Seven tips for promoting workplace collaboration

There is always potential to learn ways to improve your business, and one of the best ways to do this is by boosting your collaboration. Here are some of our top tips for promotion collaboration in the workplace. 

1. Listen to your employees

A vital skill for any employer is the ability to listen, truly, openly, and empathetically to their employees.Active listening is the practice of focusing entirely on the person speaking. According to a recent survey of HR professionals by Gitnux, 64% identified active listening as the most important skill in leadership.

Studies show that people spend an estimated 70-80% of their day engaged in communication of some kind, with 50% of this focused on listening. Radical listening empowers the speaker. It is not a difficult task, and like with most skills, the more you do it, the better you get at it.

The aim of this practice is allowing the speaker to feel heard. When your team feel heard, this encourages empathy, something which is vital to every workplace.

2. Create a safe space

Once you have mastered active listening, you can harness this to create a safe space environment within your workplace.

The concept of a safe space is creating a culture where employees feel safe emotionally, physically, and psychologically. A safe space should be free of bias, conflict, and judgement. Colleagues should feel comfortable expressing their opinions, highlighting concerns, and even making mistakes.

To create a safe space, practice radical empathy and acceptance and encourage employees to feel included and accepted.

3. Encourage discussion and diverse opinion

Diverse opinions bring strength to any discussion.

It is vital everyone can feel comfortable enough to contribute. If you notice someone who is a little quiet during group discussions, invite them to share their voice if they feel confident enough to do so. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of encouragement and they can feel empowered as a valued member of the team.

If you are facing a specific problem, consider asking someone from outside your department for their opinion. They might have a different way of looking at it, which could help you reconsider your approach.

4. Safeguard employee mental health

Mental health is a vital part of the workplace environment. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety.

To protect employee mental health, WHO recommends:

• Manager training to support employees facing distress.

• Training for workers to increase mental health literacy and reduce stigmatisation.

• Interventions to support individuals with managing their mental health.

By encouraging de-stigmatisation and awareness of mental health in the workplace, this can strengthen collaboration through each employee supporting one another.

5. Create shared goals

Shared goals help employees feel connected to their company and that they belong at their organization. Connecting employees to a shared goal can enhance feelings of belonging within the company culture.

Shared goals can benefit motivation. In your group projects, discuss the shared priorities you have within your team to aid better performance.

6. Provide feedback and advice

Providing feedback allows people to take more responsibility during group projects so consider the needs of your team and provide them with useful feedback at every opportunity. Feedback is also a useful tool to create accountability and motivation to complete collaborative tasks.

7. Use collaboration to spark innovation

By encouraging collaboration, you can encourage your team to work better together to find innovative solutions

Through re-examining your workplace, and leveraging opportunities for collaboration, you can help your staff exceed in their mental health, teamwork skills, and problem-solving. In validating your employees, you can help them find their voice. Collaboration is a team effort, but it begins from an individual position. You can start enacting small changes now, which will have a massive impact further in the future.

Written by Shaun Barton, partner at Company Closure, part of the Begbies Traynor Group boasts a wealth of experience in helping directors of distressed companies understand their options.

If you would like to find out more about the services Begbies Traynor offer, you can arrange a free consultation with partner, Jon Beard, at your local Begbies Traynor office in Brighton.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk