Culture is arguably the most important aspect for growth in an organization today.
It’s what defines a company’s mission and the mission of it’s worker. Culture attracts talented workers and encourages them to stick with a company long-term. Long-term commitment from talented employees will deliver results and growth. Harvesting culture will help any company to see it’s vision moving forward, encourage employees to work with enthusiasm, and bring real growth to a company.
Advancements in technology have made economic independence attainable for almost anyone. People have become empowered to look for jobs that are fulfilling rather than chiefly searching for jobs that are high paying. Many young people entering the workforce today have been raised in financially stable households. Because of this, they don’t prioritize consistent, good paying labor as much as previous generations. A more prevalent criterion for job-seekers today is a position with a company with which they have shared values, a strong company culture.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is an appropriate illustration of this motivator shift: because people are born into greater wealth today they’re empowered to perceive jobs not just as sources of capital, but as sources of fulfillment and ideation. This means that companies need deeper value propositions for their workers that go beyond income; they must also provide a culture that enables its workers to grow. Culture is increasingly valued in today’s society where people have greater freedom to choose their career paths. People want to work for employers that have a strong culture that shares their values.
Benefits of Promoting Company Culture
Companies focusing on their corporate culture maintain a competitive advantage over those that don’t for a number of reasons.
Recruiting Advantage: Compatibility with company culture is one of the greatest considerations among emerging applicants. Top applicants have numerous opportunities available and company culture is an appealing differentiating factor. Connecting to an applicant’s values through corporate culture will make applicants far more receptive.
Employee Retention: Employees will stay somewhere they enjoy being, which stems from a positive work culture. The lowest turnover rates are found in companies that have sound company values. People will stay where they feel that they belong, and promoting a unified culture is the first step to making workers feel like they belong.
Employee Engagement: Culture promotes a positive and engaging work environment. Work is aimless without a mission. A company’s mission makes an employee’s value clear and motivates them to fulfill their role in an organization.
Company Identity: Culture and identity go hand in hand. Culture will help you to establish a good company reputation that is appealing to employees and customers alike.
Building a corporate culture isn't easy and will take time and commitment.
A lasting culture will need to be well planned and executed. Here are four guidelines for promoting culture in the workplace:
Define Your Values: Companies must establish their values and their reason for existing. Defining values is the first and most important step because it will create a road map from which companies can plan operations for the future.
Revamp The Hiring Process: Now that you’ve established your values, you have a responsibility to promote those values by hiring individuals who share them. This can easily be done by asking the right questions during employee screening.
Promote the Culture: It’s important that you continue to reinforce company values after you’ve defined them. A culture needs to be constantly advocated in order for it to thrive. Just as Michael Scott embraced Dunder Mifflin’s culture with the Dundie awards, you too can implement unique methods to promote workplace culture and to get your employees excited about work.
Building A Culture
Audit The Culture: Throughout the process you should be inspecting to make sure that the culture is operating how it was intended to. Employee surveys, turnover rates, and employee referral rates are good data points. Another effective and simple way of evaluating company culture is to simply sit down to have a chat with employees to assess workplace satisfaction.
Culture is Important!
Workers of today are looking to find a job that acts as a home away from home. They want to enjoy a place they live in for 40+ hours of their week. They want to do meaningful work that contributes positively to the environment around them. Focusing on promoting a rich office culture will propel a company, and its employees to grow.
