A strong workplace culture is one that is based on a feeling of togetherness as if your employees/team are part of your “family.” A culture that has a strong focus on collaboration will lead to greater productivity as well as satisfaction. Facilitating an environment in which your team has supportive leaders to whom they can turn for mentorship will increase team communication and teamwork. It will also boost morale and demonstrate the behaviour you expect from everyone. Workplace culture focuses on the people side of your business rather than solely on profit. A strong workplace culture is not based on profit-hungry behaviour where your team is urged to work longer hours, refrain from ‘complaining’, and become pitted against each other and management. Instead, having management be open to constructive feedback and caring about the well-being of employees will foster a much better culture in the workplace.
So, what can you do to achieve this?
Establish Company Values From as early in the hiring process as possible, express your company’s values to prospective employees. Let them know from the start that they are entering a workplace that respects them and their time. Include your own core business and personal values as this will allow them to get a sense of who you are.
Encourage Communication & Collaboration Opening up a channel for communication will do wonders for your stagnant business. Hearing feedback from your employees will allow you to understand what’s not working for them and for the business. However, if you are asking for this communication, don’t expect it to be all sunshine and roses; honest communication and feedback can be brutal, but growth cannot happen without it. Collaboration is an often underutilized tool; you can often achieve much more when cross-disciplinary skills are taken advantage of. Teamwork and collaboration go hand in hand and can slow down business practices when not taken advantage of. Trust us at CLS; we know how important teamwork is!
Model Compassion I’m going to let you in on a secret: the people working for you are just that… people! They have messy personal lives that will no doubt bleed into their business life. When this happens, lead with compassion. You will get much further with a little compassion than you will with criticism and harsh judgment. This also goes for mistakes or issues within the workplace; try to remain calm and show respect for your employees, and they will not soon forget it.
Allow/Provide Opportunities for Growth Whether this is personal or professional growth, it is important. Investing in learning opportunities for your employees so they can be better at their jobs is a great way for them to both upskill and have some fun. Creating channels in which employees can excel and move up the ranks is also important. Your work culture will be flat and tired if you have employees working the same job with no hope of advancement. People love the opportunity for both challenge and change, so give them this, and productivity will soar. But make sure you are genuine with your offers/opportunities; no one likes a bait and switch.
Lead by Example This is super important! It might sound obvious, but leading by example can be rare. A lot of business owners expect their employees to do all the hard work for them while they “check in” on things between social occasions and travel. This kind of absent behaviour can work for some employees who enjoy being left to their own devices, but others can become disheartened. Leading by example and showing up for work is much more motivating for people. Words of encouragement and praise for work well done are also not seen enough in the workplace. Tell your employees you appreciate them, and watch your business goals get smashed!
There are a few more non-negotiables when it comes to strong work culture like the inclusivity of all races, gender diversity & equity, disability access and understanding, LGBTQIA+ respect, and just a general lack of malice, prejudice, or discriminatory behaviour – but I’m hoping these are obvious and I need not say more.
If you are struggling with motivating your employees or need some help implementing these strategies, reach out! We have excellent coaching options that can really help you sort out your business moving forward.