Improving your workplace culture is one way to make your employees feel appreciated and retain top talent for years to come. Unfortunately, there is not one best way to improve your workplace culture. Workplace culture is defined as the collective beliefs and values of a business. The company culture is one significant area that can affect employees’ attitudes about their work and the company.
Here are tips you can follow to ensure you’re offering the right employee experience through improved workplace culture.
Create and Communicate Values
If your employees aren’t sure what the company’s values are, then you probably don’t have a very successful workplace culture. If you have a coffee station, or area where employees like to hang out, it could be beneficial to post the company’s values as a reminder. Values should be more than some philosophical quote. Instead, they should serve as a guide for everyone in the organization to follow when it comes to their behavior and interacting with each other, customers, and the community they work and live in.
To make sure your values are clear, aim to have no more than five total. Make sure to communicate these values and let employees know you expect their behaviors to align with them. This will help them understand what’s expected, reducing uncertainty, and ensuring everyone knows how things are done at the company.
You can communicate values to your managers first and let them know they are expected to set an example. Values are not just for your customer-facing staff, either. For these values to be meaningful enough to have a positive impact on workplace culture, they need to be practiced daily by everyone in the company.
If you’ve heard the phrase “toxic culture” used to describe a workplace, then you can assume it started at the top. Most employees are reprimanded when they do something wrong, such as being made fun of or bullied by another coworker. Managers, however, are less likely to be reprimanded for their behavior, which is how the environment can quickly become toxic.
Select Positions Properly
When interviewing prospective employees, you should know what questions to ask to make sure they’re the right fit. Don’t rush yourself when deciding because you need to quickly fill a position. Instead, make sure you ask the right questions. The answer to these questions should help you determine who will work well with others and who has the same values as the company.
You can use interview questions tailored around the company’s values to get to know candidates better.
Improve Onboarding
When you onboard new employees, make sure they understand what the values of the company are. Many new hires end up quitting within the first three months of employment, likely because they realized there was something wrong with the company culture or the job was not what they expected.
New hires should receive an engaging orientation and a thorough onboarding process so they can be set up for success. On day one, make sure you establish priorities to make employees feel welcomed as soon as they arrive.
Empower Employees
Micromanaging is a sign a manager doesn’t trust their employee, which is the start of a toxic work environment. Leaders should give employees the right tools and support to succeed but not feel the need to stand over their shoulders at all hours of the workday.
Engage Employees
Employee engagement is a major issue that companies face. Many employees don’t feel engaged in their work for many reasons but it comes down to the company itself not being able to keep them engaged. Leaders should ensure employees know how appreciated they are so they feel connected to the company.
Show Employees You Care
We’re not saying you have to bring in donuts every day, but you should show your employees you frequently care about them. Nobody wants to feel like they’re just another employee who is replaceable if they decide to leave. You can show your employees that you’re dedicated to company culture by listening to their needs.
If one person is making the workplace culture go from something healthy to something toxic, then you must make yourself available to hear what’s going on. One manager that throws tantrums and screams at employees is enough to drain your employees and make them think you have a terrible company culture.
If someone is not acting on the company values, they need to be talked to or written up for their behavior so the other employees don’t feel like they don’t matter to you. Additionally, it’s crucial to stay informed about legal developments related to workplace issues. Legislation such as the Adult Survivors Act is a reminder of the ongoing need to protect individuals from harassment and abuse. By being proactive and addressing inappropriate behavior promptly, you not only foster a healthier work environment but also ensure compliance with emerging legal standards.
Reward Contributions
When there’s a big project that needs to be completed, make sure you reward those who were involved in its success. If one person stayed late every day until the project was done, that person deserves to be recognized for their hard work and dedication.
When someone works hard for your company and doesn’t receive any recognition, even though they’re working harder than their teammates, they’re going to start having negative feelings about coming into work. Soon enough, they’ll believe it doesn’t matter if they’re good at their job, so they’ll stop trying. If you want to keep your top performers at their best, you should regularly reward them.
Toxic managers will tell employees their reward is getting paid for coming to work. Remember, this is not a reward, this is a trade-off for hiring someone with the necessary skills to help your business. Rewards need to be in the form of recognition. Even something as small as a thank you note will go a long way in the eyes of your employee.
Lead By Example
If you’re just now starting to care about workplace culture because it’s a hot topic in the business world, then you may not have a good workplace culture. As the leader of a company or human resources, it’s up to you to show your employees what a good workplace culture looks like and make sure everyone is acting how they should be to ensure everyone is happy when they come to work.
Author Bio:
Marné Amoguis holds a B.A. in International Business from UC San Diego. She is a contributing writer at 365businesstips.com where she loves sharing her passion for digital marketing. Outside of writing, she loves traveling, playing music, and hiking.
