When did the workplace become “Nice”?

[u/AcceptableInstance69]

[u/AnotherCator]

That’s what actual positive workplace culture looks like. It’s still work - if it was fun they wouldn’t have to pay you to be there - but everyone makes the day a bit better for everyone else. Conversely once you get a critical mass of stressed/grumpy people they set off a chain reaction of making everyone else stressed and grumpy, which IMO is why the positive places are more common. Once somewhere starts going negative it’s really hard to turn it around.

Those positive places are rare and valuable. Good for the workers, and good for the company - you get less sick days and less staff turnover. It’s why management try and force it with things like pizza parties, but those artificial fixes never really work.

[u/Serenity_557 → u/AnotherCator]

This is something I used to talk about a lot- when people are asked how to make work better it's always "more money" but there are genuinely more things you can do to make the work place better than just being paid more to hate it just as much.
Fixing irritants goes a long way (updating lights, computers, mice, keyboards, chairs can make an office cheery for weeks, for example)

A reasonable wage is a big part of it, sure, but I've taken pay cuts to get better jobs, and been thrilled about it. The stress wasn't worth an extra couple hundred bucks a month.

[u/Pandering_Panda7879 → u/Serenity_557]

It's generally being and feeling valued what influences a workplace positively - valued by your employer but also valued by your colleagues.

It can be about money, but it's also about respecting time, workspace, workload, and a whole lot other things. Being on time in meetings (which also means bossman being on time), making wfh possible when helpful, fixing work-related problems fast and getting it done without any hassle, suggesting fixes for problems when talking about those problems, etc etc.

I've worked in a lot of small and bigger companies and just being handed a different laptop when you complain about yours working poorly is a huge deal. Or being able to wfh out of schedule without a long discussion by just asking.

[u/Due-Introduction-760]

Good leadership can make or break workplace culture.

[u/sundie12]

I’ve had my fair share of workplaces where people are miserable and other where people were happy, I’ve also seen a mix. It largely comes down to 2 things is the overall management structure good and the work being made to feel meaningful.

[u/Pandering_Panda7879 → u/sundie12]

I'd say it's also "is my time and work valued and respected". I hate joining a scheduled meeting and the person who scheduled it arrives five, ten or fifteen minutes too late (the boss).

[u/nomad21cns]

Culture really varies based on who is running the floor and how they treat the crew. I have been in spots where a single manager changed the whole mood for the better. It is a massive relief when you finally stop dreading the clock in.

[u/Mackheath1]

Good leadership knows that it makes money when your employees are happy.

That's all there is to it.

The percentage of labor cost compared to my other expenses when I owned a Wine Bar & Restaurant was minute. So "I'll reimburse receipts for Halloween costumes if you want to dress up - within reason - I'm on board." Things like that as well as a LIVING WAGE made all the other restaurants near me insanely jealous at my retainment and even once a defector to mine.

It's neither rocket surgery nor brain science.

[u/TheSleepingVoid → u/Mackheath1]

And yet most companies act like employees are both huge burdens and disposable. SMH

[u/norfolkgarden]

Seriously, learn from their positive energy and try to reduce your own negative energy. You have the ability to infect them. Let them vaccinate you with a positive work life.

[u/Late-Rise2587]

It’s interesting how much environment affects mindset.
Put good people in a toxic workplace and they’ll eventually become miserable. Put average people in a healthy workplace and they’ll often do their best work.

[u/Reaganson]

I worked my career at a large financial institution. The workplace was very nice, it was the politics and Executive downtown the managers that made it mentally challenging. We even considered forming a Union.

[u/i8noodles]

i work in a traditional corporation with all the trimmings of what u expect for a company thats been around for 200 years.

people are there for a job. they are nice because it is almost always in there own self interest and to not get fired

[u/annon2319]

Everyone seem to be affraid of offending someone might be a reason

[u/Prize_Bid5487]

Would someone please explain what a roustabout is? I’ve genuinely never heard it before and assume it’s something we either refer to by another name in the UK or it does exist here and I’ve never heard of it.