A company’s culture determines how employees operate in the workplace, how they interact with one another, and how a customer perceives your business based on the quality of service they receive.

The average adult spends over 40 hours of their week in the workplace, meaning that the type of environment they are working in is likely to have a major impact on their lives outside of work. Maintaining a positive work environment will not only lead to higher rates of retention among employees but will create higher levels of productivity for your company as happy employees are shown to want to work harder.

When your employees are happy, your company will thrive.

If you feel like your company could use some work in the culture and morale departments, you might be wondering where to begin. While every office and every individual employee has different needs and there is no one size fits all solution to creating a better workplace, there are some things you can do to create a more comfortable environment for your team to show that you care.

Here are 3 easy but effective ways to improve workplace culture.

1. Foster Relationships with Employees

A major complaint that many working adults have about their careers is that they feel their employer does not value them outside of what they can do for the company. Showing your team members that you care for them as human beings before employees is the first step in fostering a positive relationship with them.

Getting to know your employees on a personal level will give you the tools to learn what will make them feel more appreciated and supported in the workplace, and employees respond better to executives when they feel they can talk with them, rather than being talked to by them.

2. Give Recognition

Employees can feel burnt out and underappreciated if they are constantly doing their job without praise. Studies show that employees work harder and feel more satisfied with their work when they have an incentive ahead of them.

Try shouting out team members and recognizing them for a job well done during weekly meetings or with a weekly email that is sent to staff. This will leave everyone on your team feeling valued by the company and satisfied with their work, encouraging them to keep it up.

3. Be Flexible

Employees feel most supported by their companies when they have the flexibility to live their lives outside of work without fearing penalization from their employer. If your business allows for it, allow flexibility in scheduling for employees like allowing them to choose the hours they work or offering a shortened workday on Fridays or other frequent occasions. Offer unlimited PTO if your business allows, and encourage employees to take it as needed.

When your team members feel supported both in and out of the office, they are likely to experience less stress and work harder when they are on the clock.

Improving your workplace means doing more than just adding some fun equipment to your breakrooms or hosting a quarterly outing at which you will not be present. Workplace culture can only be improved with a hands-on, intentional approach in which you work to make yourself available to hear your team’s needs and do what you can to meet them.

These are just 3 of many ways to improve your workplace environment, which will benefit everyone in the long run and help your company to succeed.