Shawnee Love   •  
February 25, 2016

There is a sign in my mechanic’s shop about how much more expensive it is to fix problems than it is to conduct preventative maintenance over the life of a vehicle.

In my experience, it is also significantly more expensive to fix a dysfunctional work culture than it is to prevent the dysfunction in the first place.

So how do you prevent dysfunction in the workplace?

1. Understand what your version of good culture is.
2. Hire slowly and carefully.
3. Pay & reward fairly.
4. Communicate clearly and consistently.
5. Establish and share reasonable yet challenging goals and expectations.
6. Hold yourself and others accountable.
7. Recognize and appreciate for contributions as well as accomplishments.
8. Remove obstacles to success.
9. Encourage development and growth.
10. Foster trust and respect.
11. Address issues as they arise.
12. Ensure employees feel safe, secure and supported.

We are going to explore each of these 12 preventative measures in more detail in future blogs.

If you have a prevention you think needs to be included, please comment.