Are you looking to improve your company’s culture? Whether you’re a new company looking to create a sense of community within the organization, you are looking to add a stronger sense of culture to your existing company, or you feel your business needs a culture overhaul, there are many ways to improve your company culture. We’ve compiled a list of the best ways to improve your company culture for current and future employees.
What is Company Culture?
Company culture is often described as the personality of an organization. It encompasses the values, beliefs, practices, and behaviors of a company and its employees. At its core, company culture is about creating an environment where employees feel valued, respected, and supported – where they can thrive both personally and professionally.
Having a set of values for your team to reference and work off of can be a valuable guideline for everyone involved. This is especially helpful when tough decisions need to be made, or defining moves are on the horizon for your company.
If you’re just starting out, or have yet to lay out what these are for your brand, take a look at ours for inspiration. Our personal Core Values are:
- Trust & Respect
- Team Collaboration
- Accountability
- Doing the Right Thing
- Creativity & Innovation
- Having Fun
Tips for Improving Your Company Culture
1. Define Your Company Values
Clearly articulating your company’s values is the first step in creating a strong culture. These values should align with the company’s mission and should be embraced by all employees. To determine your values, it’s a good idea to consult all your company’s stakeholders. Figure out what three to six things are most important to your stakeholders and company, and ensure that they are values you live out fully.
2. Foster Open Communication
If you are looking to create a company culture of transparency and connection, the first step is to ensure your employees are able to communicate openly. It’s important to encourage open, honest, and judgment-free communication throughout the organization. Regular meetings, employee surveys, and an open-door policy are all great steps in the right direction.
3. Recognize and Reward Performance
If you’re looking to develop a culture of encouragement and go-getting, start by recognizing and rewarding good performance. This is an effective way to boost morale and employee engagement. If you’re looking for ideas on how to show employees you appreciate them, you can consider installing an “Employee of the Month” program, offering bonuses for success, or bringing in lunch for teams that do a great job. Recognizing performance doesn’t always need to be huge, what’s important is helping people feel valued.
4. Emphasize Professional Development
Are you looking to create a company culture where employees consistently look to better themselves? Investing in your employees’ career development is a great way to build a culture of advancement – and it has the added benefit of increasing employee retention and engagement! This can be achieved through training and development programs, mentorship initiatives, and tuition reimbursement.
5. Encourage Work-Life Balance
Sometimes, your company culture is one of encouraging a healthy life outside of work. By encouraging your employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance, you can ensure that they feel valued as people, not workers. This can be achieved through flexible work arrangements, paid time off, and other benefits. A company culture based on mutual respect and understanding also increases employee retention.
6. Encourage Team Member Engagement
Do you want your business to have a culture with strong employee ties and friendship? Building a sense of community within the organization can help to improve employee engagement and increase collaboration. You can achieve this through team-building activities, volunteer opportunities, social events or outings, or even adding a games room to your business. You can foster team member engagement, you can help everyone feel included and like valued for more than just their job.
7. Encourage Innovation
Do you want your organization to be known for pushing boundaries and trying new things? First, you’ll have to encourage (and reward) innovation and creativity within your companies. When employees are motivated to keep perspectives fresh and client/customer interactions new and exciting, they are far less likely to feel bored with their work – plus you get the added benefit of out-of-the-box ideas and happy customers! You can foster a sense of innovation through brainstorming sessions, research time, dedicated thinking spaces, or employee-lead learning sessions dedicated to creating and voicing new solutions at every opportunity.
8. Lead by Example
No matter the company culture you want to install in your business, it starts with the leadership team. As a leader, your actions and behavior set the tone for the rest of the organization. Leading by example is a key component of creating a strong culture. If you want your employees to know you value work-life balance, it’s important to live with a work-life balance of your own. If you’re looking to have your employees engage with one another and have fun, you will need to be the first one to sign up for activities and company clubs.
Having a company culture that reflects your values and goals for an organization is incredibly important. If you’re not happy with your current company culture, it’s never too late to evaluate what needs to be changed and work on improving your company culture.
Recruitment Partners specializes in recruiting across a wide range of industries, with a particular focus on finance and accounting, engineering, supply and operations, IT/software operations, and Executive Search. Our goal is to help candidates achieve their dream job while also ensuring that our clients find the best possible fit for their organization.
If you’re looking for expert recruiting help, reach out to us by contacting one of our offices in Calgary or Edmonton!
