Corporate culture, organizational culture, company culture, employee culture… You hear these words frequently, but what do they mean? Your employee culture defines the work environment of your business.
If involves the goals, values, beliefs, and even expectations your employees share. Company culture relates to the way your employees behave at work. Every company has a different culture.
A strong company culture leads to a happier and more productive workforce. Here are a few actionable steps that can help you build a strong employee culture.
Recognition and Rewards
Businesses that emphasize employee recognition have much lower turnover rates. The first step here is to identify the type of employee behavior that matches the goals and values of your business. Reward such behavior as often as you can.
But, you shouldn’t be the only one doing it. Make it easy for everyone to recognize and reward good behavior. Peer-to-peer recognition is very important.
Recognition should come from all around. By encouraging recognition among employees, there won’t be a need for the managerial overhead. Your success depends on your employees, and they also depend on you. Make sure to empower and encourage each other.
Clear Communication
You can’t have transparency without clear communication. Outdated communication channels and collaboration tools can have a negative impact on the way employees interact with each other.
No job is easy. Why make it more difficult than it needs to be? Make sure your employees have an easy and efficient way to share crucial info and communicate with each other.
For chat and collaboration, you can use Slack and Google Apps for business. Zoom and Google Hangouts are great tools for video conferencing. Platforms like Asana, Jira, and Trello can help you with project management.
Updating your communication channels is just the first step. Don’t neglect communication and information exchanges that happen outside the cloud. The logistics of face to face communication matters as well.
When introducing different teams to each other at a large company event, you’d want to make sure everything goes smoothly. You can see here what it takes to organize a live event with your employees.
If you want your employees to benefit from your big corporate meetups, you need to make sure all of these elements are in place. You can achieve that by using the latest management apps and technology, as well as recruiting the right professionals to help you.
Flexibility
Modern employees value flexibility—especially millennials. According to a CareerBuilder survey, 51% of employees report that flexibility drives employee retention. Employees need their artistic freedom.
Avoid micromanaging. The focus should be on results and not the process. It may be a good idea to introduce flexible office hours and allow workers to work from home one day a week. A culture of flexibility and compassion can increase morale and reduce turnover rates.
Clarity and Transparency
Your message may lose its meaning once it reaches your employees. Because of that, you must be completely clear when sending out messages from the highest level. And to achieve that, you need an employee culture where this information is understood, discussed, and valued. You should make sure every new employee understands that right from the get-go.
To help employees feel more involved, provide updates on the company’s health. Keep them in the loop by sharing strategic goals, marketing initiatives, and business plans. Offer unfiltered insights into your company’s workings when you can. Employees appreciate honesty.
Employee Perks
Other than being tech giants, what do Facebook and Google have in common? Both companies invest in employee perks. Facebook employees even have access to on-site healthcare. Maybe you don’t have a budget for that, but there’s still plenty you can do for your employees. Here are a few fun things you can try:
- Free snacks: When workers are hungry, they are much more likely to procrastinate or experience fatigue. To improve productivity, you could pack the break room with free snacks. Healthy snacks of course! They will keep their energy levels high.
- Wellness Program: A healthy worker is a happy worker. In-office gyms are becoming quite popular. But, if you don’t have a budget for that, you could offer free gym memberships. This won’t take too much money out of your pockets, but it will incentivize workers to take care of their health.
- Happy Hour: Another tech giant that’s famous for employee perks, Apple, throws a “Beer Bash” every year. And, you don’t need Apple money for something like that. Every now and then, take your employees out to a happy hour event. Such events allow employees to build more personal relationships in a more laid-back atmosphere.
Conclusion
Your employee culture influences the way people see your business, as well as how your employees work. Don’t underestimate the importance of a strong employee culture. Take small steps to incorporate these tips into your company.