How Managing Workplace Dynamics Yields Success and Drives Morale

You might have heard of workplace dynamics. The term has been somewhat watered down to mean “office politics” over time, but the concept reaches far beyond that. Managing workplace dynamic include team relationships, but also impact more practical aspects of work-life such as time allocations and reasonable expectations from the employer – and then trickles into interoffice relationships and cultural influence.

Let’s look at what it means for workplaces to manage workplace dynamics and why it’s a vital key for creating profitable organizations.

What Makes Your Employees Happy?

If you acknowledge that different employees have various motivators and ideas of what happiness at work looks like, you’re halfway to figuring out the secret of employee satisfaction.

Managers should attempt to learn which employees are externally and internally motivated. Intrinsically motivated employees perform their tasks for the personal fulfillment those tasks bring them: It’s the work in itself that’s rewarding. Look for opportunities to job craft, or to give them more of the responsibilities that they find meaningful. This doesn’t always mean a title change or a promotion, but it leads to a more fulfilling job and likely higher productivity.

Externally motivated employees, however, seek out the money, the titles, or the praise from others. Find out if they prefer public or private kudos for a job well done and follow up with positive reinforcement.

What Good Team Dynamics Looks Like

Having positive team dynamics doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone will get along all the time. However, you still need a team that cooperates, can agree on a group objective, and effectively work toward profitable goals without any costly setbacks.

Being Cognizant of Team Stress-Levels

Fostering a positive culture takes intentionality and work. It starts with taking an unbiased look at one of the leading causes of faulty workplace dynamics, too – excessive stress. In fact, almost half of workers report lost productivity due to stress.

Take a critical look at key stress indicators:

• How many people on your staff work longer than 40 hours? 50 or more?
• Do you have an uptick in sudden mental health leaves or presenteeism at your company?
• Do you offer flexible work policies or PTO so that employees can take well-deserved vacations and mental health breaks?

We’ll highlight some other recommendations for employers below.
Manage Your Team’s Time Allocation

From there, check in with your company’s time management metrics. We’d recommend time tracking for methods to add visibility to workloads. Employees will know what how much time is allocated to projects, when you expect it to get done and who’s working on what. Always make sure that time expectations align with the individual’s role and that workloads are fair, doable, and mostly even across teams.

Tips for Improving Workplace Dynamics

The first step to promoting positive workplace dynamics is to screen candidates mindfully. Though it’s not an exact science who will fit your team, it’s important to look at each person holistically through your company culture lens. If you’re hiring someone into a team with a fairly dynamic leader, for example, will the candidate’s quiet demeanor compliment the manager’s or hold them back?

Even after they’re hired, periodically check in with employees to make sure they’re fitting into the team dynamic well. If they’re not, find out their reasoning and provide recommendations. Sometimes it starts with clearing up misunderstandings or ensuring the employee still enjoys the role.

Also, continually hold managers accountable to your team’s dynamic. Are they playing favorites? Again on the time management note – are they assigning one team member too many tasks? Does this manager fail to follow up with employees or disappear into projects for so long that they’re inaccessible to their direct reports?

Hire the Right People with TeamSoft

We think of workplace dynamics as something to continuously audit, rather than taking a one-and-done approach. Ready to learn more about hiring the right people for your tech company and driving them to achieve a positive, profitable workplace dynamic? Contact our specialized recruiters at TeamSoft today to get started!