The key to improve workplace culture lies in your company’s approach to the work environment. From executive leadership to management, to the company policies and procedures – everything has an impact in success or failure.

If you want to have an immediate impact in shaping your company’s long-term success, here are the top seven ways to improve your workplace culture.

Set Clear Expectations

The number one thing every leader must do to build a successful team is set clear expectations. Employees possess a greater performance success rate when knowing a leader’s desired expectations. That’s why it’s important for you to communicate your expectations well, communicate them often, and reinforce your expectations through practice.

To build a successful team, you must modify, guide, and encourage what you want from your employees.

Avoid Micromanaging

While it’s important to set expectations, it is also crucial that you avoid micromanaging your employees. Micromanagers stifle productivity by negatively impacting a team’s performance. In fact, micromanagement communicates to your employees that you don’t trust them.

If you want to build positive morale, and inspire confidence in your employees, you must give them room to do their jobs.

Experienced, competent employees will feel empowered in their roles and will return your trust by working harder and smarter for you.

Allow for Mistakes

Remember that everyone on your team is human. Provide a level of flexibility that allows for some mistakes on the job in order to help your employees learn and grow. Absolutely no one is perfect, and to demand perfection is to assert too much control.

You can’t control every outcome that develops in business. However, you can proactively mitigate them.

Consider mistakes as opportunities for employee growth. Offer guidance instead of reprimand.

Not only will you help your employees grow in confidence and knowledge, but you will benefit by reducing an employee’s constant feeling of frustration. Mistakes are opportunities to mold your employees into productive team members.

Recognize Performance

Recognize the performance of your employees regularly to encourage a positive workplace culture and inspire employees to be actively engaged in your company’s daily operations. Notice their hard work and celebrate their achievements.

Giving incentives encourages the desired behaviors you need for your company’s success. Use positive reinforcement!

By doing so, you communicate that they are a valued team member to your company.

Provide Career Development

When you provide career development opportunities, you allow your employees to grow. The success of your workplace depends on an employee’s ability to take risks, make decisions, adapt, and exceed expectations.

Also, providing career development opportunities increases an employee’s desire to perform and they’ll take a stronger interest in their role. Give them a clear path for career advancement. Talented professionals always look to expand their skill set. If you want to keep your best performers, you need to provide career development opportunities.

Put Your Team First

Encourage and support an employee’s need to have a healthy work-life balance. Doing so helps them avoid burnout and allows them to take ownership over their own lives.

When you put your team first, you will foster a stronger and more positive working relationship. It will increase their motivation to perform in their daily roles at your company. You’ll suffer less turnover and attract the best and brightest job candidates in the market. A happy workforce is a productive workforce.

Have Fun

There is a time for work and a time for play. Don’t forget to have fun!

Your company’s success depends on the success of your employees. A serious environment, where it’s business all the time, can be draining. You must provide opportunities for your employees to relax and recharge. Take a personal interest in your employee’s health. Encourage an environment where employees enjoy their work. That’s how you improve your workplace culture!