How to improve your workplace culture
How to improve your workplace culture
A great corporate culture is one where employees feel valued and recognised for their efforts. These are our tips on building and enhancing your workplace culture.
Employees spend long hours at their workplaces. Often they spend more time there than with their own families. Turning up and performing every day might earn them their salary, but what inspires them to stay there? To advocate for your brand? To refer their friends to your organisation?
Your culture is the sum of your diverse workforce, your brand and your workplace. A great corporate culture is one where employees feel valued and recognised for their efforts. An engaged employee is much more likely to perform and learn at work.
We challenge you to focus on these key areas to help improve your workplace culture.
1. Ensure you have a clear company vision and values
Does everyone know what they are? Are they reflected in your branding and Employee Value Proposition (EVP)? Are they visible around the workplace? Hire people who are consistent with these values. Have your employees contribute to defining the company values.
2. Recognise and reward your team
Reward an individual performance or introduce an incentive scheme. You might also consider celebrating employee milestones. Practise gratitude in the workplace. You will be surprised the impact a simple "thanks for your efforts" email can have. If you win a new client, let everyone enjoy the moment.
3. Hire great leaders
Ensure your company leaders are on board with the vision and the company values. Recognise that those with seniority are not necessarily always great leaders of people. Do your leaders inspire their staff? They should. They should also have superior emotional intelligence and communication skills.
4. Advocate and role model great communication
This involves connecting with your employees on a formal AND informal manner. Learn their names. Say Good Morning. Keep them updated with how the business is performing and how it is tracking to its goals. Ensure they understand the company challenges.
5. Inspire creativity
Let your staff contribute to solving business challenges. Let them suggest ways to improve your corporate culture.
6. Proactively train and develop your team
Employees that feel they have been invested in are more engaged in their workplace. A company that offers great training and development becomes an employer of choice.
7. Don’t forget the fun
Whilst respecting everyone’s professionalism, it is absolutely ok to have fun in the workplace. Run a competition, have a themed day or have a team dinner. Let a team member chair a meeting. Play a game. Celebrate a birthday.
8. Workplace environment
Take a good look around you at your workplace. Does it reflect your brand? Your values? Your vision? Are you embarrassed to bring clients in? Does it need a little bit of love or an upgrade? Working in a great environment contributes to staff engagement. Invest in your workplace to ensure it plays its part in your corporate culture.
9. Company culture for employees
If you are an employee reading our article today, you also contribute to your workplace culture. Stop complaining about it. Negativity is infectious. You contribute to your corporate culture as an individual. So make an effort to be positive. Get on board with the vision and the values. Contribute by being creative and generous with your time and energy.
How do you feel about your own corporate culture? It is time to focus on improving it? Spend some time on the areas we have discussed above. We think it will make a difference to both your employee’s performance and your bottom line.
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