1. Concept and meaning of work environment
By Labor Climate is understood the set of qualities, attributes or relatively permanent properties of a concrete work environment that are perceived, felt or experienced by the people who make up the business organization and that influence their behavior.
Frequently this concept is confused with that of Business Culture, but it differs in being less permanent in time although it shares a connotation of continuity.
The importance of knowledge of the work environment is based on the influence it exerts on the behavior of workers, its diagnosis being essential for the design of Human Resources management instruments.
The actions to be taken are:
· Diagnosis of the work environment
· Design of human resources management instruments
Considering that the determining variables of the work environment in an organization are diverse: information - communication, motivation, participation… etc, the management instruments are defined for each of these management areas. We will then focus on the diagnosis of work environment.
2. Diagnosis of work environment
The dimensions to be considered as an object of study are the following:
· Motivation
Identification of the values by which workers are motivated towards action and what is the strength with which they operate.
· Influence process
Identify the influence of workers on company decisions.
· Goal setting
Level of participation of workers in the definition of objectives and acceptance of them
· Information - Communication
Identification of the different communication systems and their operation
· Control process
Identification of supervision and control systems
A diagnosis of the work environment reveals the perception of individuals regarding these dimensions, this information being essential when evaluating the management instruments that are being used and being able to design those that are suitable for the resolution of possible conflicts and the achievement of business objectives.
3. Research methods
Before applying the research methods, it is necessary to divide the global group that is the object of the research into homogeneous groups, attending to hierarchical levels or to departments or areas of action, since the work climate is a multidimensional component formed by the set of different climates that live in the same organization
· Questionnaire
The questionnaire would consist of standardized questions referring to the aforementioned dimensions and questions adapted to the specific reality of the company under investigation.
· Interview
All the employees or a representative sample may be interviewed, in order to confirm the results obtained from the questionnaires and to influence the aspects that have been revealed as most important.
· Group dynamics
The objective is to contrast the results obtained through the dynamics of a heterogeneous group, in which representatives from different hierarchical levels or departments will be present.
4. Diagnosis of work environment in small and micro companies
When preparing a diagnosis of the work environment in a small or micro-business, the instruments previously identified must be adapted. Although the dimensions under study are the same, they do not operate in the same way, they run in a simpler and more observable way, so the adaptation of these research methods is mandatory. A method of investigating work environment in a company in which workers could maintain anonymity, despite being part of a small staff, may consist of answering in writing to a series of simple questions related to each of the dimensions object of study.
The study of the work environment in a micro-company, in which it is not possible to maintain the anonymity of the workers, more useful than the use of a questionnaire, is a simple informal meeting between the manager and his workers in order to detect possible problems or incidents.
In this sense, a climate of trust and objectivity is essential.
What is the work environment
It is the set of variables that affect people's perception of the place where they carry out their work activity. Variables can be objectified and mathematized, but perception is a personal equation of one hundred percent subjective characteristics. People take into account a situation of totality, without having in mind or in consciousness the partial aspects.
In the field of job performance, people work to satisfy economic needs, but also for personal development. These needs give rise to motivations that facilitate performance, so that perception is determined by the history of the subject and her wishes and personal projects.
This subjectivity and the sum of existing objective variables will determine the responses that people will give when they are consulted for aspects of their work.
In an investigation on WORK CLIMATE, what is sought is to determine those objective variables that may negatively affect the perception that people have of the quality of work in which they find themselves. This quality will ultimately influence the performance of the performance and therefore the economic results and satisfaction of the people involved in the processes, thus compromising the COMPANY project and the stable, productive and healthy permanence of the people.
How to do an audit
The Auditor makes a presumptive diagnosis and agrees with the Company Authorities the variables to be investigated.
In general there are variables that are usually investigated such as:
· PHYSICAL SPACE WHERE THE ACTIVITY IS DEVELOPED
· MATERIAL RESOURCES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ACTIVITY
· TRAINING FOR PERFORMANCE
· ADMINISTRATIVE CIRCUITS
· RELATIONSHIPS
· WAGES AND GRATIFICATIONS
· INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
· STAFF MANAGEMENT POLICIES
· QUALITY POLICIES
· CORE COMPETENCES OF THE COMPANY
A survey protocol is established and it is carried out simultaneously to all personnel. It is not a sample but a census, this to all the personnel who are working simultaneously. The survey is personal and face-to-face, completely anonymous and does not contain crosslinks of variables that allow identifying the respondent.
All this information is processed and generates databases from which the quantitative information is extracted and then the cross-links of variables are made that allow us to reach qualitative conclusions.
What is done with the information
The information, processed, elaborated and interpreted is delivered to the COMPANY, to make the necessary corrections and establish work parameters with the staff. A second report is made so that the COMPANY can return the results to the respondents and thus be able to open a dialogue with its human resources.
