How to get the most out of company culture

Company culture is the way in which employees interact with each other, including how they work together and the values they share.

A positive company culture is essential to maximize productivity and maintaining employee morale.

We’ve all been hearing and reading about “quiet quitting” — in short, frustrated, exhausted and disengaged employees who are making little effort. The common thread is job dissatisfaction on many levels.

A good culture is imperative, and continuous effort should be made established. Business must prioritize its culture, often referred to as the backbone of the company.

1. Prioritize open communication

Make sure there is open communication between management and employees. This allows for mutual conversation about performance, enables staff to be forthcoming with concerns and encourages employees to communicate with and learn from each other.

Without open communication, it can be difficult to understand responsibilities and harder to address issues, thereby affecting productivity

2. Practice what you preach

If you want your employees to perform in a certain way, follow the same values. By setting a good example for your employees, you will gain their respect and boost morale.

It’s important to understand the expectations. There is no better way to set these expectations than by fulfilling them yourself.

3. Be inclusive

Employees will not thrive if they fear being judged by colleagues.

It’s vital for company culture to be inclusive, which promotes trust and respect. Employees then will feel comfortable coming forward when they have a problem.

Being inclusive also means making an effort to understand the individual needs of your employees, which builds loyalty.

When people feel listened to, they will want to put in their best work.

4. Encourage collaboration

When you encourage collaboration, you create an atmosphere that allows your employees to share ideas. When everyone has the chance to give their input, you can make more comprehensive decisions.

Your employees will be more motivated to do their best work and share their personal knowledge, which create a company culture in which everyone is inspired to learn from each other.

5. Always be transparent

Being transparent eliminates misunderstandings and builds trust. Employees will better understand expectations and what is happening in the company, which will improve morale.

When employees know exactly what is happening and why, they will be more likely to trust decisions that relate to them.

6. Allow for flexibility

Flexibility is an essential part of a productive and successful company culture.

If the pandemic showed business owners anything, it was how vital workplace flexibility is.

Prioritizing flexibility within the workplace, helps keep morale high and increase productivity.

For employees working from home, have an effective management system in place to ensure that they are working efficiently as well as effectively.

7. Create a sense of alignment

Being “pro-employee” should be a practice that is instilled in your overall culture because it develops a strong rapport with your employees.

Looking beyond the basic aspects of providing benefits — 401(k), health benefits and the like — to your employees means that you are also finding a way to align their professional goals with overall business objectives.

Doing this will allow you to empower your employees and sustain that motivation needed for business growth as well as a beneficial situation for employees to push for more as individuals too.

8. Protect employee well-being

One of the most important aspects of a positive company culture is looking after your employees. This will help them to stay productive and healthy.

Offering employees a creative place where they can push to achieve business goals you have in place while also ensuring that you don’t limit them to just siloed aspects of their jobs will breed even more growth.

This growth isn’t just around revenue, but with instilling trust among your entire company as a team.

Building a positive company culture is not easy. By implementing these eight tricks, however, you will be well on your way to creating the ideal work environment.

If you are looking for more help on building a healthy and productive company culture, the BBB has all the information you need to make it happen.

Bobby Hansen is regional director for the Better Business Bureau Cedar Rapids office; (319) 365-1190.