have to hand everyone a trophy, but give them something that lets’ them know you are paying attention to how hard they work, how well they do their job.

Put a plan in place for them to obtain a promotion. Working at the same job year after year and seeing no way to better themselves can make people bitter. If you can, offer something towards their education is a start.

Remember to take some time to laugh. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in all of the jobs that need to be done that we forget to take a moment and just enjoy ourselves a little bit.

Happier employees make for an easier time as a manager. It also makes for a lower turnover rate, and less sick days.

Jennifer Comer