How To Boost Your Company Culture
The power of company culture should never be underestimated. A good company culture drives direction, innovation, inclusivity and productivity.
Company Culture is a collective project that all employees should be involved in. Whether you manage a team or are just part of one your say matters. Together you define what the company stands for and who you want to attract so it is essential to send the right message.
According to a 2018 Korn Ferry Survey, a poor company culture is the second most common reason for leaving a job. A poor company culture trickles into low motivation and engagement levels. Engagement in particular is a struggle for many companies, with up to 85% of employees feeling disengaged at work and 81% of employees considering leaving their jobs. This is why all employees at every level should take an active interest in company culture, providing feedback on existing culture and ideas to contribute to new culture-building efforts.
Our top tips on how to boost your company culture:
For Senior Company Leaders
Boosting company culture is a multi stage process, that takes time and effort. We outline the steps of evaluation, input and improvements, that will re-align company and employee values.
Revisit the core values
A strong corporate culture stems from a well thought out set of values that guide everything from behavior to business decisions. Check that your core values align with the best parts of your existing culture, and adjust or remove any values that no longer fit. Keep the business’ long term goals in mind, as the values you start out with should still be relevant to the company in the long term too. Keep your core values list short, you should have no more than 10.
Evaluate current company culture
How are teams and individuals working together? What is engagement like? Ask colleagues for input, do they enjoy or see problems in the company culture? Any unwillingness to engage with this question will in itself show problems that need to be addressed. Short surveys are a great way to collect information, but talks with long term employees are invaluable in analysing any long term changes, negative or positive.
Outline a plan for improvements
Create a detailed plan to attack any flaws you perceive in your corporate culture. Be sure that the plan has the full support of the company, from C-level right down to new hires. A plan should contain a strategy, timeline and budget, in addition to key benchmarks, by which you can measure progress. If employee relations are suffering for example, you could up the number of employee engagement activities, a good target is to hit one social event per quarter.
Track your progress
If you manage a team, make sure you are asking for and following up on employee feedback. A great way to measure employee engagement levels is via pulse surveys. Pulse Surveys are designed to give specific information on employee satisfaction and engagement. They can be used to track a range of factors including the Engagement Index, KPIs, and other areas. Learn more about Pulse Surveys here.
For Managers & Team Leaders
In addition to providing a long term plan, we outline some common fixes that can boost company culture in the short term.
Prioritise transparency
Openness, honesty and transparency are key, with 61% of employees citing trust in senior management as important to their job satisfaction. Employ top-down communication: keep employees informed about the business through company wide emails and updates, for example at town hall meetings. Establish an open door policy: Use office hours and small group discussions to make the C-suite more accessible. Don’t neglect the value of face-to-face interactions.
Highlight employee achievement with a recognition program
According to the 2018 SHRM/GloboForce Employee Recognition Report, 85% of HR leaders believe employee recognition programs enhance organisational culture. A good program spotlights top performers, with nominations coming either anonymously or through internal communication channels. Recognising employees can also reduce turnover by up to 31%.
Promote flexibility
Flexible working opportunities that support employees makes them feel valued, boosting company culture. Having an understanding and accommodating employer heightens engagement, which in turn increases productivity and profitability.
Celebrate team victories
Just as recognising individuals is important, so it is with company wide achievements. Employees take greater ownership and pride in their work when celebrating team efforts. Company wide recognition also increases transparency.
Give regular feedback
Employees crave feedback, with frequent feedback being key, not just annual reviews which 45% of HR leaders find ineffective and one third of employees find unhelpful. Instead, encourage regular feedback sessions so feedback is timely, or employed in an as and when required style. Managers should also ask their team for feedback more often, to make employees feel more valued.
How to boost your company culture: Key takeaway
Improvements to company culture may not be felt overnight, and they can take a while to implement and filter through a company at every level, but just showing that the effort is being made openly and transparently goes a long way to heightening company cohesion and lifting team spirits. With short and long term objectives baked into an all-encompassing plan, you are set up to redirect your culture to align with company goals.