Practices To Help Improve Company Culture

You already know that company culture is critically important these days. Like it or not, your business has had a culture since day one — but that doesn’t mean it stays pristine without intentional care.

Herein lies the problem. Company cultures that have been neglected or forgotten go from bad to worse at lightning speed. This essentially lets weeds take over the garden, choking out all the good stuff and replacing it with the bad.

Poorly tended company cultures have no congeniality, little to no personal connections, and virtually no engagement for any member of your team. Keep that up for long enough, and your business might find itself in a case study — and not in the good way.

It’s time to banish bad company culture once and for all. Here’s a comprehensive list of everything you need to know about improving company culture, as well as some tips you can start using pretty much right away.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s start with a little setup, shall we?

Company culture vs. organizational culture vs. work environments

We’re clearing something up right now: company culture is not the same thing as organizational culture or work environments. You might hear them used interchangeably, but that’s really not accurate (or helpful) when trying to make yours better.

Defined at its most basic level, company culture is a belief system in a given organization. This controls anything from what people say to one another to how they eat their lunches. Company culture is a top-down phenomenon; people in positions of power are the primary progenitors of change.

Organizational culture, on the other hand, specifically refers to the accepted norms in a company. This is shaped by the actual employees of the business rather than those in positions of power. New hires have the potential to change the organizational culture as well, especially if they have different ideas (or accepted norms) about work.

Finally, work environment refers to the physical surroundings of a workplace. This provides the groundwork for how culture is exemplified at work, often in less obvious ways. For example, an office that has decorated cubicles filled with plants is likely to have a laid-back culture. More sterile looking offices probably have more serious or formal cultures.

As you can see, these three concepts are closely related, but not quite the same. Now that you understand how they’re balanced, you can make much more informed decisions about your culture and its potential improvements.

Simple methods of improving company culture

Sometimes the simplest changes are the ones that make the most difference. When it comes to improving company culture, this couldn’t be any more poignant.

Let’s explore some of the best methods for enhancing company culture, starting with a suggestion we all know and love.

1. Flexible work

Flexible work is the future. And no, we’re not just saying this because we love working in PJs.

There’s been a lot of research on this topic recently (thanks, COVID), and studies show that flexible work hours and adaptable schedules might actually be better than traditional 9 to 5s.

One study found that 80% of workers would turn down a job without a flexible schedule. Another discovered that 43% of flexible workers experienced better productivity on the job.

Qualitative experts have weighed in as well. Many sources claim that flexible schedules establish trust, boost satisfaction, and enhance a company’s image.

The point is: employees can tell when you really care about them. Offering a flexible work schedule is a surefire way to do just that, boosting your company culture in the process.

2. Employee experiences

How do you know what employee experiences look like at your company? Through feedback, of course! This is a quick way to zero in on existing problems with your company culture. And by the way: if you’re not already listening to employee feedback, you should be.

Start with:

• Holding in-person focus groups
• Developing anonymous surveys
• Creating a map of potential pain points

Remember, all parts of the employee experience (hiring, onboarding, retiring, etc.) will set a mood and tone for the rest of your organization. Make every stage count!

3. Employee recognition

Every employee wants to feel recognized for their hard work, which is why a recognition system is necessary for any kind of company culture.

You can do this in a lot of ways:

• Integrating with public platforms that everyone can use
• Offering actual cash rewards that anyone can send
• Implementing recognition tools that the whole team wants to try

P.S. employee recognition is Motivosity’s bread and butter. Just throwing that out there!

4. Employee retention

Employee retention rates say a lot about your company culture. The higher they are, the worse off your culture is likely to be.

Start by implementing some generalized employee retention tactics:

• Focus on training and development opportunities
• Train your managers on best practices and leadership skills
• Consider revamping your employee recognition and rewards system

These won’t work 100% of the time, but they’re a great starting point for improving your company culture.

5. Employee satisfaction

Let’s keep it simple: happy employees are satisfied employees. Unhappy employees are the exact opposite.

Start by getting a gauge on employee satisfaction with a pulse survey. Ask for honest feedback, and leave space for folks to type in recommendations.

You might also want to run an eNPS survey to see who’s showing the love for your brand (and why). Knowledge is power!

Build a culture you can be proud of with Motivosity

If you’re willing to make even a few improvements to your company culture, you’ll be reaping the benefits in spades. Watch folks hop on the bandwagon to try new things while creating engagement that’s too good to pass up.

And if you partner with Motivosity, it’ll be all that times ten.

See, we’re not here to supplant your current culture, or tell you that it’s wrong, or force you to do things differently. We’re here to help you do it at scale in the most efficient way possible.

We don’t want to brag or anything, but we genuinely believe our tools work wonders for brands improving their company culture.

Think we can help? Try us out for yourself! Get a demo today to see what we can do.

Sources:

• https://www.motivosity.com/listen
• https://www.motivosity.com/blog/improving-workplace-retention
• https://www.motivosity.com/demo