What is workplace culture? We all know that a positive culture is vital to employee hiring and retainment. But, what is embodied in culture and how can you ensure that your business excels?
Company culture is built upon a list of values that must be lived out. What these are and how they are implemented can then affect a variety of cultural elements, including how employees treat each other, how upper management treats employees, how stress is handled, how wins are celebrated, and what the main focus of the business is.
In today’s hiring environment, where it feels almost impossible to get people on board and keep them excited to return, workplace culture needs to be a top priority. Ultimately, people will come to work when they enjoy being there.
Employee Wants
Everyone is different, but as humans, it shouldn’t be difficult to understand what someone looks for and enjoys feeling. Therefore, as you move forward with business, establish methods of keeping these desires at the forefront.
Generally, people want to feel like they are making a difference, that their hard work is recognized, that they have a voice for improvements, and that there is clear communication on happenings within the business. Could your company implement suggestion boxes, positive reinforcement awards, or new methods for communication? Do you have other ideas of how to achieve these needs? The most important factor to remember is that once an idea is added, there must be effort to carry out these initiatives.
Additionally, businesses must commit to treating employees at all levels with respect. Finding a balance between work completion, business growth, and understanding employees as individuals with lives is pivotal to achieving a strong workplace culture.
Community Involvement
Once the crucial elements of workplace culture are in place, a next step is to get involved in the community. There are various options for how your company may approach this; however, no matter what you do, giving back to the community helps bring people together as well as contributes to your company’s public image.
Simple donation drives are an easy start, providing employees time to volunteer is an easy way to get physically involved, and other options like financial donations, giving trees, and more are also great options and would be appreciated by the community.
Beginning these efforts from the top down makes it clear to your employees the true values that your business holds and allows them to get involved too.
Company Traditions
Another idea to build up workplace culture is to implement various company traditions. Giving employees something to look forward to and get excited about is a great way to change the energy of your facility. This could be holiday related, community related, or just something that your business creates altogether. Find what matters to your employees and the area that your business is in and celebrate it! Turning it into a contest is a great way to build up energy around any event as well.
Overall, it’s clear that company culture isn’t something to wait on. Begin now and continue to adjust and fix your methods of business to improve your culture. With strong intentions and following behavior, watch your business grow and your people become proud to work for your company.