Building company culture is vital for your business, as it impacts other elements of the company. From attracting valuable employees to boosting their satisfaction, business culture is the key to a happy workspace.
If you don’t build a positive culture, then employees might not see the importance of their work. In the worst-case scenario, they could quit and work for the competition instead. When you incorporate employees into your workforce, you expect them to grow as the company does and become more valuable over time. If you lose them to competitors, someone else will enjoy your efforts and investment.
So, how do you create a business culture that boosts productivity and growth? Let’s take a look.
Creating A Business Culture for Growth
Why?
The best firms to work at have one thing in common: They embrace positive and powerful cultures that resonate with the workers and help them do their best. Google and Facebook (now Meta) are only two examples.
Employees that are part of positive company cultures feel more appreciated and valued. They fit in. And so they work harder and achieve better results. You may have heard of Maslow’s pyramid of needs. Humans need to fulfill their need for belonging, and a united and cohesive corporate structure does just that.
Teamwork and employment satisfaction are two pillars of good work, and that’s why you need to create a culture that aligns with your values and is welcoming.
How?
The great thing is that you can build a positive atmosphere at work even with the lowest budget and company size.
1) Provide Meaning
First thing’s first. You are a leader, and employees will look up to you. Convey meaning and purpose to all the chain links. What makes this corporation different: Its ambition, its green policies, or maybe that they are the technology leaders?
Humans search for meaning in most things they do, and their careers are no exception. Most people have a dream, something they want to accomplish, a reason to wake up every day. If their values align with the company’s, there’ll be no dissonance, and things will run smoothly.
So, it’s your job (and the managers’) to pass on this passion to the employees. Why should they be excited to head off to the office every morning? Make sure they know!
2) Create Goals
Your employees share one common goal: To get a paycheck at the end of the month. But they can do the same work at another company and get paid, so you need to build something more significant.
Sharing a common company-related goal will bring everyone together and boost cooperation. As a result, the work climate will be more pleasant, and everyone will perform better. This leads us to the following tip.
3) Create a Safe Environment
Do employees feel like they can be themselves in the workplace? Do you listen to them when they express concerns or have a problem? Although you’re not their friend, that’s not exclusive to being empathetic.
Everyone appreciates being valued and listened to. If employees have a suggestion or idea, hear what they have to say, even when you don’t plan on implementing them.
4) Encourage Social Connections
Work or social meetings can be an opportunity for employees to network and get to know each other personally. It’s also a chance for them to come and say hi to you.
You are the head of the company, and they’re probably interested in getting to know you a bit more. They want to know who you are, your hobbies, and how you handle meetings, amongst other things.
Networking and having a fun time without the work pressure are essential to building a good corporate reputation and culture.
5) Acknowledge Employees’ Achievements
We all enjoy occasional praise. If someone’s doing a great job, let them know. Reward them with recognition, an extra paycheck, or even a promotion.
Even if they’re not deserving of the promotion, you can still talk your way out to boost their mood by praising them. A motivated employee will achieve better results than those who feel expendable.
No one likes to be somewhere they don’t belong or work somewhere they could be fired from. It’s demotivating to put effort into a company you don’t see yourself working in five years from now. Keep that in mind next time you talk to your workers!
6) Work-Life Balance Is A Must
A corporation needs healthy workers in order to thrive. Health includes physical, mental, and emotional well-being. When possible, ensure the employees can access healthcare, counseling, and work-life balance.
No matter how much someone loves their job, there’s more to life than working 9 to 5. People have families, friends, hobbies, and responsibilities outside of the office. If you don’t provide a healthy balanced schedule, you might lose your best talents.
Also, having time to unwind and disconnect from work recharges employees’ batteries, and thus the chances of business growth and success increase.
7) Hire the Right People
Last but not least, it doesn’t matter how much effort you put into creating the perfect business culture for your corporation if you don’t bring the right people into the team.
Ensure the HHRR department knows what you seek in future workers, and have them conduct thorough research before hiring anyone. The better you select your team members, the less time you’ll spend trying to mend the workforce.
The Bottom Line
Having a strong and positive business culture is essential to growing your corporation. When employees feel they’re part of something, they work better and more passionately.
As a leader, you must convey meaning to every link chain and create common goals for everyone in the workforce. Gather meetings and encourage teamwork and cooperation between departments. Listen to what employees say and acknowledge and reward their hard work and success.
Only by feeling appreciated will the workers stay at the company instead of leaving to work for the competitors, and they’ll have the chance to grow as the corporation does and bring more value.
Kieran Fallon is Growth Marketing Manager at Qualio, a leading provider of eQMS software to the life science industry.
Business culture stock image by ASDF_MEDIA/Shutterstock
