Do your employees wake up and look forward to coming into work or do they just count down the days until the weekend? I’ve always said that enjoying your job is half the battle so it’s so important that your employees do.
We spend on average more than 90,000 hours at work, that’s a 1/3 of our life spent at the office surrounded by your work colleagues (depending on your job of course). So based just on that fact alone, I think workplace culture is incredibly important. Positive vibes, positive people.
Spending most of the week with your colleagues can be intense so it’s important that the environment that you provide for your employees is an enjoyable one. A happy environment leads to positive results. I feel like a good workplace culture is the backbone to any company and builds the foundations of a successful business. Happier staff will lead to increased productivity.
Culture isn’t just defined by how many beers you go for after work with your employees. Culture is the business’ core values and attitudes. It's important to build an environment where the same values are shared, and this should be taken into account when hiring staff. You want a team that is passionate about what they do and that believe in what your company offers. You should all be pulling in the same direction and good performances should be rewarded.
Communication is also key. In an open and collaborative environment, employees at any level should feel welcomed to be able to share their ideas and even voice concerns. A company will thrive if their staff feel valued.
If you have a good, hard-working team, that regularly achieve what is asked of them, it must not go unnoticed. Reward your employees for their hard work. Employees shouldn’t have to force their bosses hand for their value to be known to them. You’ll soon find this will boost your staff retention rate overnight. Rewards don’t have to be monetary, early finishes, lunch on the company card, communal breakfast all boost employees morale.
To conclude, your culture is everything. It’s the beating heart of your business so it’s paramount you keep it healthy.
