Seven tips for creating a good work culture
Having a great workplace culture is a critical component of any successful business and is well worth prioritising. Why? It creates happy employees, who in turn, are more productive. It’s a win-win.
It takes the participation of both employees and managers, but essentially the culture is set from the top. Having a positive culture based on solid values not only retains staff, it helps attract the best talent and makes hiring decisions easier. It’s the thing that keeps the company functioning like a well-oiled machine. So how do you get one? There’s many factors that contribute to a good company culture, but here’s our top seven tips:
1. Foster meaning, and really mean it
There’s a very good reason we’re so passionate about meaningful work. It’s the biggest motivator for workplace happiness, and the biggest contributor to engaged (and therefore productive) employees. Discover what gives your employees meaning, and focus on it.
2. Encourage shared responsibility
A thriving company culture isn’t just about fun, it’s about encouraging employees to grow and giving them ownership. A good decision can come from anywhere. Involving team members in decision making or at the very least communicating to them why a particular decision has been made assures they feel part of the process and valued. Giving ownership of their job and ideas builds a strong sense of team and shared responsibility in the success of projects and wider business outcomes.
3. Communication is key
Honest, respectful, two-way communication is critical to employee happiness, building a trusting relationship between managers and employees, and most importantly, allowing them to be heard and understood.
4. Encourage learning from mistakes
From an early age we’re taught that mistakes equal failure and shame. In reality, they’re an opportunity to learn and evolve, and in a great workplace culture, messing something up is approached as an opportunity to better yourself. There’s pretty much no mistake you can’t recover from, so give your employees clear direction and boundaries and let them do their thing.
5. Provide rewards and recognition
Everybody likes getting recognition for their hard work, and there’s no doubt that it’s a huge motivating factor toward wanting to achieve more. This motivation can come in the form of an official incentive program with tangible rewards to ongoing verbal recognition of even the smallest achievement.
6. Create a good social atmosphere for relationships to grow
There’s a nice saying, ‘those who play together stay together’, and it’s very much applicable for the workplace too. Skillfully balancing professionalism with a good social atmosphere results in a team who work together, encourage and support each other to succeed, and feel motivated. In short, it builds and maintains relationships. From simple Friday afternoon drinks to social events which are offsite, or even themed days of the week and meeting rituals, no matter how big or small, it all helps towards workers feeling less like an employee number and more like a family.
7. Emphasise positivity and gratitude
It’s one thing to talk about positivity, it’s another thing to show it. Demonstrate appreciation for not only your employees and other aspects of work, but life too. It’ll spread like wildfire.
It’s not easy to build and maintain a good company culture, but it’s essential to try. Your people are your number one asset and the key to better business outcomes. What’s more, going to work will be a much more enjoyable experience for everyone, including for yourself.
Author: Rise Team
