Creating A Workplace Culture That Promotes Responsibility & Accountability
What does a flourishing workplace look like? When employees are engaged and committed to the organization, give in their best every day to fulfil their responsibilities, and look forward to working for the organization on a daily basis – the workplace environment looks healthy and business seems to flourish.
Such a workplace culture leads to greater business productivity and provides high financial gains. The employees feel accountable for their part within their respective projects and take responsibilities willingly. But how do you achieve this?
Here are 5 ways to create a workplace culture that promotes responsibility and accountability:
Walk the talk
Often business owners and managers expect their employees to go to extreme lengths in order to fulfil their responsibilities but do not show the calibre to do the same. If you want employees to become accountable, show them what you mean by your actions.
It is important for managers to occasionally roll their sleeves up and dive in to show employees how to take responsibility in a tough situation. If employees see you taking initiatives, they will develop the habit of doing so in their daily work.
Show faith in your employees’ abilities
To build a workplace culture of accountability, you need to first hire the right people for the job. If you pick someone who isn’t capable of meeting the demands, it won’t be long before you notice them trying to deflect the blame of not fulfilling their responsibilities.
Once you have the right people onboard, show faith in their abilities to carry on their work with honesty. Acknowledge this fact vocally to let your employees know that you are counting on them to be fully accountable for their roles.
Give employees the autonomy to decide what approach works for them
If you promote an environment where every minute task needs approval, employees will never learn to make their own decisions. Encourage employees to take charge and execute things based on their capabilities.
This requires that employers and managers give employees the autonomy to decide the right approach to carry out a task and troubleshoot any problems that arise. This won’t ensure that employees will end up doing the right thing in the first go, but they will eventually learn to take accountability of their success as well as failure.
Provide relevant training opportunities
To make sure your employees make the right decisions for any given situation, provide them with the right training opportunities for it. For instance, if you expect employees to understand the best workplace safety practices, make sure they are provided relevant training.
There are various safety training companies that help organizations build a healthy and safe work environment. The training they provide helps employees recognize safety hazards in the workplace and learn ways to correct them.
Build connections
To build a foundation of a positive culture that values responsibility & accountability, there has to be a high level of trust between the employers, management and employees. HR management professionals need to ensure employees are satisfied and happy in their jobs by acknowledging their contributions.
Managers need to effectively communicate with employees regarding their expectations and delegate work accordingly. Employers need to ensure that employees feel comfortable speaking out about their issues and seeking help when they are in a tough spot. For this, it is crucial to show support to employees and try to build connections with them.
Conclusion
When you do all this, you slowly but steadily notice that your employees feel empowered and confident to take on all kinds of work, however challenging they may be. And when this happens, make sure to encourage them by appreciating their work and rewarding them for their efforts.