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Since the early 1990s, business owners have been intentionally implementing ideas to create the ideal environment for their employees. Today, company culture is an important factor in the decision-making process. In a recent study, the majority of people expressed that company culture carried more weight than compensation. Employees are looking for companies whose values are consistent with their own. It makes sense, then, that the company culture business owners embrace directly impacts the type of talent they attract. If there is a mismatch, it is highly likely that the person you hired will be less efficient and directly affect your bottom line. Integrating company culture can deliver happiness across all of your employees. The good news is that business owners can make changes to their company culture without spending a lot of money. Read on for some simple ways to improve company culture in today’s world.
Generational Aspects
The workplace today is more generationally diverse than any other time in history. This can create challenges for business owners when it comes to the company culture. The perspectives and skillsets that each generation brings to the office can be synergistic but can also create conflict. Simply acknowledging each generation’s strengths and weaknesses can help improve the company culture. For instance, technology is an area where there are significant differences in levels of proficiency among the generations. Business owners who understand this can plan accordingly and create a mentorship program with the younger staff members helping the older ones. Companies uniting their multi-generational workforce have been successful in improving their company culture.
Relationship Building
When it comes to sales, business owners know it is all about building relationships. What is sometimes forgotten amidst the day-to-day responsibilities of running a business is that company culture follows the same premise. Business owners trying to improve the company culture need to find time to connect to their employees. This does not have to be a daily activity but one that makes employees feel that you care about them. It can be something as simple as rotating weekly meetings from afternoon to morning after you find out that one of your employees is a “morning person.” Actions like this let your staff know that you are actively listening to them and are a simple way to improve company culture in today’s world.
Show Flexibility
The amount of flexibility that companies can bestow on their employees varies greatly between verticals. When using this to improve company culture, the “one size fits all” approach is not always effective. Business owners should consider flexibility as a broad category and tailor it to each individual’s needs. For example, flexibility could mean working from home one day a week for one employee and modifying the workday hours for another. One global policy that many business owners today are implementing is unlimited paid time off. Consider the importance of company culture to improve office morale. Showing flexibility in the workplace establishes trust between business owners and their staff, and ultimately is a catalyst for simply improving the company culture.
Be Transparent
Business owners who show their transparency are well on their way to improving company culture. Afterall, you are the person your employees look to for information about the business. One way to show your transparency is by having routine communication with employees. This may mean a daily email, a weekly video conference call or monthly in-person meetings. With today’s technology, it is easier than ever to share information with your staff. Being transparent is not always easy for business owners particularly if the news to be communicated is less than positive. Regardless what you have to say, your employees will appreciate hearing the information from you. Business owners with a high level of transparency in today’s world will substantially improve the culture.
Socialize After Hours
Another simple way to improve company culture in today’s world is to get to know your employees outside of the work environment. Socializing after hours enables all employees to find commonalities. This is a particularly important activity for those employees who are always on the road or work remotely. Business owners can make this a quarterly event and include friendly competitions to help facilitate interactions among the group. Providing opportunities to socialize after hours allows employees to see your personal side, and vice versa, and contributes to improving the company culture.
Ultimately, businesses owners are responsible for the company culture. It impacts the type of talent your business attracts and is key to employee retention. Business owners have many simple ways to improve company culture. For instance, identifying any generation divides, establishing relationships and socializing with employees are a few easy approaches. Additionally, showing flexibility and being transparent allows business owners to establish trust which also positively influences company culture. Consider the points presented in this post for simple ways to improve company culture in today’s world.
