Looking for a job is a lot like looking for a long-term romantic partner. You’re probably looking for a commitment, a supportive environment, and a place where you can feel secure enough to grow as a person. Just as there are red flags for a person or workplace, there are green flags (good things) that you look for as well.
When it comes to a place of work, you want to feel excited to walk in the door everyday. That might look like stopping by the desk of your work bestie to say good morning, starting a conversation with someone in a different department while waiting for your coffee to brew in the kitchen, or even just feeling safe enough to sit at your desk without feeling like you’re going to get in trouble if you breathe too loudly.
We asked our Instagram followers what some of their “green flags” are for their work environment and here are 4 of the most prioritized “must-haves!”
Green Flags: Prioritizing a Growth Mindset and Open-mindedness
What is a growth mindset? Picture yourself in the middle of a challenging project at work that is a bit outside of your knowledge reach. Do you: a) give up because you don’t possess the skills to carry the project to finality; or b) do you embrace the fact that you don’t have the skills yet and instead decide that you will take the initiative to get there?
A growth mindset looks beyond your inherent skills and focuses on what you can learn and add to your toolbelt. Although it takes personal work to adopt this way of thinking, being able to embrace failure and move forward truly flourishes in a culture that allows this mindset to thrive.
As an employer or manager, are you encouraging creativity in your employees? When they don’t know how to do something are you brushing it off to find someone who can or are you giving them the tools and resources to learn for themselves? Do you lead by example and embrace your own failure while having a willingness to learn from your own mistakes?
Fostering a culture of growth is a green flag because it leads to increased collaboration, healthy communication, and professional development. How does your company prioritize growth in its employees? How can you improve?
Green Flags: Communication with Leaders
Have you ever been in a situation where you get mixed messages from your higher ups? Has one manager given you one piece of feedback and another gone in a completely different direction? Have you ever had a manager that only focuses on your weakness and where you can improve rather than highlighting your strengths?
Manager communication is key to feeling valued and respected. Clear, direct, and honest communication about where you can improve is important, but it also needs to be supported with areas you are doing particularly well in.
For employers, when was the last time you gave your employees positive feedback about how they are meeting or exceeding your expectations? Are the expectations from you being consistently communicated in the same way throughout your company so everyone is on the same page?
Communication affects every aspect of work from email to face to face conversation. How is communication being modeled and where can you improve your communication styles to be clear and supportive?
Green Flags: Little to No Drama
Gossip can be a guilty pleasure, but it doesn’t make for a healthy work environment. Think about someone you know who feeds off of talking behind people’s backs. Does it create tension between people? Does it cause you to watch your back around them for fear of being talked about?
Collaboration and teamwork are two of the strongest pillars of an office that can be broken by the infestation of drama and gossip. If no one trusts each other, how will they work together? How can you minimize drama at work?
Create a culture of communication where people have conversations with coworkers they have issues with. Model that communication with people you take issue with so that others will see it and replicate it. You can also cut drama off at the source. Who is spreading rumors and talking badly about people in the office? Have a conversation with them and find out what the real problem is.
Coworker relationships are the cornerstone of office culture. If your company is plagued by drama and gossip, see where you can put a stop to it.
Green Flags: Inclusivity
Happy employees are more productive employees. Forbes outlines 8 reasons why Diversity and Inclusion are important to a workplace, but you probably already know this. So how do you become more inclusive?
In terms of allyship, we discussed great ways to support the LGBTQ+ community specifically in our PRIDE blog post, but these tips go beyond one community. In order to truly show your support and create a place where diversity can thrive, you must first establish a culture where diversity and more importantly, inclusion, are valued and sought after.
Do you have policies in place for when discriminatory behavior occurs? Do you support businesses that are actively against the communities you claim to support? Are you listening to what your communities actually need from you?
There are many companies who have created inclusive workplaces where everyone feels like they belong. Belonging is a basic human need, so how will you continue to make that a priority for all of your employees?
Looking for more advice on how to improve your business? Try these!
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About LGC
Since 2003 LGC has been building connections between businesses with staffing needs and job seekers looking for new opportunities. Our range of solutions includes temporary and permanent placements (and everything in between) for a variety of industries. With offices located nationwide, we can tap into a dynamic pool of talented professionals. We have a passion for creating partnerships that last and work hard every day to ensure both clients and candidates reach their employment goals.