The more supportive your corporate structure, the more your employees will feel a part of it. Not only does this translate to a more enjoyable work environment, but it will also typically create more productivity and less human resources issues. Here are some tips on how to build the type of workplace that supports its people.

Help Your Employees Feel Involved

People want to feel like more than just a cog in a wheel. Management should help their staff set goals, communicate expectations, have progress meetings, and recognize achievements. The latter is key: simply goal setting and checking on progress is not enough. Workers need to feel that what they do has been appreciated.

Encourage Initiative

If employees are only following along with goals set by management, they cannot truly feel a part of the corporate structure and buy-in to the company’s mission may not be complete. Staff should be empowered to make suggestions, to have input on their work, given flexibility to structure their workflow, given the requirements of the day.

Build Common Ground

Not just your individual employees’ goals, but also your company’s goals need to be clearly communicated and discussed. Everyone in the corporation needs to understand what the mission is and what is his or her part to play. If everyone is working to the same common goals, a sense of community can be built.

Create Trust

Trust has to be created, you can’t just hope for it to happen. Management needs to be consistent in its approach to all employees and, above all, follow through on promises made. Just like employees, management must also be held accountable for its actions.

Establish Open Communication

If employees are afraid of repercussions, they will not feel comfortable speaking up about problem situations. The company’s policies need to be clearly communicated not just with regard to such issues as racism, bullying, sexual harassment, and abuse of power but also what to do if a person suspects their manager of disreputable activity. Employees need to know who to talk to in these types of situations and to be confident that their own jobs won’t be at risk.

No matter whether your corporate structure has a top-down hierarchy or a lateral one, you can find ways to help employees feel supported. Supported employees typically create a happier, more productive work environments. With less sick days taken and fewer human resources complaints, your business can get more done in a more pleasant place to work for everyone, management included.