The "work environment" is the human and physical environment in which daily work takes place. It influences satisfaction and therefore productivity. It is related to the «know-how» of the manager, with the behaviors of the people, with their way of working and relating, with their interaction with the company, with the machines that are used and with their own activity.
It is senior management, with its culture and its management systems, that provides - or does not provide - the appropriate terrain for a good working environment, and the improvement of this environment is part of personnel and human resources policies. use of precise techniques.
While a "good climate" is oriented towards the general objectives, a "bad climate" destroys the work environment causing conflict and low performance situations. To measure the "work environment" it is normal to use "evaluation scales".
Some aspects to be evaluated are the following:
Independence. Independence measures the degree of autonomy of people in the execution of their usual tasks. For example: an accounting task that is simple has in itself few variations -it is a limited task-, but the administrative that performs it could manage its execution time attending to the needs of the company: this is personal independence. The good climate favors the fact that any employee has all the independence he is capable of assuming.
Physical conditions. The physical conditions take into account the environmental characteristics in which the work is carried out: lighting, sound, the distribution of spaces, the location (situation) of people, utensils, etc. For example: a medium with natural light, with highly protected optical glass filters on computer screens, without papers or junk in the middle and without noise, facilitates the well-being of people who spend long hours working and has an impact on the quality of their work. Improvements made to lighting have been scientifically proven to significantly increase productivity.
Leadership. It measures the ability of leaders to relate to their collaborators. A leadership that is flexible in the face of the multiple work situations that arise, and that offers a treatment tailored to each collaborator, generates a positive work climate that is consistent with the mission of the company and that allows and fosters success.
Relationships. This scale evaluates both qualitative and quantitative aspects in the field of relationships. With the results obtained, "sociograms" are designed that reflect: the number of relationships established; the number of friends; who are never related even though they work side by side; the cohesion between the different subgroups, etc. The degree of maturity, respect, the way of communicating with each other, collaboration or lack of companionship, trust, all these are aspects of utmost importance. The quality of human relationships within a company is perceived by customers.
Implication. It is the degree of dedication of employees to your company. Is there escapism, absenteeism or neglect? It is very important to know that there is no involvement without efficient leadership and without acceptable working conditions.
Organization. The organization refers to whether or not there are established and operational methods of organizing work. Do you work through production processes? Do you work due to inertia or to the urgencies of the moment? Do you work in isolation? Are teams promoted by projects? Are there or are there no management models in place?
Recognition. It is about finding out if the company has a recognition system for a job well done. In the commercial area, recognition is used as an instrument to create a fighting spirit among vendors, for example by establishing annual awards for the best. Why not transfer the commercial experience to other areas, rewarding or recognizing what deserves it? It is easy to recognize the prestige of those who usually wear it, but it costs more to offer a distinction to those who, due to their rank, do not usually stand out. When a job well done is never recognized, apathy appears and the work environment gradually deteriorates.
Remuneration. Two well-known French consultants say: <>. The remuneration system is essential. Low and medium fixed wages do not contribute to a good working environment, because they do not allow an assessment of improvements or results. There is a dangerous trend in this regard: the allocation of an immobile salary immobilizes those who receive it. Salaries above mid-levels are motivating, but they also do not drive performance. Competitive companies have created salary policies based on parameters of efficiency and results that are measurable. This creates an environment for achievement and encourages effort.
Equality. Equality is a value that measures whether all members of the company are treated with fair criteria. The scale allows us to see if there is any kind of discrimination. Cronyism, hooking up and lack of judgment endanger the work environment, spreading mistrust.
Other factors. There are other factors that influence the work environment: training, promotion expectations, job security, hours, medical services, etc. It is also important to note that one cannot speak of a single work climate, but rather of the existence of sub-climates that coexist simultaneously. Thus, a business unit within an organization can have an excellent climate, while in another unit the work environment can be or become very poor. The work environment differentiates successful companies from mediocre companies. Whether we want it or not, the human being is the center of the work, it is the most important thing, and while this fact is not assumed, it is useless to speak of sophisticated management tools. Better to get the wind to blow for you.The work and research of Elton Mayo, Ekvall and Arvonen, and Bloch and Hababou have been taken into account in preparing this information.
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