Company culture is a hot topic at the moment. As the return to the workplace speeds up, many companies are wondering how they can create a culture that promotes happiness, connection, and productivity.
It is believed that there are three steps to nail company culture and ensure your business is a great one to work for. Company culture can make or break staff attraction and retention, so it shouldn’t be ignored.
The following content is shared by Anne-Marie Headley, a people consultant who has worked for Google, Uber, and Cisco.
2020 was a big turning point for company culture. It made CEO’s, leaders, and such wake up to the importance of delivering a great place to work, one that empowers the workforce in all aspects.
Here are the three key steps to nail company culture.
The values an organisation defines as part of their culture signal to prospective and current employees. 67% of executives said culture was more important to performance than an organisation’s strategy or operating model.
Ultimately, this never stands still, and must always adapt to the requirements of your team.
It’s a good idea to break it down to make it easier for you to implement valuable and effective solutions. How can you enable your employees to deliver their best? What does success look like?
Once you have a clear idea, you can start identifying the facilities, rewards and services to bring your desired culture to life. This is something that everyone needs to buy into: leaders, managers, and staff. Only this way will your culture be able to flourish.
You should try to revaluate your ideas periodically, say every 6 months or so, to allow flexibility for change. For example, as we try and move forward from Covid-19, you should consider the effect it may have had on your employees’ wellbeing and mindset.
2. REALISE THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION.
Arguably more important now than ever before is the value of communication. Communication is key to overall wellbeing and help to progress the company.
It is important to ensure there are plenty of locations in your workplace for informal communication amongst colleagues, such as breakout areas to foster community. These encourage discussion and can improve relationships.
With the return to work ongoing, employees must adapt to this new way of working again after spending so long doing so from home. It won’t be easy, so encouraging discussion is a great way to alleviate fear and concern.
It’s also beneficial to give your team the opportunity to provide input on their roles and responsibilities. If they have a say in what they are working on, they are more likely to be on board with it and perform to a higher level.
It is vital that you listen to what your team are saying. This is a key part of communication. Leaders won’t always have the answers but taking time to listen to your workforce is another way to show they are valued.
3. GROW AND EMPOWER YOUR LEADERS.
It is normal to expect leaders to benefit and grow the business. Sometimes, however, they lack proven leadership experience, and this can have a negative effect on company culture.
It is not enough to throw your leaders’ in at the deep end to “learn on the job” and doing so may lead to mistakes that negatively impact employee morale. It is just as important to invest in your leaders as it is in your workforce as they will have a direct impact on your staff, almost like a domino effect.
When companies don’t support all levels of their team, they are failing both leaders and the teams that the leaders manage. Give your leaders the tools to succeed in management, so they can be confident in their roles.
REMEMBER, COMPANY CULTURE IS PURELY INFLUENCED BY PEOPLE.
From the people who lead, to the people who manage and operate, company culture is purely influenced by those within the business. Implementing these three steps will make it easier to create and nurture a prosperous culture and will help create an environment that everyone wants to be a part of.
