Company culture has become a big buzzword recently, but what exactly is it?
In short, company culture is the atmosphere you work in, and specifically the rules and practices around your job. In recent years, a company’s culture has become a big selling point for attracting talented employees, as well as retaining them.
Nowadays, job seekers are also encouraged to look for jobs that match their idea of ideal company culture.
If you’re running a business, improving company culture is something that should definitely be a priority.
In this article, we’ll talk about a few ways to boost your company culture without too much overhaul.
Read on for more information.
A Note About Improving Company Culture
Before you take steps to improve your company culture, make sure it lines up with the ethos and mission of your business. Just because one office has a slide in it (yes, Google HQ has slides), doesn’t mean that matches what you’re going for as a company.
If you want your company to be extremely professional and formal, that’s fine and may work for you and your employees. But, what you do want is to brainstorm ways to help your current employees stay and attract future employees.
Not all of our suggestions will work for everyone, and that’s to be expected.
1. Speak to Your Current Employees
If you’re serious about improving company culture, there’s one great place to start: your current employees. You can casually discuss things that may make working at your office better and can make the job more attractive.
Those who work at your company are more in tune with the vibe your company is going for as a whole, so they’ll be able to give you a more accurate idea of what works than an Internet article.
Some employees may be shy about expressing their opinions and not want to discuss it with you if they really wish to see a change in company culture. If you find this could be a problem with your employees, you may want to initiate an anonymous survey where they can give suggestions.
2. Offer Out-of-Work Perks
Many companies sign up for programs that give their employees out of work perks. These may include discount or two-for-one tickets to local cinemas, theater, restaurants and chain stores. You can go here for more information on corporate schemes and perks that can make work for your employees a lot more rewarding.
3. Take Your Employees’ Health Seriously
Some big companies have gyms and pools on site. There are a few that even offer yoga and spin classes.
While this may not be practical for you, you can still let your employees know you take their health seriously. If you can’t install a private gym, you can work with a local gym to give your employees a gym membership or one that is heavily discounted.
You may also wish to offer your employees private or discount insurance, depending on where you’re located. While this is often standard in the United States, in many other countries, private insurance is considered a perk.
4. Recognize Contributions From Your Team
People love to be recognized for their hard work, and they like to be rewarded for it, too. Offering your employees rewards is a great way to incentivize hard work and dedication.
Recognition and rewards can come in many forms. You can offer your employees bonuses for performing in the top tier of employees that month. Or, you can offer giveaways like trips or a memberships to social clubs or gyms.
An employee who knows you appreciate their work is more prone to doing it, and doing it well.
5. Be Flexible
The degree of flexibility you can take may depend on the type of work you do. For some offices and lines of work, this isn’t possible, but for others, not being flexible can make you appear old-fashioned.
Many people nowadays work remotely, and allowing your employees to do this shows that you appreciate them and that you trust them. With the Internet and high speed communication, it isn’t necessary for every employee to be in the office at all times, unless your business requires that.
As such, being flexible with time is a fantastic asset for your company.
Additionally, being flexible with things like lunch hour and dress codes also fosters a great work environment. Again, some companies may thrive on more formal dress, but if your company doesn’t require it, why not allow more relaxed clothing? Even if it is just once a week, this can be something for employees to look forward to.
6. Offer Half-Days or Days Off
Some companies have switched to 4-day work weeks, or allow their employees to leave at noon or 1pm on certain days of the week. While this is still more the exception than the norm, you may find that your employees are more productive when they are in the office than not.
Keep Your Employees Happy
After you take the necessary steps for improving company culture, make sure you stay in your employee’s good graces. Don’t slack and start to put off or stop doing programs, or you may find you’ll have trouble with your retention rate.
Once you’ve firmly established company culture, you’ll want to hire people who fit the new mold. Being upfront about your perks and what is expected at the office is a great way to get people in who are a good fit.
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