Having a lively company culture is exciting and working with a serious company culture means good business, but what is a strong company culture? Strong organizational cultures are well-defined, well-supported company cultures that prioritize the company vision and strive to create a positive work environment for the entire workforce. Strong company cultures go beyond a cursory mention in the employee handbook and organizations need to actively plan out how to communicate effectively with employees for it to be successful. TeamStage reports that 46 percent of job seekers prioritize a good company culture.
The report indicates that 86 percent of job seekers would avoid companies with a bad reputation. If you aren’t bothered as much by hiring stats, then it’s also important to note that 65 percent of employees would leave a company that received negative publicity for its company culture. Understanding what a strong company culture is and creating a positive work environment is necessary for any company’s long-term success.
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What Is a Strong Company Culture? How Do We Create It?
A strong company culture cannot be built in a day—it’s established and pursued over time. To start with, companies need to develop a clear sense of purpose in all that they do. From top leaders to freshers and interns, every employee needs to be clued in on the company culture and equally committed to pursuing it. For that to happen companies need to address a few goals first:
- Creating a positive work environment
- Communicating the culture effectively with employees
- Building trust and respect in the workplace
- Regularly measuring the impact of the company culture
Let’s address each component carefully and review strategies that can help define what a strong company culture is for an organization.
How to Create a Positive Work Environment?
In companies that have a positive work environment, employees are more motivated and committed to come to work every day and do their best with every task. They are more likely to speak up and share their ideas, take initiative and make active decisions, innovate and go beyond their basic job roles, and commit more effectively to their work overall. According to ZipDo, a positive work culture can result in 30 percent higher customer satisfaction levels, and organizations with strong cultures have witnessed a 4 fold increase in revenue growth.
The impact of a positive work culture is undeniable and businesses need to seriously consider positive work environments and answer what a strong company culture means for them. Some ways to uncover how to create a positive work environment include:
- Encourage immediate communication and conflict resolution
- Train employees on conflict resolution strategies that they can employ as necessary
- Provide training for managers and HR professionals on constructive communication
- Encourage regular interactions between senior management and employees
- Support cross-functional collaboration between teams
- Prioritize diversity training and cultural sensitivity programs
- Listen to employee feedback and make changes to the company policies with care
- Provide ergonomic furniture and equipment and focus on accessibility in all aspects of the workspace design
- Foster a culture of learning and assist employees in improving performance
- Establish mentorship programs that can help employees find a safe space
- Embrace flexibility in work arrangements
- Create employee wellness programs that can assist employees in balancing their work and life effectively
- Organize events and team-building activities regularly
- Encourage social service programs to build a link with the local community
- Trust employees to make decisions and take ownership of the work that they do
- Celebrate every achievement and success and showcase the good work done by the team
How to Communicate Effectively with Employees?
Once you answer “What is a strong company culture?” for your organization, you need to share it with your team for it to be implemented. Communication of the work culture is essential, but communication, in general, needs to be prioritized for an organization. According to Queens University of Charlotte, 9 percent of surveyed employees worldwide stated that their organization did not collaborate enough. Here’s how to communicate effectively with employees:
- Clearly define the company culture and provide written documents that employees can refer to later
- Introduce employees to the company culture clearly during onboarding
- Use videos and other interactive material to ensure employees understand the culture well
- Instill policies that reflect the company culture and re-establish them regularly
- Conduct refresher courses on the policy and announce any updates to them
- Encourage employees to ask questions and have their doubts resolved
- Leadership messaging should reinforce cultural priorities
- Pair new employees with mentors or buddies who can help them understand the culture
- Create a platform for employees to share their experiences, ask questions, and communicate with each other
- Establish channels for employees to provide feedback on the culture—use
- Use holidays, anniversaries, or milestones as opportunities to showcase cultural values
How to Build Trust and Respect in the Workplace?
A company that respects its employees receives the same admiration in return. To create a positive work environment and a strong company culture that is beneficial to the company, employers need to prioritize trust and respect. Companies need to see employees as rational, qualified decision-makers who are capable of independent decision-making. Even employees who make decisions that do not suit an organization need to be treated with respect and corrected in a way that reflects their age and experience.
For companies learning how to build trust and respect in the workplace, these are some pointers to keep in mind.
- Model trustworthiness, integrity, and respect in all actions and decisions made by the organization
- Be transparent with the team about both the achievements and losses encountered by the company
- Consider employee insight on key issues that can decide the future of the organization
- Address employee concerns regularly
- Listen actively and react proactively to changes that need to be made
- Prioritize empathy and understanding in all company tasks
- Be consistent in your actions and decision-making—avoid favoritism
- Take responsibility for decisions made by the organization and do not shift the blame
- Ensure everyone is on the same page regarding objectives
- Address conflicts promptly and constructively, seeking win-win solutions when possible
- Show a commitment to employees’ growth and career advancement instead of replacing employees frequently
How to Measure the Impact of Your Company Culture
.Having established policies in place to create a strong company culture, it is also crucial for companies to assess the efficacy of their initiatives. In order to plan out how to measure the impact of your company culture, you need to have clear metrics in place that can be regularly revisited and compared. Many tools can be used to gather data while measuring the impact of the company culture:
- Regular employee survey
- Anonymous feedback channels where employees can provide feedback when necessary
- Focus groups and team discussions
- Turnover metrics and other key performance indicators
- Absenteeism rates and patterns associated with it
- Third-party services that can provide an unbiased review
- Employee testimonials
- Public perception of the company and company reviews
- Participation stats in cultural programs and other training initiatives
- Conduct surprise checks or audits to assess adherence to cultural norms
- Exit interviews that consider the opinions of those leaving the company as well
You should now be ready to answer confidently when asked what a strong company culture is for your organization. With these tips and suggestions in place, all that’s left is the implementation of these policies, which will help you communicate effectively and establish a positive work environment that’s built on mutual trust and respect.