What does it take as a charity leader to create a happy workplace?
Working in an unhappy workplace is soul destroying. Even worse if you’re working for a charity, where you’ve perhaps spent your whole career trying to make a difference to others, yet you’re working life is terrible. Finding yourself in an organisation which doesn’t live its own values is at best disheartening, and at worst the beginning of the path towards burnout.
Creating a great place to work isn’t easy, if it was every employer would be great, and is influenced by factors including the bigger system around the organisation, and key stakeholders, and charities have been some of the worst hit by austerity. It’s important to acknowledge those factors which make the work more challenging, but this doesn’t make the development of a positive working environment possible. What it does mean is that leaders need to think about how they can place their staff, and their wellbeing at the centre of their work in a meaningful way.
Afterall, we can’t make a difference for others if we don’t take care of ourselves.
Creating this sort of working culture in an organisation is the responsibility of all leaders, at all levels, but this needs to be role modelled from the top to create a cohesive organisational culture, this means clear values which are embodied by all leaders, clear policies which are followed through on and a consistent leadership training programme.
As a leader there are four key areas which can create a positive work experience for your teams.
1. A positive attitude and emotions
Not to be confused with toxic idea of “think positive”, this is about enabling staff to see the positive in their roles, and make the experience of work a positive one for them. You can do this by acknowledging and thanking them for their contribution, supporting them to work to their strengths, making time for fun at work, and enabling mistakes to be seen as opportunities for learning, not the be all and end all.
We know that positive emotions enable us to think more creatively, to reflect more easily, find new solutions, build resilience and keep up motivated, so creating a positive experience at work will not only make your staff feel good, it will support them in their role.
2. Respectful and honest relationships
It’s important to remember that our team and colleagues aren’t our friends, we don’t choose to spend time with them, and we may not get on with everyone we work with. Instead of trying to create teams which appear to get on, it’s more important to create a team where members respect each other and their contributions; where they understand their own and each others’ strengths and weaknesses and how these work together to support the teams’ goal.
To do this it’s important for the team to regularly discuss their roles, the tasks which need to be completed, and have time together to establish relationships
3. Honest and supportive communication
We often strive to communicate in a way which is non-confrontational, and avoids disagreement, where in the meeting everyone seems to agree. But this isn’t a sign of a healthy team, or a positive work environment – how often have you seen a team which seem to agree, but once out of the meeting they complain about each other.
As a manager modelling honest and open communication, which is supportive in its delivery, even during difficult conversations is essential, instead of shying away from the challenge.
4. Keeping the meaning at work in check
A sense of meaning, mattering and purpose in life is essential to our wellbeing as individuals, and it’s just as important at work as well. Working for a charity is often inherently meaningful, and for many of us it can be seen as a calling.
This can be of great benefit for us, it enables a sense of connection with the organisation, and can be a real motivator, especially when we’re facing challenges at work. But this sense of meaning needs to come with a warning too. This calling, this desire to make a difference can have a negative impact on our ability to manage our boundaries at work, it can mean we take on too much, over promise, not prioritise our leave or time off. So as a leader it is essential to be explicit with staff about the limitations of their role, and what they can comfortably be expected to do, especially in the face of pressures from external stakeholders or clients.
As a leader it is essential that you set the tone for your service, team or organisation, so to help you do this, here are four top tips:
Support positive and honest communication by asking questions, being open to negative feedback, and challenging colleagues in a supportive and clear way.
Encourage staff to acknowledge and focus on the positive experiences at work (but don’t dismiss the negative).
Facilitate respectful and reciprocal relationships with each other by sharing strengths and weaknesses and making it ok to disagree.
Model healthy work boundaries, and speak to staff if they’re working in a way which doesn’t support their wellbeing.
If you want to explore how you can create a thriving work culture, lets chat.