Many businesses like to brag about their work cultures. To be fair, some have every right to. When done correctly, a strong organizational atmosphere not only aids in retention and recruitment but can also become a selling point when pitching your services to potential customers. As a leader, creating a solid work culture is more than just pizza parties and ping-pong tables — these are superficialities. Fortifying it takes real, sincere efforts that fundamentally alter not just the way your employees interact with each other, but how you interact with them as well.
What Defines a Strong Work Culture?
Work culture is the personality of your organization. It dictates how your workers interact with one another and customers and can ultimately determine the long-term health of your organization. This professional ethos is comprised of several universal elements, each of which can be bolstered with intentional and genuine actions.
Leadership Commitment
Like many aspects of your organization, workplace culture begins from the top. How you and other leaders buy into these initiatives determines their success — after all, if you don’t believe in your work culture, why should anyone else? Leaders and managers set the tone by modeling behaviors aligned with your organizational values. In other words, lead by example; demonstrate the culture your workplace values not just through your words, but through your actions, and your employees will be more inclined to follow.
Shared Values & Beliefs
As you lead by example, over time your organization will develop a system of shared values and beliefs. These can include core principles like integrity, respect, and accountability, but leaders should avoid the pitfall of hanging these words on a wall and calling it a day. Such principles should be demonstrated every day by leaders, managers, and employees alike until they become a normal part of everyday life in the office. Accepting responsibility when things go wrong, showing grace and kindness to co-workers, standing by your word… These are the types of actions that turn corporate buzzwords into powerful, meaningful action.
Trust-Based Relationships
What are you doing to foster collaboration and trust among team members? Workplace gossip is often cited as one of the most toxic threats to an organizational culture, sowing distrust among employees and tanking morale. Put a stop to it before it begins by encouraging open, candid communication between workers and managers; if a conflict arises, have the two parties settle it among themselves, face to face. Establishing a culture of trust and honesty means you can count on your workforce to accomplish their goals and support your organization’s mission together.
Communication Norms
How employees relay information between one another can impact work culture too. Leaving a co-worker hanging or skipping a crucial step in a project can be viewed as a sign of disrespect. Encourage clear, transparent communication through meetings, updates, and feedback channels. Codify not just what is communicated, but how; for example, consider print communication standards and handing them out, or printing them at the top of meeting agendas. Put your organization’s communication norms into action or these policies will lose their potency.
Adaptability
Your workforce must show willingness to embrace change and continuous improvement. Consider how much the office has changed in the last 20 years strictly from a technological viewpoint; in the 2000s, relatively new innovations like cloud computing, wireless internet, and even social media weren’t nearly as ubiquitous as they are today. The world is ever-changing, so your employees must be ready to adapt when necessary.
Recognition & Feedback
How are you keeping your employees engaged with their work? Study after study has shown fully engaged employees are more likely to perform better. Publicly recognizing their accomplishments — and even privately sharing constructive feedback that motivates and encourages growth — is a fantastic way to keep your workers passionate about their jobs. Whatever you do, be genuine; your employees will know a half-hearted attempt when they see it, in which case your efforts will backfire.
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