Workplace culture is important in businesses, as it affects almost every aspect of the organization. From acquiring the best and the brightest to enhancing employee satisfaction, company culture serves as the backbone of a happy workforce.
If you’re going to launch and manage a business, you’ll want a positive corporate culture to thrive in your workplace. According to a study by Deloitte, 88 percent of employees and 94 percent of executives surveyed think that distinct workplace culture is instrumental to the success of a business. The study also discovered that a strong correlation between workers claiming to feel valued and satisfied at work and individuals who believe that their organization has a strong culture.
When creating a positive workplace culture in your organization, keep these nine actionable suggestions in mind:
1. Start the Work Week with Gratitude
Begin every week with an all-hands team meeting where the first item on the agenda is to express gratitude. Allowing employees to demonstrate their appreciation for one another in a public setting boosts the morale of the whole group, makes people feel valued, and sets a positive tone for the rest of the week.
2. Encourage Social Interaction
Busy work schedules could push employees to close themselves from the outside world (or from their co-workers) and complete the tasks in their cubicle. Long story short, they go to work, they work, and then go home. Instead of allowing this routine to continue, give your employees time to move away from their computer screen and socialize.
Set aside an area in the office where employees can chill out and have meaningful conversations. Allowing your office workers to take a break and connect with one another during the day and week helps them stay productive and motivated. After all, people need a breather from the everyday grind.
3. Promote Inclusivity and Diversity
Make the workplace environment more inclusive by hiring qualified and experienced people from various backgrounds and celebrating their differences. Allow workers to share their preferred pronouns with the team to promote inclusive language. You could also coordinate with the folks at Human Resources (HR) to include diversity as a component in your overall talent acquisition strategy.
4. Emphasize Wellness in the Workplace
Companies can’t effectively foster a positive work environment if their employees are unhealthy. Office workers need to be physically, emotionally, and mentally at the top of their game to contribute to a positive workplace. You, along with the other leaders of the company, should make sure that employees have the on-site health care opportunities, tools, and resources necessary to live a healthy life inside and outside the office.
5. Come up with an Employee Incentive or Recognition Program
Take the time to recognize and reward people in your company for meeting or exceeding their goals, as well as achieving stellar results. This makes employees feel valued for their contribution to the company. It also encourages them to continue pushing the boundaries and executing work at impressive levels.
6. Promote Positive Thinking in the Office
Employees shouldn’t waste their time and attention to negative behaviors that do not align with the organization’s moral compass. As a business owner, you should encourage the members of your team to look at the bright side of things all the time. Even if your employees didn’t hit the goal they wanted or when things appear to be spinning out of control, positive thinking will help cultivate favorable outcomes for you, your employees, and your company. Establishing annual, monthly, and weekly positive intentions as a company will keep your team aligned to what matters in the organization.
7. Create Clear Goals
Some companies don’t communicate or clarify their goals, vision, and mission with employees. People in the organization, regardless of position, should have a clear understanding of what’s important in the company. As a business owner, you need to establish clear goals and help them understand how the completion of their deliverables contributes to the success of the organization.
8. Keep the Workplace Environment Safe for Employees
Toxicity in the professional work setting can be damaging to everyone. It inhibits collaboration among employees and stifles new and innovative ideas. Creating a safe environment means getting rid of negative personalities and respecting ideas contributed by every employee in the organization. Lead your company with integrity and honesty to help make your workers feel safe.
9. Be Transparent
Employees deserve the trust of the leadership team. Promote open communication and transparency between team members, department heads, and top executives. This helps create an office culture where workers feel valued and heard. Consider sending out regular internal company newsletters that offer valuable information about what’s happening within the organization. Alternatively, you could hold periodic town hall meetings to keep employees informed and engaged.
Creating a culture where employees feel respected and appreciated is crucial to the success of your company. Take note of nine tips and apply them to foster a welcoming culture in your organization.
