Is your company focusing on building a positive work environment for your employees?
Fostering a positive culture increases employee satisfaction—and happy employees are proven to be more productive and loyal to their companies.
Company culture affects every aspect of your business. So if you aren’t spending time on a long-term strategy and practices, then you are missing a huge opportunity to reduce turnover, improve productivity and attract top industry talent.
What is Company Culture?
Company culture is the values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors of your company and employees, and how they relate to the actions of your business.
Your culture is established through actions and initiatives that differentiate your organization from others. Your company culture should be built upon your company’s mission, vision and value statements—which are the basis for every interaction and decision made.
The culture of your company drives employees’ feelings about working for your business and how you are perceived by outside talent.
Best Practices to Build a Positive Company Culture
Company culture isn’t all about swag, parties and free snacks—without purpose and meaning behind your actions and initiatives, your company will be wasting both time and money.
Below are some best practices to consider when building the foundation to a strong company culture.
Seamless Onboarding
Onboarding is the first interaction new employees have with your company. This is when you should clearly communicate your company’s mission, vision and values. It is also a chance for you to highlight your culture and provide a positive experience from the start—giving new employees the confidence and tools to succeed at your company.
This first interaction should level-set expectations and provide a roadmap of an employee’s first 90 days.
The onboarding experience also provides a chance for employee introductions with coworkers and other departments that they will be closely working with. An open line of communication fosters teamwork and an environment of effective collaboration.
Does your onboarding process need an upgrade? Check out our recent blog on onboarding best practices.
Flexible Work Arrangements
55% of employees now believe that a flexible work environment and schedule are a necessity when accepting a new role, compared to only 37% pre-pandemic.
Employees who are satisfied with the flexibility and work-life balance their employers provide are also almost two times as likely to stay at a company. (1)
Encourage a Supportive Leadership Style
77% of employees who have supportive managers say they feel mentally healthy, keeping them feeling resilient and loyal to their company. (1)
With effective training on how to lead with an open line of communication, professionalism and compassion, leaders can make a huge impact on your culture. When employees feel comfortable communicating openly with their managers without negative ramifications, they are more likely to address sensitive topics and provide valuable feedback. This feedback can be used to implement positive changes within your company.
Leadership should also recognize employees for successes in their roles. A little positive feedback goes a long way to make employees feel like the work they are doing is making a difference.
Offer a Wide Variety of Benefits
Holistically healthy employees are 74% more likely to be satisfied with their job. (1)
The benefits your company offers shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. Employees are looking for options and the ability to build a benefits package based on their needs. Incorporating benefits that cover physical, financial, mental and social health leads to an overall healthier employee that is more productive, loyal and happier.
Offering a variety of voluntary benefits, that your employees can add to their packages at little or no-cost to you, can make all the difference.
Engage with Employees
Each interaction with employees is a chance to get them involved and excited about where your company is going. Whether it’s a company-wide meeting to discuss recent wins or smaller focus groups, each opportunity is a chance to reinforce your core values and vision.
Plan events and opportunities for employees to connect with each other, allowing employees to build working relationships with coworkers and fostering a team environment. Set aside a budget for team-building activities among departments or company-wide.
Find ways to surprise and delight your employees. Whether it’s a trivia night, exercise class, free snacks or swag, employee engagement doesn’t have to be serious. Make it fun and encourage connections.
And remember, all programs would be useless without effective communication—so make sure you are promoting and reinforcing any programs or initiatives within your organization.
Benefits of a Positive Company Culture
Building a strong, positive company culture does not happen overnight, but the benefits are well worth the work you and your team will put into it in the long run.
Benefits of building a positive company culture for your business:
Reduced Turnover
Employees who work in a social and supportive culture are almost two times more likely to stay at their company. (1) Investing in your company culture is proven to reduce your company’s turnover rate.
Improved Teamwork
When employees have a sense of belonging, they shift from a “me” mentality to a team mentality. This way of thinking improves collaboration and increases your company’s productivity.
Engaged Top Talent
Positive company culture doesn’t go unnoticed by prospective employees. Many job seekers look at employee reviews and ask questions about culture when applying and interviewing, which can impact their decision on joining your company. Also, employees are more likely to refer industry colleagues and connections to their company if they are happy with where they work.
Less Employee Stress
72% of employers say stress and burnout are a challenge or concern for their organization. Adapting practices that foster a positive work environment reduce employee stress and play a part in boosting employee mental health.
Start improving your company culture today.
Not only can Ascela help you build employee benefits packages that attract and retain top talent, but we also have the knowledge and expertise to assist your company in building a strong company culture where your employees enjoy working.
We help HR leaders and business owners put tools and practices in place to help their company and employees succeed.
Contact our team of experts today to discover company culture best practices that can help you grow your business.