Creating a healthy work culture is essential for employee satisfaction and productivity. We’ve gathered 20 expert opinions from CEOs, founders, and HR professionals on how to achieve this goal. From seeking feedback and addressing concerns to promoting transparent communication, discover the top strategies for fostering a positive work environment.
- Seek Feedback and Address Concerns
- Avoid Micromanagement
- Support Mental Health in Workplace
- Set Clear Goals and Encourage Collaboration
- Foster a Psychologically Safe Environment
- Empower Employees and Provide Autonomy
- Create a Sense of Community
- Infuse Playfulness and Humor
- Practice Active Listening
- Set Examples and Inspire Employees
- Teach, Don’t Command
- Avoid Forced Inclusivity
- Cultivate a Healthy Work-Life Balance
- Build Trust
- Provide Company Context
- Celebrate Successes and Contributions
- Lead with Empathy
- Understand Staff Needs
- Appreciate Using Love Languages
- Promote Transparent Communication
Seek Feedback and Address Concerns
Few leaders actively try to create a toxic work culture. However, that’s very different from taking positive steps to create a thriving and healthy work culture. I’ve found it helpful to regularly seek anonymous feedback about the state of the company. This can be as simple as sending out quarterly surveys with anonymized responses.
A key indicator of a healthy culture is that your employees think your company’s culture is good. It’s simple but true. Regularly seeking feedback and actually addressing the concerns that were brought up is a great way to continually improve your culture.
Temmo Kinoshita, Co-founder, Lindenwood Marketing
Avoid Micromanagement
If you want to promote a healthy work culture, give people autonomy and the power to make decisions at their level. Personally, I believe in giving our employees space and treating them like responsible adults.
I absolutely do not believe in micro-managing. I’m not concerned about strict adherence to a 40-hour workweek or specific working hours (within reason). I don’t need detailed knowledge of my employees’ meetings or conversations, and I don’t want to check in with them every day. My role is to support their personal and professional growth, providing the necessary resources for their job and then stepping back. When they leave, I want them to remember a great team, cool projects, and positive experiences in the company.
However, leaders should agree on some common ground on the limits of this autonomy. Regular check-ins are necessary to ensure work stays on track, but how the work is done should be left to individuals as much as they are capable.
Jonathan Merry, Founder, Moneyzine
Support Mental Health in Workplace
Pay raises and cash bonuses are a few ways to express that you value your employees. But that’s standard. To value your employees’ mental health is different. A few ways to do this is to allow them to have mental health leave when needed.
Supporting your employees in getting to therapy or supporting them financially when medication is needed can also make them feel that you care about their overall well-being. I take it as an investment in my people.
If they are able to feel that they are good mentally, they can perform well in their work. Having to deal with personal issues on their own and in a healthy way can also avoid unnecessary conflicts inside the office. Usually, mood swings can create a toxic environment, and it is often caused by personal issues. If you care about your employees individually, it could automatically translate to your whole organization and eventually create a healthy working environment.
Mark Damsgaard, Founder and Head of Client Advisory, Global Residence Index
Set Clear Goals and Encourage Collaboration
One way a leader can ensure they are creating a healthy work culture is by setting clear goals.
The objectives of each team should be outlined so that employees will have results to work toward. In addition to improving individual performance, it will encourage collaboration between team members. Just make sure there is room for feedback to adjust quotas and KPIs when needed.
In addition to setting department goals, there should be long-term organization goals as well that every employee understands. This will cultivate a sense of professional purpose among workers and demonstrate the value each role has towards achieving the company mission.
Josh Bluman, Co-founder, Hoppy Copy
Foster a Psychologically Safe Environment
One way a leader can ensure they are creating a healthy work culture is by promoting psychological safety. Psychological safety is an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing themselves openly, sharing ideas, asking questions, admitting mistakes, and taking calculated risks without fear of criticism, ridicule, or punishment.
To promote this, leaders must demonstrate vulnerability, admit their own mistakes, and show that they value input from all team members. They should encourage feedback and constructive questioning, reacting positively to well-intentioned risk-taking, even if the results aren’t as expected.
In addition, fairness and equality should be the pillars of interaction, where everyone has an equal voice, regardless of their role or seniority. Open communication about company goals, expectations, and challenges also contributes to a psychologically safe environment. With these practices, leaders can create a healthier and more productive work culture.
Will Gill, Event Entertainer, DJ Will Gill
Empower Employees and Provide Autonomy
There has to be a degree of choice for employees in relation to their personal development and the responsibilities they take on in their roles.
An unhealthy culture is one where there is no degree of autonomy for your employees, so you need to ensure that you’re empowering employees to make decisions, not the other way around.
Tracey Beveridge, HR Director, Personnel Checks
Create a Sense of Community
A healthy work culture is one where employees feel valued, respected, and supported. It is a place where employees feel comfortable being themselves and where they can thrive.
One way a leader can ensure they are creating a healthy work culture is to be open and transparent with their employees. This means keeping them informed about the company’s goals, challenges, and progress. It also means being honest with them about their performance and providing them with feedback that is constructive and helpful.
Another way a leader can create a healthy work culture is to create a sense of community. This means encouraging employees to get to know each other and to work together towards common goals. It also means providing opportunities for employees to socialize and connect with each other outside of work.
Brenton Thomas, CEO, Twibi
Infuse Playfulness and Humor
One effective way for a leader to cultivate a healthy work culture is by infusing playfulness and humor into the workplace. While professionalism remains important, creating a lighthearted and enjoyable atmosphere can bring numerous benefits to employee well-being and productivity.
Leaders can try unique ways to celebrate achievements, such as personalized trophies or themed celebrations, and actively encourage humor and laughter during team meetings. They can also incorporate playful elements into the workspace, like game rooms or colorful decor, to inspire creativity and a sense of fun.
By organizing team-building activities and supporting creative expression, leaders foster camaraderie and allow employees to express their imagination. Additionally, promoting a healthy work-life balance and offering flexibility further contribute to a happier and more productive work environment.
Adam Wright, CEO, Human Tonik
Practice Active Listening
I made it a point to actively listen to my team members, comprehend their various points of view, and provide support when necessary. I was able to forge close relationships with my staff members and foster an inclusive environment where everyone felt supported and respected by acting with true empathy.
As a result, there was an improvement in the team’s sense of cohesiveness and productivity, as well as a decrease in stress.
Percy Grunwald, Co-founder, Compare Banks
Set Examples and Inspire Employees
A healthy work culture starts at the top and trickles down the company hierarchy. A leader should prioritize setting good examples of communication, mannerisms, and overall productivity. In order to do so, a leader should hold themselves to a higher standard by performing healthy leadership practices every day.
Whether it be having an open-door conversation policy or holding motivational meetings, a leader should inspire employees. Inspired and empowered employees are what make up a healthy work culture.
As a business leader, I enjoy having an open-door conversation policy, which is essentially having my door open when I am working and encouraging people to come to chat with me. Open doors, when appropriate, help to promote communication, which is very important to me.
I have found that over time, my employees feel safe enough to talk about their business and personal lives with me and others, which has improved the overall health of the company.
Kathy Bennett, CEO and Founder, Bennett Packaging
Teach, Don’t Command
One thing I’ve learned as a leader is the profound impact of teaching over ordering. We all know people are more inclined to engage when they feel valued and understood. Therefore, instead of just commanding “Do this,” or “Do that,” I opt for a more instructional approach.
For instance, instead of simply telling an employee to adjust a fixture placement, I suggest, “Could you try adjusting the fixture placement? It might enhance the overall aesthetic and balance of the garden.”
This way, they’re learning, understanding the rationale behind the action, and even developing their own instincts. This approach fosters a more engaging and respectful work environment, and also empowers my team, making our work culture healthier and more productive.
Ben McInerney, Director and Founder, Home Garden Guides
Avoid Forced Inclusivity
I was trying too hard to nurture diversity in my company several years ago. I knew so because I often ended up playing right into stereotypes, fanned them, or alienated some groups of people in the process. Assigning tasks or roles to portray inclusivity is one way many leaders fail to nurture a healthy work culture.
Take gender equality, for example. You may decide to assign someone of the opposite gender a role you tend to assign to one gender. In my experience, this person may not get the respect they deserve because others may perceive this as an act of inclusivity rather than something they’re equipped for.
It is often easy to notice this reaction and it usually negatively affects the person’s interest in his or her job and relationship with colleagues. Selecting people from both genders to work on the project would be a more cohesive way to make sure both sides are heard.
Jon Torres, CEO, Jon Torres
Cultivate a Healthy Work-Life Balance
Few things can turn a work environment toxic more than not taking days off being treated as a badge of honor. I’ve run into more than a few would-be leaders that pride themselves on never missing a day of work in the last ten years, which is a great way to pressure your employees into working when they are unwell or have a major life event that they now have to skip.
As a leader, it is your responsibility to ensure your people are empowered and encouraged to take the time to rest, recharge, and have a work-life balance, and the best way to make that happen is to ensure you are seen taking all of your own PTO every year.
Dragos Badea, CEO, Yarooms
Build Trust
Building trust is both powerful and transformative. I recall, in the early days of my business, we encountered issues around transparency and accountability, so I made a point of delegating important tasks and expressing confidence in my team’s ability to accomplish them.
I also encourage open communication, welcoming ideas and feedback from all staff members. The result was profound—the team became more motivated, cooperative, and our work environment thrived. Through this experience, I’ve learned that trust is indeed the backbone of a healthy work culture. It empowers individuals, fosters teamwork, and ultimately drives business success.
Thomas Giarraputo, Vice President, Executive Cleaning Services
Provide Company Context
Operating blind is terrible for morale, so I find that explaining the direction of the company and the reason why we do X and not Y is a major component of creating a healthy work culture.
Understanding the business context matters and tends to head off any complaints about why we’re doing something in a particular way. The more informed the employee is of the company context, the happier they are in the workplace culture in my experience.
Kate Kandefer, CEO, SEOwind
Celebrate Successes and Contributions
As a leadership expert, I can attest that one crucial way a leader can foster a healthy work culture is through recognition and appreciation.
Celebrating successes, whether big or small, and acknowledging individual contributions can significantly boost morale and motivation. It’s important to create an environment where employees feel valued for their efforts and achievements.
This can be as simple as giving a shout-out in a team meeting, a personalized note of thanks, or implementing a formal recognition program. When employees feel appreciated, they’re more likely to be engaged, productive, and loyal to the company. It fosters a positive work environment and helps in building a culture where people feel their work is meaningful and appreciated.
Irina Poddubnaia, CEO, Founder, TrackMage
Lead with Empathy
I’ve always tried to lead in an empathetic way because I believe that will be shared amongst other team members throughout the organization. If you can show empathy to team members and show them that you lead in a civil, giving way, it should encourage others to act in a similar way.
Simply, I try to abide by “Treat others as you would like to be treated.”
It’s my hope that my use of this strategy will be seen by others, and they will do the same throughout their workweek on an ongoing basis.
Rahul Jha, Managing Director and CEO, Legal Entity Identifier
Understand Staff Needs
Leaders need to focus on empathy and utilize empathetic leadership learnings to actively create a healthier work culture for staff.
It’s no use assuming what staff want; you need to put yourself in their shoes and actually be around them to find out what really will make a difference in relation to a healthy culture.
Wendy Makinson, HR Manager, Joloda Hydraroll
Appreciate Using Love Languages
Find ways to show appreciation to each of your team members in their love languages. A handwritten card goes a long way with someone who speaks “words of affirmation.” A work anniversary gift will help those who speak “receiving gifts” feel loved. And lunch together will build relationships with those who speak “quality time.”
Once you are speaking their language, your appreciation is more likely to be received.
Jessica Shields, CEO, beCAUSE minded
Promote Transparent Communication
In my perspective, one way a leader can ensure they are creating a healthy work culture is by prioritizing open and effective communication within the organization. Communication is the lifeblood of any workplace, and when it is fostered in a positive manner, it can greatly contribute to a healthy and productive work environment.
As the president, I have successfully led my team for years and encouraged regular and open channels of communication throughout the organization. By providing opportunities for employees to express their thoughts, concerns, and ideas, leaders can create an environment where everyone feels heard and valued.
Additionally, leaders should promote transparency in their communication. It creates a sense of trust and reduces rumors or speculation, contributing to a healthier and more united work culture. And the most I believe that leaders should regularly acknowledge and celebrate individual and team achievements.
Beth Worthy, President, GMR Transcription Services, Inc.