Company culture is a lot more than free snacks and ping-pong tables. It’s about establishing a workplace that encourages employee engagement and supports success.
A strong culture can have many benefits, including lower turnover and greater employee satisfaction. Companies can enhance their culture by focusing on leadership training and mentorship, employee recognition, and providing opportunities for professional development.
Defining Your Company’s Culture
A company’s culture can make or break employee morale. It’s important to define and communicate your culture so employees can understand it. Company culture can also help you attract the right talent and reduce turnover rates.
A strong culture encourages teamwork and a sense of community. It is important to recognize your team members for their hard work and celebrate milestones. Companies that value company culture have employees who are engaged and happy in their job. This helps reduce workplace stress and boosts productivity.
Company culture can be difficult to define and maintain, but it’s worth the effort. A good culture can increase productivity, turn work into a fun time and create a loyal customer base. Brett Putter is an expert in company culture development and a frequent speaker on the topic. He is the CEO of CultureGene, a culture leadership platform that helps businesses develop healthy cultures. He is also an i4cp member and regularly contributes his insights on how to create a functional workplace culture.
Creating Events and Mid-Workday Parties
For employees who spend more than 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime, company culture has a big impact on their daily lives. That’s why it’s important to get it right.
Creating events, such as team scavenger hunts and virtual game nights, is one way to create a sense of teamwork and community for employees in the office (or remotely). Choosing the right time to host these events, such as the last hour of the workday or after regular office hours, is key to maintaining productivity.
Consistently communicating with employees is another key to fostering a thriving company culture. By providing a variety of ways for staff to communicate their feelings and ideas with management, they feel empowered and connected to the company. This also helps reduce the chances of toxic water cooler chat or bad-mouthing of managers on social media. Employees who receive regular feedback from their managers are better equipped to perform their jobs well.
Investing in Professional Development
It’s essential to support the professional development of your employees. Whether it’s reading books, taking classes, or participating in webinars, your agency will benefit from employees who are constantly learning and growing within their field. Having a culture that prioritizes this type of growth can help keep your employee engagement and satisfaction levels high.
Providing your employees with opportunities to learn and grow can also lead to stronger team collaboration and a higher sense of cohesiveness amongst your departmental teams. Consider implementing a training calendar for your employees where you set aside time to focus on certain aspects of your work together, such as project-based training or cross-training.
It’s also important to maintain open communication with your employees to keep them updated on company changes. The best way to do this is by encouraging your employees to interact with each other through features like your social intranet and the real-time communications needed in day-to-day remote work.
Getting to Know Your Employees
The type of language you use in your job descriptions and in the conversations that follow it has a significant impact on how prospective candidates view your company culture. Changing the way you describe it can help attract more qualified talent to your organization.
When interviewing candidates, ask them about their experiences in your company culture. However, don’t make them feel like they are being interrogated. Instead, it is better to start by asking about the work environment, and then move on to their personal lives.
A successful company culture requires ongoing, open communication between leadership and team members. This includes changing the style and pacing of employee evaluations and creating mentorship opportunities. In addition, it is important to have a clear understanding of the unique needs of your team members’ cultural backgrounds and work styles. This enables you to meet their individual expectations while still maintaining a consistent, productive workplace.