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There is no doubt that culture plays an important role in today’s competitive job force. More often, potential customers and employees are opting out of companies with lack luster culture, and investing in companies who embrace and nurture their shared values and goals. The most talented and goal-oriented employees today are looking for a work environment that gives them a sense of purpose and helps them grow. To help you promote a work environment that attracts and retains today’s top talent, here are 8 ways to enhance your company culture.
Your employees want to feel like they are a part of something bigger. Establishing your organization’s values not only clarifies your goals to your employees, it also helps them identify the role they play in reaching those goals, giving them greater purpose in your company.
The best way to establish your goals is to explain to your team the concrete ways they are helping to carry out the company’s values and goals. For example, if your goal is to have a culture where everyone has a voice, make sure your employees know that your company’s leaders are listening and show them the substantial impact their input has.
Trust leads to improved culture and creativity within your organization. According to a recent Hubspot Study, 50% of employees say that transparency – or bosses sharing information and data – has a significantly positive impact on their productivity and motivation. Employees want to feel that their contributions matter, so the more you share, the more your employees care.
Start by sharing the successes and challenges you, your organization, and your teams face. When you share these challenges with your employees, you are opening up the possibility for them to offer solutions. Embrace the innovative ideas that your employees bring forth and invest in their development. This will help you build that trust and communication needed to nurture your company culture.
Flexibility in the workplace improves employee morale and can help reduce turnover. According to CareerBuilder, 59% of workers said that flexibility is their #1 driving factor for staying with a company. However, workplace flexibility doesn’t necessarily need to mean a flexible schedule.
Workplace flexibility can be anything that helps your employees more easily manage their work-life balance. This could mean allowing a parent to step out for a few hours to watch their child’s school play or giving your employees more vacation time.
Challenging to move schedules around in your organization? Temporary staffing solutions, such as the coverage JWilliams Staffing provides can be a huge help.
When you recognize, reward, or celebrate your employees, you are giving them a greater sense of purpose and showing them in a tangible way that they are appreciated. Doing this reduces turnover.
There a variety of ways organizations can recognize and reward their employees. Many companies choose to celebrate birthdays, work anniversaries, or when an employee reaches a specific goal, like making a big sale.
When you focus on building a team-oriented environment, you open the doors to improving workplace productivity while reducing failures or errors. According to a survey by the Clear Company, 97% of employees and executives believe lack of alignment within a team impacts the outcome of a task or project. Teamwork in the workplace stimulates creativity, engagement, and innovation, which in turn benefits your company culture.
Employers and organizations should focus on creating a space where employees can collaborate when necessary. Build collaboration into your company goals and plan team building activities to encourage collaboration between employees. With recent technological expansions, many companies have opted in to providing their employees with a social space where they can support each other and overcome challenges together. A social space can be anything from an office break room or café to a digital social space such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.
Providing and asking for feedback to and from your employees improves company culture & relationships, benefiting everyone. When you provide positive or constructive feedback to your employees, you give them the tools they need to understand what they are doing well, what they are doing not so well, and how to improve what they’re doing. When you receive feedback, you are learning from your employees and coming to a deeper understanding of where their expectations and yours meet.
When giving feedback to your employees, make sure to start with appreciation, use specific examples, and focus on the impact of their actions (both positive and negative). When you address the positive improvements along with their missteps, you are showing that their hard work is appreciated and that you believe in their growth.
When receiving feedback it’s important to remember these words shared by John Ford, Founder and Principal Mediator at the HR Mediation Academy:
“Feedback is vital for the well-being of any important relationship, yet fraught with difficulty, especially in the receiving, because of our propensity to perceive it as an attack. When you remember that the purpose behind feedback is learning (not to embarrass or humiliate) it's easier to receive it non-defensively and assume that the person giving it has a positive intention.”
As a leader in your organization, you should understand that with your position of power, it can be difficult or scary for your employees to provide important feedback, so you should always try to keep an open mind.
Potential employees want to get an inside look on what makes the company work. So when you share your company culture with others, you give everyone a unique perspective on your company’s values and goals.
There are many ways companies decide to share their culture. You can have your employees film videos, write blogs, or share their latest achievements on social media. With Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube live streaming options, companies have also recently been live streaming their events to a public audience. Not only is sharing your culture a great way to give your audience a behind the scenes look, it is also a great way to get more eyes on your company.
When you invest in your employees, you’re showing them that you care about their personal development. Investing in each individual’s development reduces turnover, boosts productivity, and enhances your cultural value.
The best way to invest in your employees is to invest in their continual learning. In a Forbes article on employee development, Entrepreneur William Craig says, “Investing in continual learning boosts your reputation as an employer who cares.” Whether it is providing a training program or seminar or sponsoring a course, investing in your employees’ education is investing in your future as a company. For more tips on investing in your employees, check out this article on 16 Simple Ways to Invest in Your Employees.
