Many elements add up to a winning corporate culture – and it doesn’t happen overnight. Rather, a successful culture grows piece by piece and day by day, by getting buy-in at all organizational levels and paying attention to simple details.
Use these five tips to make a better company culture your 2017 New Year’s resolution.
1. Define where you want to go.
This starts at the top, with your senior leadership team – and without this initial step, change will not occur. Determining cultural direction up front is critical and must originate with top management and then trickle down to all your employees.
- Set aside a few minutes at a management meeting to come up with collective ideas to improve your culture. It may take a little while at first to get this creative ball rolling, but if you do this regularly, you will eventually come up with some terrific ideas.
2. Utilize internal and external resources.
Start by tapping into your existing talent and then seek outside help as needed to foster a great company culture.
- Solicit suggestions. Encourage employees to contribute constructive ideas on how to improve the overall atmosphere and environment of your workplace.
- Consider working with a consultant. If major change is needed, turn to an industry expert to help facilitate cultural improvement. They can provide in-depth knowledge and an objective perspective of the issues that exist.
3. Build your communication skills.
Strong, consistent communication is key to building and maintaining a positive culture. Compare the amount and level of concentrated communication that occurs when wooing a job candidate with the level of interaction you have with existing employees. You may need to rethink your priorities.
4. Recognize and reward.
Rewarding employees appropriately fosters a culture of excellence.
- Say thank you. Four out of five employees who feel appreciated stay with their companies. A little “thank you” goes a long way. But it must be thoughtful and personalized. Take a few minutes to tell an employee why you’re grateful for their contribution. Point out something specific that they have accomplished. Don’t make a spectacle of it – some people will actually hate this and your strategy will backfire. Just express sincere gratitude and be sure they know that you mean it.
5. Build social ties.
Arrange informal get-togethers outside of work and on breaks. Shared hobbies and activities build strong social bonds that help to unify work teams. For instance, it only takes a minute to ask a coworker if they’re available for a drink after work or a walk at lunchtime.
- Read together. Create a company culture computer folder and save relevant content there. Encourage people to read it and then have on and offline discussions about it. Your “book club” can start with content such as Jim Collins’ “Grow from Good to Great”
Have we got you thinking about a better company culture in 2017? Let the Pridestaff Modesto experts help you take this strategy to the next level. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more.
