Human focused workplaces are gaining attention because they create more engaged employees and thus boost organizational productivity. When leaders foster a culture where employees feel truly valued, involved in decisions and supported to achieve their full potential, employees give more of their ideas and effort to the business. This translates into higher productivity, better customer service and stronger financial results. It can also improve collaboration in your place of work.
Human-centered design is a process that starts with the people you’re designing for and ends with new solutions that are tailor-made to suit their needs. Focusing on employees isn’t only the right thing to do; it’s good for business too. Here are five ways your organization can start to think and act people-first:
- Determine the core value of the organization: For a crowd to gather, or a community to form, there needs to be a reason to do so – a common thread. Once every person is acquainted with the vision and core value of the organization, they tend to align their individual core values with it. When they congregate and act together, it’s a powerful force.
- Empower your team: As individuals, people know the best way to get done what they need to, so as long as they understand the absolute immovable parameters of their work (e.g. the law) then giving them the freedom to act in their own way is beneficial. It increases productivity, morale and other positive factors. Don’t micromanage your team. Let them work however they see fit. As long as they’re delivering quality work and meeting deadlines, ease up the reins and let them do their thing.
- Prioritize Mental and Financial Wellness: Although productivity takes precedence for many organizations, the stress-inducing approaches once favored in the past are being replaced by more people-centered solutions.
- Break the tradition: Offer choices and flexible work plans like choosing night or day hours for working, remote work etc. The 9 to 5 working hours are no longer the norm. Workplace design is one important way organizations today can create choice. A good example of human-centered workplace design is reallocating a larger percentage of office space towards informal and comfortable collaboration spaces.
- Have Cross-Functional Teams: In a people-centric culture, employees know that job titles don’t define them. Everyone sees their role in the context of the bigger picture. Be critical of this factor while hiring your employees. The people centric teams are empathetic and empathy cannot be taught.