Tips to Ensure a Positive Work Environment

by: Sam Miranda for Vector BPO
on August 11, 2011.

Much has been written about creating and maintaining a positive work environment within organizations, specifically call centers. Most contact centers are filled with individuals from all walks of life with many different backgrounds. Some things that have already been itemized and explained in detail include:

• Building Trust
• Communicating Positively and Openly
• Creating Team Spirit
• Giving Recognition/Credit and Taking Responsibility
• Being Approachable

However for me, there’s only one thing that keeps all these things in place, and that is respect.

Just like in relationships, respect is a two way thing and it has to be earned.  First and
foremost it has to start within ourselves; then we give it to others, and it comes back to us.  I’m not talking about respect just in its basic sense but in all its perspectives.

Each of us is unique, we have different interests, we were brought up differently, we went to different schools, we have different beliefs, and we have different perspectives on different things. Taking each of these into consideration when managing each individual within a team will go a long way.

As a team manager, before you can proceed there’s one thing that you first must do.  Know your employees!

By getting to know them, you will have a better idea of how they will respond to certain things. You will also learn what motivates them and discover the most effective approach to train them to be the best on what they do at work.

It is quite easy to build trust among peers once we know how to respect each individual’s perspective.  And it will be quite easy for you to fully convey what you want to the team once you have earned each person’s respect.

Giving back what is due in terms of rewards and knowing how to recognize one’s effort even in their simplest form can make all the difference.  Respecting each individual
as a member of the team and showing it can further strengthen the bond.

At the end of the day, it is not about me or you, but the team.  Most of all, we have to remember that we would not be where we are right now if it was not for them.