There were several mentions of the importance of maintaining a good company culture in one of our GFA How To articles in which we discussed how to identify the toxic traits of a leader in your workplace.
Are you of the opinion that all these yarns about workplace culture are pointless and that people should just get on with their jobs? After all, no one was hired to be treated like royalty. Well, guess what? If you want to run a successful business, a good company culture is just as important as anything else you can think of.
Before we go any further, note that it is also the responsibility of everyone in the company, team members and leaders, to keep that up. Oh, you thought you would be excused because you are not a leader? Nah and besides, you would be a leader someday.
WHAT IS GOOD COMPANY CULTURE?
A good company culture typically entails trust, respect, commitment to work, loyalty, and all the great perks you can think of, but it also heavily involves how the company’s day-to-day operations are carried out. Policies, processes, ethics, value systems, employee attitudes and behaviors, objectives, and codes of conduct all define a workplace and its culture. Now however a company chooses to set this up is totally up to them but are you on track?
Here are some points to consider about what makes up a healthy workplace culture to help you get back on track.
- Outline your company’s values and highlight the importance of implementing, understanding, and adhering to them with your employees.
- Invest in employees and providing them with opportunities like internal promotions, seminars, and workshops to develop and grow their individual skills.
- Find interesting ways to reward accomplishments, no matter how small, and certainly foster friendly competition.
- Set up an open communication environment where your team members can present their ideas as well as give suggestions and feedbacks without getting backlash of any sort.
- Embrace the differences among your employees and make everyone feel valued and respected, no matter the position or cultural diversity.
- Place enthusiasm and passion at the epicenter of your company’s professional pursuits and lead by example; this would motivate and encourage employees to work more effectively and efficiently.
- Inspire and convey to your team members the benefits of collaboration and clear communication among themselves, in addition to promoting teamwork and completing their tasks.
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WHY DOES ALL THESE MATTER?
When your company’s culture integrates with its employees, they are much more likely to feel at ease, supported, and morally obliged to put in more work or productivity to advance the company’s growth. A good company culture encourages leadership to explore factors that may lead to accurate assessment and the implementation of changes that improve the company.
Here are some of the reasons why you should be concerned about establishing a strong company culture.
- Having a defined company culture and driving your employees to comprehend and project their work toward the company’s goals will help the company in surpassing more milestones and becoming more successful.
- When employees are inspired and committed, there is a higher probability of increased productivity, morale, and retention, which leads to the completion of the tasks and, as a result, long-term financial gains.
- Creating an inclusive space for team members to provide input on company affairs will help them stay creative, imaginative, and consistently present different strategies.
- Relationships between individuals, levels, and departments increase because of the culture development phase and these improved relationships lead to better communication, decision-making, and overall performance.
The importance of sustaining a strong company culture cannot be overstated. To address the question, all the hype about good company culture is not overrated and if you are a leader, you should look into establishing and nurturing one. It would save you a lot of stress. As a team member, you must also adhere to the company’s established culture. It should be more than just a document; it should be incorporated into your daily activities as well.