Your workplace culture is a shared set of values and beliefs that underpin your organisation and is reflected in how you treat customers and employees. It impacts all parts of your business including the type of candidates you attract, your staff turnover, employee satisfaction at work, and the overall success of your business. Having a positive workplace culture boosts productivity and improves employee engagement, promoting a healthy work/life balance. Defining your workplace culture sets expectations for how employees are expected to treat each other as they perform their day-to-day responsibilities. Encouraging a positive workplace culture is an important part of running any successful business.
Why is Workplace Culture Important?
Generally, culture influences the food we eat, the social norms that are expected, and the language we speak. On a smaller scale, the culture of a company inspires than its mission, values, and ideals. Every company has a workplace culture, whether it’s defined by leadership or naturally formed by employees. The culture should underpin everything we do. Employees want to feel connected to their colleagues and to the company’s mission and core values. Research by Deloitte shows that 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct corporate culture is important to business success. Workplace culture is different from a company’s core values, which largely remain the same over time. Culture evolves alongside changes within the company.
Attract The Right People
A positive workplace is one built on meaningful work, strong core values, and open communication. Showing potential new hires the emphasis and importance you put on positive culture at interview stage is key to attracting the right people to your business. On the other side, you can find out if their core values align with yours and if they’ll be the right fit for your team. Immerse new hires in this positive company culture from day one. Instead of listing them off at every opportunity, show them examples and get testimonials from employees who live it. This will help employees settle and connect with the business quickly and find their role within it.
Retain Talent
A good company culture boosts individual and team morale, workplace engagement, and job satisfaction. When you have a supportive workplace with a strong culture, employees don’t have many reasons to leave! The higher an employee rates their company culture, the lower the chances are they will seek other opportunities. Company policies like employee recognition and flexible hours reinforce a positive workplace and allow employees to feel secure and supported in their roles. An open-door policy, as well as good protocol to deal with issues or toxicity allows employees to air their grievances in a healthy way with no fear of repercussion.
Better Productivity
When a person knows their place within a business, it encourages more meaningful work. People who feel unfulfilled at work are less likely to put effort into contributing toward company success or to recommend their current employer to others. Foundational elements of work culture include performance, recognition, celebrations, and company mission & values, all of which allow employees to feel appreciated and heard, boosting morale and encouraging productivity. Happy people are more likely to encourage and inspire others to work harder.
How to Create a Positive Workplace Culture
- Define your workplace culture early on. A culture will form whether you define it or not so it’s better to promote positivity from the outset instead of fighting against toxicity that has been established.
- Start at the top. Leaders who prioritise work-life balance and mutual respect encourage employees to work harder and feel empowered to do their best.
- Promote happiness at work. Toxic work culture is bad for engagement, employee satisfaction, and the overall success of a business. Encourage work-life balance and allow employees autonomy over their work.
- Show employees their place in the business. The less employees are aware of how their day-to-day work impacts the business, the less engagement and connection they have with the company. Recognition is important to company culture as it shows employees they are valued and encourages other team members to reach new heights.
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