Do your employees enjoy coming to work or do they dread it? If your answer was the latter, it needs to change – and fast! Employees should look forward to going to their jobs, and enjoy the challenges, the atmosphere and their co-workers. While the work may be difficult at times, it is important that company culture not add to the stress of the job.
Company culture matters. Why? Because it can help to alleviate the work-related stress and sustain employee happiness. Happy employees create a more productive workforce, and when the business is more productive, your company has a better chance at getting a leg up on the competition.
If the job provokes too much stress for your employees, it’s worth the investment of your time to make changes that improve the culture. Are you ready? Making positive changes in your company’s culture starts here:
1. Prioritize your reputation.
If you haven’t visited the topic lately, review what kind of reputation you want your organization to have, and determine what steps you need to take to get there. It’s all too common for a solid employee to leave a good job in the corporate world to join a small business all because they were treated poorly. Think about how you want people who leave your company to perceive your organization, and then work backward.
2. Hire candidates who are a good fit.
You have a vision of where and what you want your company to be. It’s imperative to have the right people on your team, ready to take your business to the next level. To accomplish this, the process of recruiting and interviewing job candidates must be taken seriously. Ask questions that will determine if the prospect will fit in well with your current employees and has values that align with those of your company.
3. Accept feedback from employees.
Feedback from employees to managers should not be taken for granted. Make it a priority to have regular conversations with your team members where they can provide feedback. Be sure to ask your employees what they enjoy about their job, what they dislike about it, and what they would do differently if it was their company. Focusing on the needs of your employees will help create a positive corporate culture.
4. Be transparent with your employees.
Hopefully you already do this, but if you don’t, consider sharing company goals and news – the good and bad – with your employees. By opening the lines of communication, you will find that employees become more engaged and develop a passion for the success of the business. A culture of transparency in your organization will help your employees to understand the big picture of the company and to truly feel like part of the team.
5. Show your employees that you appreciate them.
A pat on the back, especially from the boss, is always appreciated and goes a long way. In order to keep your employees happy and create a positive atmosphere, be sure to look for opportunities to give recognition where it is due. You’ll find that this reenergizes the workplace.
6. Prepare for change.
If you’re not yet following the above practices, it’s time to prepare to make some adjustments. Improving your company’s culture takes patience and dedication to see changes through. If your company’s culture is not where you’d like it to be, take a good look at what is standing in the way. You may be able to make some small changes to head things in the right direction, or you may need to make some big changes.
When your company puts a greater focus on the culture, the guiding principles will become clear. Think of company culture as the glue that keeps the team together. When your employees are happy, they will be more loyal, and your company will perform better. It’s a win-win, so why not make the investment?
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