In the quest for an engaged workforce, it can become difficult to know which factors will contribute to the healthy development of team morale and productivity. One of the most important factors, in my opinion, is to construct a successful workplace culture which reflects who you are as an organisation including your core values and beliefs and how you share and promote these with your employees.
Workplace cultures will develop and grow even in the absence of an employer’s active involvement. However these aren’t generally the type of cultures that inspire positive action or help you in achieving your organisational objectives. So how do you create the right workplace culture?
Hiring the right people
Finding the right people to work for your business is paramount to the success of any organisation. When going through the recruitment process it is important to identify candidates whose values are consistent with those of your company. There are many talented individuals out there who may have the skills you require, however will each of these individuals excel within your company culture?
During an interview try balancing skills based questions with those that assess whether the person will be a good cultural fit for your company. For example, what are they motivated by? And what kind of environment do they work best in? Asking these types of questions from the beginning will increase your likelihood of recruiting people who fit your targeted culture.
Transparency
Transparency should always come from the top down. This includes communicating what your objectives are and how you expect employees to achieve them. Having a clear and streamlined company mission statement is also important to give your employees a common thread and direction to work towards. Ensure that the mission statement and objectives aren’t narrow. The company mission statement, objectives and culture should all project outwards and look towards a higher purpose other than what the company stands to gain financially.
Upskill your employees
Work should not consist of a repetitive cycle of mundane tasks that churn out mediocre results. Work should be an inspiring place that provokes positive change and development. In the ever evolving world of business, change is inevitable and as such every company should be prepared to adapt and modify their processes to accommodate this.
A part of adapting to change is ensuring that your employees are equipped with the skills they need to complete their jobs successfully. Factors such as technology and customer expectations constantly evolve and in line with this, employees should be trained to meet these industry and customer expectations. Developing your staff and giving them an opportunity to enhance their skills sets not only makes perfect business in terms of increasing productivity, but it also helps boost staff morale, keeping them feeling challenged and motivated to work.
Create a buzz in the workplace
It is important that businesses participate in activities that are meaningful to the entire team and bring all the stakeholders together. This can include celebrating internal triumphs such as a new client win or the successful completion of a big project, to contributing positively to the wider community through the organisation of charitable events.
Showing appreciation for the hard work your employees put into the business through these symbolic gestures of gratitude helps demonstrate that you care about your employees, which will help build morale and team spirit. Similarly, sharing your success externally by supporting the local community will help cultivate an office ‘feel good’ factor, whilst publicising your company and its values all in the aid of raising awareness for a worthy cause.
