To say that starting a new business is stressful is an understatement. While you’re juggling an incredible number of responsibilities as you plan for opening day, don’t forget that the company culture you’re building deserves attention too.
Your firm’s reputation can have a huge influence on attracting job candidates. Plus, being known for a great company culture can impact how potential customers see you and whether they want to do business with you. Take a look at these five tips for creating a positive workplace culture.
1. Measure and make changes
So, you’ve put the time into deciding core company values and principles and have articulated them to your employees clearly. Nevertheless, company culture is dynamic and can evolve and change.
Employees play a big role in refining your workplace culture. Stay in close communication with them; they can tell you whether the culture is evolving as desired or if there are issues that must be addressed. Any new enterprise will have some growing pains that require exploration. Well-established businesses often credit their success to staying flexible and adjusting practices to make sure their company culture remains positive.
2. Promote work-life balance
Work-life balance has been valued for decades. Even so, it can be very difficult to achieve. When deadlines are tight and staff members want to prove themselves by putting in extra effort, it’s all too easy for the scales to tip toward burnout.
A good workplace culture depends on actively promoting work-life balance. This includes establishing company policies and practices that support this healthy way of working.
This includes advocating for good physical and mental health by offering a benefits plan. You could also remind staff to take vacation time, go on breaks and lunch, and not to take work home with them or check their work email off hours. These and other simple methods will promote a positive culture where people feel respected. When employees take care of themselves, they’ll be much happier and will more likely be enthusiastic and productive in their positions.
3. Be accessible
When promoting a strong workplace culture, it’s essential for management to be as accessible as possible. The idea of having an open-door policy in the current context means a little more. As well as allowing staff to come to you, you must maintain a level of visibility daily.
Consider how available you are to your employees. Do you make a habit of walking around the office or visiting the shop floor? How well do you know your staff personally? Are you aware of their career aspirations? These are all good questions to ask yourself as you strive to build a good rapport with the people who work for you.
If you’re the business owner, contemplate how accessible the rest of your management team is. In companies with the best working cultures, employees feel that they can approach any supervisor with a question, concern, or suggestion.
4. Develop company talent
Developing the talent within your business is a very important step in creating a positive workplace culture. The considerable time, energy, and resources you’ve spent to attract and train new hires will be wasted unless you give people a reason to stay with your firm.
People want to feel valued at work, and part of that entails being given opportunities to enhance their skills, try out new positions, and achieve their desired professional goals. The more you listen to what your team needs in this regard, the better position you’ll be in to develop a stellar workforce that’s committed to your firm’s mission.
5. Walk the talk
Remember that whether you’re the CEO or in a management position, your actions are naturally under greater scrutiny. Your employees are looking to you for guidance and they’re also closely observing how you behave. People want a leader they can look up to and emulate. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.
Think about how you demonstrate company values in your behavior and with every decision you make. Do you frequently work through the lunch hour? Do you typically stay late into the evening or come to the office on weekends? Are you true to your word when you tell your team to turn their cell phones off when they go home at night, or do you expect them to answer if you call? If so, you may want to take steps to change your behavior so your team can follow your lead.
Bill Malloy 