Every business or office, whether it is full with 5 people or 50 people, are there own little worlds, with people from different cultures. Everyone working there is going to have their own personality, as such some may be more outgoing than others. Some may gel with their team immediately, while for others it may take them a little longer, but they will get there in the end. With all of this, it is important to make sure, as a business owner, there is harmony within your workplace. While you know that not everyone will come into contact with each other every single day of the working week, when they do they will be able to work well with their colleagues. This is important to the running of a successful business, as without your team you might not get very far.

Here at Kaizen Print it is our team that makes us who we are. From our sales team to our print team, everyone pulls their weight and makes sure that the Kaizen name is held to a good standard, making sure that all the customers and clients we deal with are going away happy with the service and products they have received. We operate with a team of over 25 people, so while not the largest still a sizeable number. But over the years we have strived to make sure that everyone who becomes part of the team here at Kaizen Print feels welcome, and that they can work with anyone in the building. We fully believe we have a great workplace harmony in our building, and as such want to give you some tips on how you might be able to achieve this for yourself.

Respect Your Team – Be Nice

Starting from the top, it is important that you respect the team that you have. People follow by example, and if the leader sets a good one they will recognise this and do the same thing, both to those at the top and their fellow colleagues. Respect goes an incredibly long way in the workplace, as it is recognised immediately and can more often than not encourage your employees to go above and beyond the call of duty for you and the company. As well as this however, if your employees have respect for each other and are nice to each other, they will do the exact same for each other. A colleague has phoned in sick but has jobs to be completed? Somebody will help pick those jobs up, because they can say with confidence their colleagues would do the same if they were the ones phoning in sick. Respect starts at the top, so make sure it is there from the beginning and watch it flow throughout the rest of your business.

Avoid any unnecessary gossip – Deal with problems before they become problems

Nobody likes a gossip, especially not in the workplace. It is important again here to lead by example and make sure that you are not the cause of the gossip, as people will only follow and think it is okay if they see you doing it too. In that regard, it is important to keep your ear to the ground in the workplace and listen out for any murmurings, gossip or developing problems that may be starting to occur. It is important to deal with problems before they become actual problems. Get them when they are small and get whoever is involved to work it out. By doing this, you are showing that you care for your employees and know how to deal with occurrences in your office. From this, they will gain more respect for you and aim to be better for you, to repay you for the respect that you showed them.

Encourage communication – Socialise Outside the workplace

Communication is vital for any business to run properly and this is especially important if your team are spread across a few different floors or departments. Not everyone will come into contact with each other everyday depending on what they do, so encourage communication in other ways, such as using an Instant Messaging system within the workplace or having group chats. This helps to keep everything a little relaxed and ensures that everyone can get along, but also means that when someone needs something, there are multiple people there that can provide the answers they seek. As well as this however, another good thing to do is make sure that every once in a while, your team socialise outside of the workplace. It doesn’t have to be anything massive, even just a night out or going bowling is good, as it gets everyone together, talking and laughing, having fun. From this you will find that everyone can start to gel even more and bring this into the workplace, meaning when two people from different departments need to work together they can and can do so successfully.

We hope that you have found this article successful in finding out what works in terms of getting the harmony you need within your business and these tips help you to prove successful in the future!