Having a great work culture is no longer just an option. Today’s job seekers give as much importance to a healthy and happy work environment as they do to salary and other benefits.
Culture is difficult to define in a single sentence, but something that everyone recognizes when they experience it. You can determine the culture of an organization based on a bunch of different things ranging from how the leaders interact with employees to the arrangement of furniture.
What makes a work culture “great”?
1. Good Work Organization
An organization where there is a clear strategy on how things flow, and where every employee has a clear idea of what their roles and responsibilities are, tend to be more stress-free and productive.
2. Healthy Leadership
Hierarchical levels are needed for an efficient organization, but they may become a hindrance when a company’s leadership is seen as something to be feared and not as an ally. It is important to create a climate of trust where employees feel that their needs are heard and taken into account.
3. Physical and Psychological Security
Health benefits, both physical and mental, go a long way in ensuring that employees are happy and satisfied. Talking about psychological security, it is important to create a workplace environment that does not contribute to or add to employees’ stress and anxiety levels.
4. Team Cohesion
Interactions between coworkers are an essential part of the workplace environment. It’s important that these interactions are not based solely on something inevitable such as work-related dependencies. It is desirable that they also include positive emotional bonding and spend time together beyond work, without it seeming like a punishment. Here’s where team-building activities, happy hours, and other bonding activities can help.
While this is a very basic list of things that a company can adopt to improve work culture, O.C Tanner has a great checklist of 6 elements that not only improve work culture but also become tools for attracting and retaining better talent.
What does a good work culture do for the company?
Great company culture does not just keep the team happy and motivated. The results of a good work environment always reflect in the company’s numbers and performance. You’ll observe that companies that have strong cultures and happy employees also yield powerful business results and are also world-renowned.
Here are some of the direct observables that you’ll see with improved work culture:
1. A smoother recruitment process
Talks of good company culture spread very soon, via social media or otherwise. A company can also talk about its culture on its website to reinforce its brand. What this does, apart from enhancing the company’s brand, is that it makes the recruitment process much smoother.
For one, you will have more potential candidates wanting to work at a place with a good culture. Secondly, defining a clear culture for your company allows you to choose candidates based on their culture-fit to the existing workforce. This team-first corporate culture places experience lower down their list of priorities and relies on the fact that if an employee feels comfortable in their work environment and values their colleagues as people, they will be more motivated to work hard.
2. An increase in employee engagement and satisfaction levels
A healthy and happy work environment will reflect in the form of an increased level of interest and motivation in employees. They will organically feel a connection to their work and the company.
Good work culture also has an impact on employee satisfaction and engagement. While it’s impossible to please everyone at all times, you may attempt to create a company culture that balances your employees’ individual requirements while also aligning with your organization’s objectives.
3. An increase in employee retention and productivity levels
When you have employee recognition and appreciation systems in place and create a happy work space in general, employee retention rates will go up naturally. When employees realize that the company has their back, they are more likely to go the extra mile and work towards organizational goals more happily.
Workplaces where employees are taken care of and appreciated also see increased productivity and engagement. Great company culture also means giving employees opportunities to grow. Offering promotions, career development programs, extra training, etc., can keep employees motivated and improve performance.
4. An increase in revenue
All the aforementioned points finally boil down to one singular point - that a strong and healthy work culture will eventually and organically result in increased revenue for the company. It’s not very difficult to figure out that things like increased engagement, productivity, and retention rates will result in increased revenue. So there is really no reason that companies shouldn’t aim to improve their work culture.
While we’ve told you some ways to improve work culture, the best way to learn is to always look at and be inspired by companies that are already known for their great work culture. You’ll see that these companies are also automatically some of the most profitable and well known companies around the world. Read and be inspired!
