As a manager or business owner, how can you improve your culture to attract applicants that will mesh well with your organization? As a job applicant, how can you determine if a company has a good culture that fits your needs?
There can be nothing much worse than working for a company that has a poor or negative culture, regardless of how much you are paid or how strong your benefits package is. At the end of day, you will come home feeling tense, stressed, and unfulfilled which seriously isn’t healthy.
Sometimes you may need to forfeit a few of those benefits when you leave, but it’s absolutely worth it when working for an organization with a great culture. You will feel energized and happier getting up each morning for work and coming home at the end of the day.
From a business’s perspective, those who interview candidates play a vital role in choosing someone who fits your company’s good-fit mould. Unfortunately, it’s hard to describe or define what makes one person a better cultural fit than another candidate. It’s often a gut feeling that the individual’s personality aligns with the organization’s values, beliefs, and attitudes.
But how do you attract and hold on to those great candidates? Build and constantly grow a great workplace culture.
Signs of a great Workplace Culture:
- Turnover is Low
When you notice that people in entry-level positions are staying with the company for a long time, developing and growing within the organization, then chances are good there is a healthy, positive culture.
- Communication is Clear
When communication is consistent and strong, when employees feel listened to and when questions are asked without fear, these are all signs of a strong workplace culture.
- Leaders Encourage Growth and Innovation
Important leadership indicators include employees having easy access to securing time with their boss and Leaders who inspire their team and provide opportunities for creativity and empowerment. Strong cultures also often have employees that are not micro-managed and are regularly encouraged to learn and develop.
- A Fun and Productive Environment
An enjoyable workplace has many advantages. Employees that are happy feel more energized which reduces the inefficiency of turnover and helps increase productivity levels. Employees feel comfortable enough to laugh and have fun, making them feel less stressed and more engaged.
- Work-Life Balance
When employers support work-life balance by offering flexible schedules and encouraging time off. Lunch and break times are respected, and employees don’t feel guilty taking a walk outside or stretching at their desks to allow them to reset mentally.
5 Tips on building a strategy to help improve your organizations’ workplace culture:
1. Hire for Cultural Fit
Take the time to hire someone that fits into the company culture without exclusively looking only for a set of qualifications and skills. Take into consideration a candidate’s soft skills – in other words their personal attributes and characteristics and whether those align with the company culture.
Don’t rush the hire and involve key individuals in the hiring decision.
2. Focus on Employee’s Well-being
Employees want to see that you really care about their mental health and well-being.
Managers shouldn’t encourage employees to work through their breaks or work long hours. Allow for flexible work hours and schedules. Create a break-away room utilizing the office that has been empty for months and otherwise is just collecting dust. Offer lunch and learn sessions to encourage employees to participate and recharge.
Donate that exercise equipment that has been unused and allow employees to catch up on their steps. Tweak your benefits and retirement programs and take advantage of the free services offered by your health providers to offer educational and mentorship courses to your employees.
3. Review Rewards and Recognition
Incorporating a Rewards and Recognition Program helps with employee engagement and provides many benefits such as increased productivity and lower turnover.
Consider launching an employee opinion survey to find out what type of rewards your employees are looking for and how they want to be recognized. The rewards that are unattainable or only seen as given to managers are not likely to sit well with the rest of your staff, leading them to feel unrecognized and demotivated.
Consider tailoring your rewards program; being flexible while also emphasizing results and behaviours that align well with your business and cultural goals. When possible, be creative to engage your employees in the design process.
4. Provide Support for Managers
Managers play a crucial role in creating a positive, engaging and high-performance culture. They should be coached to provide clear, current expectations, which often means severely outdated job descriptions need to be re-defined and re-worked. Ideally, incorporate the employee’s and managers input for cultural consistency.
Do your managers have good communication skills? Do they encourage employees’ input and ideas? Creating a trusting environment and encouraging employees’ development help promote a healthy workplace culture.
Consider introducing mentoring and training programs to help develop leadership skills in your organization. There are many opportunities in today’s market.
If leaders want managers who inspire top performance and motivate their teams, they should give those managers the support they need.
5. Provide Opportunities for Learning and Growth
Providing learning pathways and opportunities for development and promotion will help reduce turnover as employees’ job satisfaction improves and loyalty and commitment increases.
The employee may have mastered their job but may be lacking with the relevant leadership skills to advance. A colleague may be struggling with a job task because the company hasn’t documented operating procedures or training manuals. Very often, employees aren’t given clear direction of the different learning pathways in the organization and what they can do to get there.
Performance discussions should not only include the goals the employee needs to accomplish, but the steps and support they need to achieve these goals.
Take the time to review the company’s training and mentorship programs and how you will invest in your employee’s learning and development. A learning culture is something every organization should strive to develop.
Contact Bridge Legal and HR Solutions for practical solutions to building a positive Workplace Culture: – (647) 794-5442 or at admin@bridgelegalhr.ca
