How to measure and manage the work environment

Johnny Xavier
The importance of the work environment there are many and varied definitions of
what the working environment of a company. Perhaps the simplest and most illumin
ating is that which gives us one of the leading specialists in this field when y
ou define the work environment (or organizational climate) and "The Collection a
nd operating pattern of organizational environmental factors that generate motiv
ation" ( - "Leadership and Organizational climate", Robert Stringer, 2002). Unde
r this definition, the ultimate goal sought with the working environment is to e
xplain the reasons why people working in an organization feel more or less motiv
ated to perform their professional duties. Knowing the underlying causes of moti
vation is very important because we can act on them to increase the motivation o
f individuals. And the reason why any company should interest that people are mo
tivated is very simple: all studies attest to the strong relationship between em
ployee motivation and performance of the company. Companies-and this is equally
true for SMEs than for large enterprises, must measure and manage the work envir
onment to achieve better economic performance. For small businesses, the human f
actor is often even more important, since in most cases there is no economic pot
ential, the inertia of the market and the brand associated with large corporatio
ns. As we explained before, in addition to measuring the work environment, it is
clear that we can and should intervene in it to manage, with the intent to modi
fy the way that suits us. So, once we have the results of the current situation,
we plan the "climate target" we want for next year, and then influence the dete
rminants throughout the year so we take the target. In subsequent years will ada
pt the objectives and correct course to follow according to the evolution of the
company. The methodology for the management of working environment is similar t
o that we would use to make the financial budget for next year, except that in t
he case of the working environment, we are dealing with intangibles that can not
be measured, interpreted and handled the same way to that used in the shed "tan
gible" to the company. The assessment and management of working environment is t
herefore an essential component for proper corporate governance and as such is a
n indispensable part of business management methods currently most reputable (Ba
lanced Scorecard, EFQM, etc., .) Employee satisfaction surveys The most common m
ethod for assessing the work environment involves the use of employee surveys (s
ometimes also can be supplemented by personal interviews). Design and carry out
the work climate surveys can be a complex issue (requires to have knowledge abou
t working environment, psychology, statistics and survey methodology), so that i
n many cases, companies decide to outsource their implementation to companies sp
ecializing in this issue that already have the know-how, tools and software need
ed to undertake such projects. A very important aspect to consider when making a
work climate survey is anonymous. The methodology should allow the anonymity of
respondents, an essential factor if we are to ensure the utmost sincerity in th
e answers. The contracting of outside companies to carry out surveys in this cas
e is an additional guarantee of anonymity for employees.
In general, the work climate questionnaires usually consist of the following thr
ee types of questions
1. Demographic questions and segmentation: We allow
acquire information about the respondent that we will use later to enrich the gr
oup analysis of the results. Employee satisfaction questions: They allow us to a
ssess the determinants of motivation. This is the most critical part of the clim
ate surveys, since it must contain specific questions that evaluate the appropri
ate factors that are part of the company's labor climate. Most companies that en
gage in climate surveys and polls have patterns that fit the uniqueness of the c
lient companies. Open questions: We can acquire a more qualitative work environm
ent, will help us adjust the results obtained from other questionnaires.
2.
3.
In many cases the companies exploit the performance of a work climate survey to
introduce the survey questions that€although not strictly related to the work e
nvironment, the company will also serve to improve organizational management. Cl
imate surveys can contain frequently asked questions and factors to assess emplo
yee satisfaction on various departments (eg, computer or human), or other topics
of interest to the company. It is important to address the performance of a wor
k climate survey with a clear temporal expectations of what constitutes a projec
t of this type. The duration of a project to evaluate the working environment is
rarely less than one or two months, since it is necessary to go through several
phases: design of the survey: factors should be defined, the questions, the typ
e of response scale, the sample (if necessary), the variables of segmentation an
d the format of the survey (eg, issues of anonymity). Also useful in designing t
he control panel that the company will use to manage the work environment. This
scorecard describes the relationship between the questions and the factors that
create the motivation. Communication phase: Defining and implementing a communic
ation strategy to employees. This phase is very important for partners to projec
t employees working environment. It also leads to more effective participation i
n the survey and to eliminate any reluctance on anonymity, completion phase of t
he survey: In the past only used paper questionnaires. Today they are gradually
being replaced by the electronic format, which allows greater speed, convenience
and cost savings. The current survey software combines the paper questionnaires
to capture data over the Internet, creating web sites to answer the questionnai
res. Employees can access these websites with private identification keys, both
from their jobs or from any Internet access point.
Phase analysis and communication of results: Getting results, reporting and defi
nition of the strategy. Once the direction of the company has already analyzed t
he results, it should communicate the overall results to all employees. This can
involve them in the draft climate, resulting in an additional motivation and en
able greater participation in future surveys. Interpretation of results and mana
gement of climate The current software in addition to automating the execution o
f the survey, allows the immediate visualization of results during implementatio
n or at the end of the survey. The statistics regarding the responses are comput
ed automatically, as well as the balanced scorecard indicators (factors, calcula
ted from the responses), which allows us to gain a more value-added results. Cli
mate surveys can have a large number of questions (often around 80), making it d
ifficult to locate and visualize potential strengths or weaknesses of the busine
ss climate. In such cases it is important to have an automated system of indicat
ors that will simplify the visualization of results and better management of cli
mate. Current technology also allows the automatic generation of reports (eg PDF
) and analysis by segments of the data, which allows us to understand the differ
ences between groups, allowing us to dissect the problems or opportunities. It a
lso allows us to see developments that help us understand whether the strategies
that have been followed (eg an investment in a particular factor was bad weathe
r last year) has been ineffective and, therefore, improved motivation personal.
The working environment software should ensure the anonymity of persons who have
participated in the survey. This is done automatically hiding information that
could jeopardize the anonymity of individuals by allowing only the visualization
of data above a threshold of anonymity (for example, groups of more than 6 peop
le). This can be done easily and online, without installing anything on the comp
uters of companies in which the project is undertaken work climate. We analyzed
the results using the software, it is important to analyze qualitative data incl
uding the contents of open answers and ad-hoc statistical calculations. This qua
litative analysis should be conducted jointly by the staff officer of the compan
y and an expert in working environment, usually an external company. The involve
ment of management is needed to put the results in their proper context.€The ex
pert working environment will contribute its know-how of human resources, statis
tical, strategic and comparability (benchmarking) results to other cases and com
panies, enabling a deeper understanding and analysis of the motivational factors
behind work climate models. Parties may design the strategy to follow to achiev
e the goals of employment climate marked the future. Conclusion The working envi
ronment is now an indispensable element in the strategic planning of companies,
since it allows managing employee motivation in order to achieve better economic
performance. With current technology, which allows surveys at a cost not too hi
gh and the display of the results of a
easy and comfortable work environment surveys are increasingly used by all types
of businesses.