Are you a leader who wants to keep your employees motivated?
Using the fundamentals of positive psychology in the workplace can be an easy and effective way to increase productivity and create a positive atmosphere. These concepts and tools can help you create a digital or physical workspace where your employees feel satisfied and fulfilled by their work.
PRAISE AND VALIDATION
In the workplace, certain employees may respond strongly to positive praise and have an immediate mood boost, while some may only be slightly affected. This is because according to cognitive psychology fundamentals, each individual is predisposed to fall somewhere on the positive affect spectrum. A person’s ranking on that spectrum determines how strongly they experience positive emotions. Regardless, praise and validation can typically only improve the work climate. Even the most confident individual typically benefits from feeling respected and appreciated. Small, positive comments can dramatically change the way someone views their workplace and the organizational culture they associate with it. Beyond this, when a person feels proud of their work, they are more likely to spend careful time on their next project to create a product they will take pride in.
CONNECTION
Socialization is absolutely essential to every individual's psyche, and the workplace is where the average American gets over 60% of their weekly socialization. Human connection plays a pivotal role in how positively we perceive our environment and how willing we are to contribute. Whether we like it or not, the extent to which we socialize in the workplace shapes our lives, moods, and outlook.
Because of this reality, fostering human connection at work, particularly in a digital workspace, is necessary for any organization that wants to have happy employees. Ask your employees questions about how they are doing. Take a moment to make meaningful eye contact, laugh at someone’s joke, or show that you remember a detail they’ve shared about their personal life. Any of these simple actions can go a long way in building a meaningful connection.
GRATITUDe
Practicing gratitude is one of the easiest ways to promote positive psychology. It’s a classic therapist trick to combat anxiety and a classroom fix in elementary schools; similarly, it can increase the positivity of your work environment. Expressing gratitude has been shown to yield almost immediate positive psychological results. Even if it does not feel like you are changing things in the moment, directly expressing that you are grateful for your employees’ work and time creates an environment of mutual respect and kindness.
FINAL THOUGHTs
Why not try using these positive psychology tips when communicating with your team? You can create a work environment that your employees feel truly happy to be in. This in turn will create more productivity and an overall more pleasant organizational culture for everyone involved.