Do you shudder when an HR professional starts discussing the importance of company culture and values? Does your idea of establishing company culture entail a beer in the local pub after a hard week? Whether you realise it or not, as a leader in business you are establishing a company culture, it might be something you are actively trying to create or something that is evolving naturally. Your company culture is the personality of your organisation and defines the environment in which your employees work. It will be driven by a variety of elements including the company mission, values and goals.
Company culture matters, it attracts and retains talent whilst driving productivity. So, whilst perks are nice, think about what you want in a workplace and ask yourself “would you work for you?”
How can you ensure you are creating a good company culture? You could start by aligning your company mission, values and goals and getting these in to the mindset of you and your team.
Create a working environment of empowerment
Treat your employees with respect and trust them. By giving them clear but generous boundaries you won’t stifle their ideas and creativity. Creating an environment in which people feel supported when they make mistakes helps them to learn and continuously improve.
Listen to and collaborate with them rather than solely managing them, after all they are responsible professionals and you hired them for a reason. It might be a case of needing to look at your recruitment processes and ensuring you are hiring the right people who are the right fit for the organisation.
Always invest in your employees and support them throughout their employment, for example through continued learning and development.
Building trust is an essential part in creating a good company culture. Your management should be transparent and consistent in order to build trust with employees. Never be afraid to own up to your mistakes or ask for feedback.
Work-life balance
Work-life balance is another crucial element to building a good company culture, it will certainly help with attracting and retaining talent. Look at ways that you can offer flexibility in daily work and supporting employees’ outside of work, whether it’s with caring responsibilities, health or other outside interests and hobbies they have.
Take the time to understand your workforce and what drives each of them. Your employees will all be at different stages in their careers and personal lives. Just because someone is older or returning to work perhaps through illness or maternity leave, don’t write them off. With the right support and engagement from you and their managers they can be a real asset to the company. Changing your perception to working practices and opening yourself up to new ways of working will open up the pool of talent that is out there.
Loyalty from clients and customers
Cultivating client and customer loyalty begins with happy and fulfilled employees which arise from a good company culture. A good working environment drives employee satisfaction which means employees are loyal and productive which in turn drives client and customer value and loyalty.
When a team feels respected, happy and empowered they work better which increases productivity and is better for your bottom line. Having an engaged workforce that is well integrated and working towards shared goals, creates an environment that retains and attracts people, and this is all tied to the culture of the company.
There are many elements that define your company culture. Do you know what your company culture says about your business? Do you know how to identify it? Is it the right one that will drive your business forward? If not, perhaps now is the time to reflect and make changes.