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Five ways to promote a positive mindset in the workplace
A little positivity goes a long way, and benefits individuals and businesses alike, believes David McCormack, CEO of HIVE360. Here he shares the company’s top five tips to helping promote a positive mindset in your business.
A little positivity can go a long way, especially in these challenging times. With the rising cost of living and things set to get worse before they get better, a positive outlook in the workplace can help individuals and businesses alike.
Recent research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation reveals that almost one third of workers – approximately 8.2 million people – experience low work productivity due to financial concerns. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report for 2022, employee stress was at an all-time high, with just 21% of employees saying they were engaged with work, and only a third saying their overall wellbeing was thriving.
The happiest employees take fewer sick days, are six-times more energised and are twice as productive as their least happy colleagues.
We know that every business depends on its people for success and growth, but with the physical and mental health and wellbeing of so many of the UK’s workforce under threat and suffering, what can employers do to promote a positive mindset in their business to help?
HIVE360’s five tips to promoting a positive mindset in the workplace:
1. Recognise and reward
A little appreciation can go a long way and employees who are recognised for a task well done are likely to feel energized and motivated, increasing their job satisfaction levels. Reward schemes that celebrate successes can create a culture of appreciation, draw in prospective employees, and help retain current talent.
2. Positive moves
Physical exercise stimulates the release of endorphins and creates a ‘feel good’ factor. So getting moving is great for boosting your mood. Encourage employees to take regular breaks and get up and move. Instigate walking meetings, mindfulness breaks, or offer on-site fitness classes during lunch breaks.
3. Detox the digital
So many of us live on our phones nowadays, but it makes it so hard to get away from all the woes of the world when permanently plugged-in. If you have an employee who is consistently working outside of normal hours, consider talking to them about how you can help them work more flexibly, manage their workload and work:life balance more effectively.
4. Develop a sense of community
A positive takeaway from the Covid pandemic was the sense of community spirit discovered by many people. Company charity partnerships are a great way of maintaining this and getting everyone involved by bringing the business and its local community together for a positive purpose.
5. Lead by example
Show colleagues and employees around you the power of a positive mindset. Make an effort to use positive language when you talk to people, smile more, make eye contact, and remember to say thank you. In the same way that a reward scheme could help to build an employees’ trust and appreciation, a little kindness in the workplace is proven to have a positive effect in keeping people happy at work and with their jobs.
About the author:
David McCormack is CEO of outsourced PAYE payroll, employee benefits and engagement company, HIVE360, which provides its customisable employee benefits and wellbeing package via the unique Engage Employee Benefits app as standard to businesses that outsource payroll and employment administration to the company. Available in 120 languages, Engage includes My Health, My Money, My Discounts, and My Work features and has an average of 100,000-plus user sessions each month, with average levels of user engagement of around 85%.
