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My Top 3 Things I Look For In A Workplace

I 3have been very fortunate to work for and consult with some amazing companies. I was asked by some folks, “what makes a workplace work for you?” It did not take me too long to pick the 3 things that stand out for me – well trained and continuing to grow, letting me do my job, working as a team. Looking deeper into each of them will help you to understand what to look for. Someone asked me about the perks that many companies are offering as maybe a reason. I see those as not really helping to engage me (or most folks) for the long haul.

Continuous Growth is necessary to keep people engaged. It is too easy to fall into the trap of keeping your head down and doing your best at what you are doing, now. I was lucky to have worked for a company that allowed me to move around to keep me pushing to learn more things. When I made a move, I did it to insure that I was going to be pushed outside of my comfort zone. You need to look to see if there is a solid training program or department available within the company. Do managers allow for cross training, job sharing, training opportunities or whatever will help to keep you moving forward. Never sit idle and think that someone else is going to do this for you. You may get lucky once and awhile, but overall you own your employability.

Letting me control how I get things done, within reason. This does not mean that I can just disregard safety and procedural guidelines… It means that there is the understanding that I get to make my work, mine. Within the procedural guidelines, I get to make decisions to get my work completely in a timing, cost effective and outstanding quality manner. I should not have to wait for someone to tell me what and how to do it. If you find a company that is really set in its ways and does not allow some freedom to get the job done – it is going to be rough. This one is really hard to get an answer on within the interview process, but it will not take long before you see the true actions in place. With social media and other tools out there, it is time to see if you can get a true sense of how it works within a company before you start working there. Reach out to your network and ask the question. Truly listen to what is said and not said.

Are you working as a team or is it a lonely place to work? We all know when we see an organization that is truly working together. There is a lot of smiling, people talking with each other and general high morale. I have seen first hand how being isolated and working alone within a team can definitely hamper the performance of the individual. When the team is all physically present, it is easier to see what is truly going on. When you have a team that is dispersed, much harder to see exactly what is happening. What tools and actions are being used to help keep the team members connected? There is no silver bullet answer… A solid manager helps.

Don’t forget to get answers to what is really going on within a company or organization. It will make your job a lot easier to have the right environment in place.

Image via – Copyright: anhoog / 123RF Stock Photo

Published inNew To ManagementObservations

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