Happiness at work is so much more than the tasks completed or the amount of money you get. It’s also feeling part of an organisation and aligning with its values, vision and workplace culture.
Workplace culture can be a little tricky to define, as it means different things to different people. Often, culture is referred to as the unique qualities that make up a business, guiding behaviour, internal structures and policies. It’s the personality of the business and can determine success or failure.
Positive workplace culture can be associated with higher productivity and reduced turnover — a real win-win. Building a positive workplace culture takes time and resources, but the pay off can be huge.
The importance of workplace culture
As a business grows and hires more people, it’s crucial an organisation builds or maintains positive culture. Profit is fundamental, yet this alone won’t enable and empower your workforce. People want to feel they’re part of something meaningful and have a clear purpose. If not, there’s a good chance positivity could quickly turn to toxicity – especially when there’s no one managing it. Anyone who’s worked in a toxic or negative workplace will understand – it’s draining, demotivating and an all-round unpleasant experience. Here are a few reasons why it’s so important.
Staff retention: If the culture aligns with a large portion of the workforce, then retention often remains high. Companies that value positive culture, and work hard to build it, are far more likely to keep positive and high performing talent. It’s these characteristics that keep people satisfied at work and encourage them to establish long-term careers within the company. It reduces the need for businesses to constantly train and onboard new people.
Brand strength: The importance of culture goes beyond attracting and retaining positive people. Great cultures shine through a strong brand identity. People are often attracted to brands that are transparent and upfront about who they are and which direction they are taking. If your brand is ambitious, forward-thinking and positive, this gives employees the confidence they have chosen the right organisation.
Meeting expectations: Meeting the expectations of new and existing employees will drive positive sentiment throughout your workforce. If you say you provide flexibility and work-life balance for employees, then you’ve got to deliver on those promises. Or, if you warn the hours are long, but the reward is a competitive salary and enviable employee benefits, then similarly it’s important to deliver.
How to build a positive workplace culture
Whether they realise or not, business leaders play a major role in influencing workplace culture. Employees within an organisation look to leaders as a guide for their own behaviour and actions.
The leadership team should consistently embody the company vision and values; seeing these statements and ways of working come to life can be extremely powerful. And when communicated effectively, employees are more likely to understand the goals of the business, how they contribute to them and what the business expects of them.
Equally, this responsibility also lies firmly with HR departments, who are pioneers of culture and drive company-wide practices. Here are a few examples of initiatives HR departments can implement.
- Reward and recognition programs can help boost morale and give credit where credit’s due.
- The hiring progress is crucial. Opting for a broad spectrum of skill sets, backgrounds and beliefs within your workforce – rather than people with similar perspectives and experiences – can encourage stronger outcomes. It can also enable a culture of learning and mutual understanding, which ultimately enhances the way people work together.
- Job flexibility can also influence culture, whether it be work from home arrangements, part-time hours or job sharing. It provides employees with options for improved work-life balance, particularly important for people with families or dependants.
- Generous paternity leave and return to work programs support parents through the early stages of their child’s life and allow for a smooth transition back into the workforce.
- Learning and development opportunities should be encouraged and made easily accessible through formal and informal training, such as courses, job shadowing or mentoring.
- The physical environment can also have a positive impact on workplace culture. Creating an open-plan office can create a more social and collaborative workspace.
- Encourage two-way feedback between leaders and their teams – self-development and growth depend on it. It shouldn’t matter whether you’re the CEO or managing a small project, everyone should be open to and accept constructive feedback.
The new norm: managing a remote workforce
As we continue to see an acceleration of remote working across the world, organisations need to ensure positive culture thrives outside of their bricks and mortar. The good news? It’s definitely possible – it just requires a slightly different approach.
Creating opportunities for regular communication and collaboration through a variety of digital platforms, rapport building through virtual social events and team catchups, and continuous knowledge sharing will keep everyone connected, aligned and engaged. This makes it easier to reinforce values and maintain culture when your team is working from home.
What does culture look like in the future workplace?
Given recent global events, the workplace is starting to look quite different and will continue to evolve. Something we’ve already seen is a shift towards more flexibility. Technology improvements have allowed for increased accessibility, efficiency and collaboration. As these improvements continue to become part of our professional lives, people will expect this flexibility as a non-negotiable regarding where they work and when.
Another trend to experience a dramatic push over the last few years is diversity and inclusion. As workplaces become even more globally dispersed, communities will expect businesses to genuinely represent their customers or shareholders through the employees they hire and those who choose to lead the company.
As a result of this, employees will need to become more adaptable to change. As they say, change is the only constant. They may be shifted across teams, locations or projects, depending on market demands or political environments, but this should be met with ongoing support from employers to help with the transition.
If workplace culture is important to you and your business, let’s chat about your recruitment and HR practices.
