How to Build a Healthy Company Culture

No matter which industry you belong to, nurturing and developing the company culture is essential for transforming your company’s identity and cultivating long-term success. To put it simply, company culture is the shared values and practices that collectively make up a workplace. It acts as the foundation of an effective workforce and can have a profound impact on various aspects of business, from brand image to profitability.

In this blog post, you’ll learn more about why company culture matters and how to build a healthy company culture with four actionable tips.  

Why Company Culture Matters

More often than not, many businesses fail to recognize the impact of company culture on their work environment. If you are seeing early signs of a chaotic company culture, here are the three major reasons why you should address them promptly. 

1. Modern Employees Value Company Culture Highly

If you are facing challenges in recruiting employees, it can be worthwhile to assess your company culture. Believe it or not, modern workers value company culture more than ever nowadays. A Glassdoor survey revealed that 77% out of 5,000 workers polled from four countries consider the culture of a company before seeking a job there. Meanwhile, 73% of respondents would not apply to a company unless their personal values are in line with that of the organization.

In addition to recruitment, company culture serves as a driving factor in the retention of employees. A study indicates that toxic corporate culture has more impact than salary when it comes to an employee's decision to leave a job. Given this, it is safe to say that employees who feel uncomfortable or dissatisfied with their workplace environment are more likely to quit and seek employment elsewhere. 

2. Company Culture Drives Workforce Engagement and Productivity

When employees are working in a workplace with healthy company culture, their engagement levels tend to be higher. According to a report, those employees who say that their culture is positive are 3.8 times more likely to be engaged. When employees are more engaged, the levels of productivity in the workplace also improve. As a matter of fact, a report from Harvard Business Review noted that a high level of engagement can boost productivity by 22%.  

3. Healthy Company Culture Prevents Absenteeism 

Did you know that a toxic work environment is one of the main contributing factors to the absences of employees? Working in a place with a negative and stressful work culture can have negative effects on employees’ mental and physical health. As a result, employees may be absent from work more often, affecting the productivity and financial gains of a business. 

In a healthy company culture, employees are naturally motivated to work. They feel safe to open up, share insights, and provide feedback that can enhance business operations. Furthermore, their wellness and mental health are protected, ensuring that they are fully healthy while they fulfill their roles. 

How to Build Company Culture

While it may take time for a business to develop its company culture, achieving such a goal is not impossible for any business. Below, we share four actionable tips you can use to build a thriving and strong company culture.

1. Clearly Communicate Your Core Values

The values you impart to your workers can help shape the culture you aim to achieve within your organization. These values can provide an outlook into your company's identity and goals. At the same time, they can help in attracting new employees and enhancing retention rates. Some of the values you can emphasize in your workplace may include the following: 

• Respect 
• Diversity, inclusion, and equality
• Sustainability
• Honesty 
• Kindness 
• Integrity
  

While selecting core values is vital, simply having them is not enough. It is equally crucial to communicate these values clearly. By doing so, you can adequately educate your employees and stakeholders and ensure that they understand what your organization stands for and what it seeks to achieve.

If you are looking to enhance communication within your workforce through digital tools, you'll want to consider checking out StaffConnect’s advanced communication features here. 

2. Set Your Desired Outcomes

Setting desired outcomes from your effort in building company culture can help in developing an effective and sustainable strategy. Goal setting also provides company administrators and managers with criteria that can guide them in measuring the success of the company culture development plan. What’s more, goals provide a clear focus and can motivate employees as well. 

Here are some examples of goals you can set when improving company culture:

• To foster a work environment that is fair and welcoming to all employees from different walks of life
• To promote more eco-friendly operations to help preserve the environment
• To uphold respect and kindness within the workforce.

3. Gather Input From Employees

It goes without saying that employee perspectives can be a useful tool when developing a positive company culture. Employee perspectives offer valuable insights into the present company culture's strengths and faults and what kind of culture you should nurture. By taking these insights into account, you can create a comprehensive strategy that is in line with the company's goals and suitable for employees. 

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To gather employee input, you may conduct studies and surveys in your workplace. You may also call for forums where employees can share their ideas and views. Furthermore, you may adopt a technological approach by using data-gathering apps to collect information. 

4. Brainstorm Improvements and Conduct Necessary Actions

With clear values, desired goals, and insights from employees, you can start devising a plan on how you can improve company culture. Some of the actions you may take include:

• Scheduling team-building activities 
• Rewarding employees 
• Mentoring and encouraging further learning
• Addressing problematic behavior 
• Revising company policies

Discover an App That Helps in Building Company Culture

In today’s workplace, digital tools can contribute largely to creating a positive company culture. For instance, tools like StaffConnect make it easier for employees to focus on important tasks by streamlining processes and automation, leading to greater job satisfaction. 

StaffConnect is a technologically advanced business management platform created to enhance the efficiency and productivity of a business through automation technology and streamlining operations. It is equipped with the latest management tools, such as calendar integration, a communications hub, payroll, GPS Check-In and Out functionality, and more. With this app, your business is not only saving time, effort, and cost but also creating a work environment that is less hectic and stressful.

If you want to learn more about StaffConnect or assess its suitability for your business, feel free to schedule a free demo here.