The productivity of workers depends on several factors that belong to physical and social working conditions. Appropriate lighting, temperature and aesthetics of the room, ergonomic desks or chairs and workplace equipment affect the speed of activities, the ability to concentrate and the ability to think creatively. Social working conditions, i.e. relations with colleagues, superiors and subordinates, also have a significant impact on the effectiveness of activities undertaken by people employed in a given organization.

The beginning of the twentieth century was associated with increased interest in work efficiency. Researchers of that time, who were also precursors in management sciences, focused on creating methods that would affect the speed of performed activities. For example, piecework pay was introduced, which made the amount of payment received dependent on work performance.

However, it was quickly observed that money is not the only factor affecting productivity. E. Mayo noted that when employees feel comfortable in the workplace, their effectiveness increases. This is because people have a strong need for affiliation. Shaping a friendly climate is directly related to the general attitude to work, affecting the speed and accuracy of performed duties.

People have a need for affiliation, that is, to be part of a given community. Each person wants to belong to a given team to a different degree. Extreme individualists are able to work very efficiently on their own. Such employees do not pay attention to the working climate, they are not interested in establishing long-term and positive interpersonal relationships. However, people with such personality traits do not happen often. People don’t like to work in a place where they feel bad and are met with reluctance from their co-workers. Constant malice, fierce competition, lack of trust or the possibility of talking about trivial topics contribute to the reluctance to the workplace.

Superiors and leaders also have an impact on the working climate. Paying attention to subordinates is important, but it cannot be the only element of communication with employees. Praise should be used and the needs of employees should be taken into account. If an employee tries, gives his all, and every time he will be pointed out what he did wrong and will not be praised for what he did well, his motivation will decrease. And the lack of willingness to work will affect the decrease in productivity.

The atmosphere in the workplace depends on all the people employed. It may turn out that a positive attitude of superiors towards employees is not enough to make everyone in the team feel good. The presence of one person who will have a negative attitude towards everything and everyone can affect the deterioration of the work climate and the decrease in employee productivity.

The working climate can be built by:

• friendly attitude towards each other of all employees, treating employees and superiors with respect,
• equal treatment of all employees,
• ensuring an appropriate flow of information so that no employee feels uninformed or badmouthed, and has to learn about their duties from colleagues, not from the supervisor,
• a clear division of tasks and positions, so that everyone knows what their responsibilities are,
• providing substantive support when employees will face problems,
• organization of informal integration meetings to which all team members will be invited,
• providing ongoing feedback on the tasks performed – reprimands should be given one-on-one, while praise should be given in front of the whole team.

If you see that despite your efforts, an employee negatively affects the atmosphere in your office, transfer them to another team or assign them new responsibilities. If this is not possible, say goodbye to him. Remember that an unfavorable work climate will negatively affect the productivity of other employees.

Source: https://poradnikprzedsiebiorcy.pl/-jak-klimat-pracy-wplywa-na-wydajnosc-pracownikow

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.