P. 23 Promoting a healthy workplace. A healthy workplace provides employees with structure, a sense of self-worth, motivation, and the means to achieve satisfaction from the work that they do. As a manager, one of the greatest contributions that you can make to the success of your team is to promote a positive employee-manager working relationship. Studies show that the employee- manager relationship has the greatest impact on the morale of employees, and cultivates a healthy working environment that can actually influence greater employee engagement and improved performance. By understanding that employees learn in – and respond to – environments where they feel supported and empowered to achieve, you can promote a healthy working environment. Below are a few suggestions: • Recognize a job well done. Employees respond best to informal and timely recognition of their efforts. Take time to recognize individual employees immediately after a ‘job well done.’ This will increase their sense of value in relation to the organization and the job that they perform • Generate employee input and feedback. Employee involvement is an excellent team- building tool. Arrange for meetings on a regular basis to encourage brainstorming sessions where employees feel free to offer their perspective • Communicate and relay information. Employees look to their managers and supervisors to get the key information they need about their job, the developments that are taking place within their organization, and how these developments affect them. Keep your employees ‘in the loop’ by offering them regular updates on organizational objectives and priorities • Promote work-life balance. In the pursuit of job success, many employees neglect their family, personal health and wellbeing. This imbalance leads to increased stress, job dissatisfaction and eventually burnout. Help your employees work smarter by watching for signs of job stress, and encourage a balance between the demands of work and home • Reach out to your account manager to assess the need for on-site or web-based training on a wide variety of personal growth and wellness topics • Provide new opportunities. Most employees relish the challenge of learning or applying a new skill. Try offering special projects to individual team members that ‘stretch’ their ability and offer them a chance to try something new • Encourage access to the EAP. Professionals can provide confidential help and support for a variety of personal and work-related challenges. For a better understanding of how the workplace can impact your employees’ physical health and wellbeing, talk to your Human Resources department or EAP A healthy workplace culture includes: • Support for work-life balance • Employee input into decision-making • Leadership support for health and wellness • Role clarity, feedback, and clear performance expectations • An environment of mutual respect