What makes a workplace great? Employees have different reasons for finding a job. Some do it to pursue their passion, others do it for the feeling of success that comes with it, and most work to make a living and ensure long-term stability. For this, they turn to employers offering jobs on the market, but not all workplaces are designed the same. Each showcases a different set of benefits and experiences for its workers to consider. Some aim to impress workers just as much as they do clients, while others have too much on their hands to divide attention towards such priorities.
There are many features of a good employer that are easy to spot, but for businesses that are just getting started, it can be hard to determine which traits of a great workplace to prioritize. Knowing how to build a good workplace isn’t just about learning the path towards an arbitrary title, but represents more meaningful action towards building a workplace that can promise stability and sustainability for years to come.
What makes a great workplace? Understanding the characteristics of a good employer is a key aspect of attracting talent and boosting retention. (Image: Freepik)
What Makes a Workplace Great? Breaking Down the Features of a Good Employer
The characteristics of a good workplace are easy to describe but harder to duplicate. A great place to work usually reflects a company where employees work as a cohesive unit, supported by their employer to ensure they are at their productive best. A considerable number of features of a good employer are reflected in the company culture, and it always leans towards cultures that guarantee safety and security for all employees.
A great workplace is one where employees work at their creative best, uninhibited by politics and convoluted bureaucracy. When employers and employees work in harmony with mutual respect for each other, the company turns from a stereotypical workplace to one where job seekers clamor to belong.
Most often, we mistake novel benefits like a work party with an open bar or a pizza lunch once a week as company traits that make a great workplace, however, these are only surface-level rewards that don’t make the organization truly shine. When employees feel seen, heard, and understood is when a company succeeds. As a result, the qualities of a great employer can take on many forms.
1. Authentic, Empathetic Leadership
A reliable leader who knows how to lead with confidence is one of the primary components of building a great workplace. Confidence in the leadership within an organization allows employees to follow their strategies and decisions with greater ease, especially during challenging times. The true evidence of good company culture typically emerges during such periods, and the ability to navigate struggles is where employees rely on leaders the most.
2. A Responsive, Adapting Culture
Falling back on traditions and fixed systems is easier, but responding to change and adapting to the demands of the modern world quickly establishes how employees feel about the culture. Whether in terms of the employer’s reaction time to employee feedback or their responsiveness when making a planned, structured change across the organization, a great workplace is built on listening, responding, and evolving without leaving employees behind.
3. Culture of Trust Within the Workplace
When work is assigned to employees, there is an element of trust that goes into leaving them to handle their share of the workload. Some cultures have a more intertwined way of management that relies on frequently checking in on workers, but in most companies, some degree of independence is expected. Delegating work involves trusting workers, putting all micromanagement tendencies on hold. It also requires employers to have faith in employee feedback and opinion, responding to their ideas with genuine interest.
4. Prioritizing Fairness and Equality
A culture built on discrimination and unfair practices allows resentment to fester. Putting fairness first by ensuring employees are equally able to access opportunities is an essential part of running an organization. Addressing bad behavior fairly and with grace is part of this duty, while also ensuring that deserving candidates are rewarded for their work at the organization. The ethics and values of an organization shape the company culture, and most employees appreciate working for a business that is firm on its principles.
5. Flexibility in Management Is Another Element of Great Workplace Culture
The argument between the benefits of remote work and in-person work is an ongoing one, but setting that aside, there are many situations where employees might temporarily require flexibility in their role. Whether to work with a reduced workload due to personal struggles or the need to take a break for caregiver duties, many unavoidable aspects of daily living make employees appreciative of a flexible work culture. Having some regulations and guidelines is a fair practice for any business, but it also helps to discuss options with employees when they need assistance.
6. Prioritizing Mental Health and Employee Well-Being
What makes a great workplace? It is most certainly a culture that respects employees as individuals rather than a number on a timesheet. Whether work-related or not, various stressors push them towards burnout. Ensuring the culture encourages employees to take care of their health, maintain work-life boundaries, and disconnect with work after hours allows workers to recuperate from work before returning every day. From providing benefits that offer mental health support to providing resources for employees to care for their health on their own, there are many aspects to consider with this facet of company culture.
7. Establishing A Culture of Belongingness
When employees feel ownership over their work and celebrate the success of the company, there is greater individual responsibility felt towards guaranteeing that success. Rewarding employees for their contribution to the workplace, incorporating their suggestions into the business’s strategy, providing a share of the results to them, ensuring employees feel connected to each other and to the organization, are elements that make them enjoy their work even more.
8. Competitive Pay and Benefits Do Play a Role in Building a Great Place to Work
Of the many qualities of a great employer, one that is obvious and at the forefront of every conversation is the matter of pay and benefits. Solely providing employees with competitive pay isn’t enough to make a workplace great. However, when combined with a healthy work culture, such considerations work wonders on employee morale. Financially stable employees make happier employees, and their determination and commitment to the organization grow with this guarantee.
Does Your Organization Reflect These Features of a Good Employer?
If we’ve sufficiently answered your question with regard to what makes a great workplace or employer, it’s time to evaluate your business to determine how to build a good workplace that reflects these values. Employees spend a significant chunk of their lives at work, and ensuring they feel confident that this effort is worth their while falls to employers.
Recent workplace trends have left many pessimistic and fearful of the workplace, which is rarely the desired mindset for good quality work. Building a respectable workplace takes greater effort than building a middling one, but the results are always worth the work that goes into it.
What do you think makes a great workplace? Share your thoughts with us. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.