77% of new hires won't click APPLY until they've looked at your company culture
Fostering a strong, positive workplace culture is everything. In fact, a 2019 study found that 77% of job seekers won’t even click “apply” without looking into a company’s workplace culture. A fair salary is one thing, but getting behind a culture that supports their values is the icing on the cake when it comes to employee retention.
What does this mean for businesses? If your workplace culture is not up to scratch, then you need to improve it, and fast. A strong team is a reflection of a strong, positive workplace culture, as our Mental Health and Wellbeing Week speakers outlined.
Want to make sure you’re on the right track? Here are six tips to improve your workplace culture:
How to Improve Workplace Culture?
Workplace culture is all about fostering employees to reach their potential and support a successful business. A healthy workplace culture benefits everyone, no matter how big or small your company is. So, here are some effective ways to make sure your workplace culture is one any employee wants to be a part of:
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Re-Establish Company Vision, Mission & Values
Author of Good to Great, Jim Collins once said “It is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work.”
He has a point. Employees love and thrive from purpose - and who doesn’t want to be a part of something that they believe in? Employees look for organisations that support their values and whose vision and mission is something they’re committed to. They want leaders who are clear about their purpose. As Liz Wiseman, author of Impact Players, says, the best staff want to know their work has impact.
A strong set of core values is more than just a quote plastered in the wall. It should filter through leadership, departments and teams. It must guide business decisions as well as behaviour.
While your vision and mission statements should reflect what your company stands for and is striving achieve, your values should reflect daily practices, both within and outside the workplace. Keep it simple and human-centric.
Take a Step Back & Re-Evaluate
A Beyond Blue Study found that 46% Australians consider their workplace as a ‘mentally unhealthy’ one. So, the next step is to look at how things are running as is. How are employees working together? Is there gossip? Are absentee rates high? Are there signs of micromanaging? Are tasks being completed efficiently?
These are all signs of a toxic workplace culture. Taking a step back allows you to get a ‘bigger picture’ sense of whether the current practices doing long-term goals justice. Don’t be afraid to ask questions at this point from employees and managers - they will be your best resource.
Re-Visit Flexibility Options
Keith Ferrazzi, a bestselling author, speaker and founder of Ferrazzi Greenlight found there are four pillars of change that successful leaders use to keep up with the times:
- Foresight
- Agility
- Inclusion
- Resilience
That is, in order to move forward, leaders and organisations can only thrive if they make allowances to adapt, instill collaboration and be inclusive.
We tend to get what we give, and this is no different in the workplace. So, catering for life is crucial. Everyone has different priorities, schedules, appointments and needs. Some may love being in the office, others work better (or need to be) at home more often. Meetings and deadlines are one thing, but how your employees work isn’t something that needs to be executed in unison.
Working from home options and flexibility when it comes to how your employees learn and work is a sure-fire way to increase the quality of work and employee engagement.
Learn more about the tools you need to lead more effectively in a hybrid workplace here.
Champion Learning & Development
74% of employees claim they are not reaching their full potential at work and most common reason employees jump ship is because of their career development.
Tracking employee progress and taking steps to advance their career goals is crucial. Even when career development opportunities are limited, providing ongoing training and investing in learning programs are all ways to show your employees you are investing in them.
Discover the benefits of L&D tactics like interactive learning and peer learning have on employees and business success here.
Communicate Effectively
We all know it - communication and trust is key. Whether it’s assigning tasks, informing employees on business decisions or providing feedback on performance, the message must be clear, constructive and transparent. When effective communication is not regular it’s easy to feel out of the loop. Not communicating expectations, deadlines, updates and feedback clearly risks employees feeling undervalued and disengaged.
Daily check ins, open door policies and encouraging personal interactions are simple ways to remedy poor communication within a workplace.
Acknowledge, Recognise & Reward Your Employees
Recognition has a lot more impact than you think - and it doesn’t need to chew a whole in the company budget. In fact, companies that recognise their employees tend to have a 31% lower turnover rate compared to those who don’t.
Shout outs on social media, certificates, acknowledging the small wins - even a job well done can make employees feel valued and appreciated. It also helps employees feel as though they are a part of the bigger picture.
Recognition programs also tend to champion the cultural values you want to instill throughout your organisation. Playful competition, a sense of comradery and motivation to perform can all result from rewards and recognition. It also helps reduce overall turnover rates.
Strengthen Your Workplace Culture With Our Leadership Pass
A strong workplace culture reflects a strong team, clear values and a definitive path for growth. It ripples into crucial indicators of an organisations success like employee engagement, productivity, satisfaction and staff retention. Our Leadership Pass gives you access to the best minds in leadership and effective strategies with weekly live, interactive and virtual masterclasses to strengthen your workplace culture.
Our authors and speakers include Jim Collins, Liz Wiseman, Stephen Covey, Whitney Johnson and more.
Photo by Memento Media on Unsplash
