Company culture is the personality of an organization, and it always is evolving. The shared set of values, beliefs and ideas influence every aspect of your company, such as how colleagues work together and how you treat customers.
Each new person you employ adds a new set of beliefs and values that causes the culture to shift, and it is key you are prepared for the shift and your company can evolve with it.
Following are tips from builtin.com regarding how to improve company culture.
- Revisit your company’s core values. A strong company culture is built on a set of values that guide everything from behavior to business decisions. Values should be simple and relatable to each employee and leader.
- Evaluate your current company culture. How are your employees working together? Are most people staying late and showing up early? Compare your current culture with broader company goals, and ask employees for their thoughts.
- Outline a detailed plan for improvements. For example, if employee relationships could be improved, implement more employee engagement activities outside of work.
- Regularly assess your efforts. Ask your employees for feedback and measure employee engagement through surveys.
- Create opportunities for employees to connect. Leaders can encourage bonding through smaller actions or broader nonwork activities. Ensure there are boundaries and events are inclusive.
- Help employees advance their careers. The most common reason employees leave a company is for new career opportunities. Consider creating a transparent career growth plan and charting the steps employees must take to advance.
- Make transparency a priority. Employee satisfaction is significantly affected by the ability to trust senior management. Cultivate a reputation as a trustworthy employer by increasing transparency across the company, keeping employees informed about the business.
- Create an employee recognition program. Eighty-five percent of human resources leaders say their company’s employee recognition program enhances their culture. Show employees you value and appreciate their contributions to your company, and give teams tools and resources to recognize colleagues.
- Offer flexiblity. Flexible schedules and open vacation policies have become vital in creating a culture that keeps employees engaged. Knowing they can count on their employer to be understanding and accommodating makes employees feel valued.
- Celebrate team wins. Employees adopt an owner’s mentality when they believe they are part of the broader strategy team, and including them when celebrating major achievements improves transparency.
- Make timely and respectful feedback a priority. Employees want feedback—positive and constructive. Encourage managers to incorporate regular feedback sessions so feedback is timely and employees can act on it. Ask for feedback from employees more often.
- Address mental health. Employee burnout is increasing, and it is crucial to address employee health and wellness. Review the goals you set for employees and ensure your expectations are reasonable. Managers should create space for employees to tend to their mental health and check in with them on a personal level.
