Every company has a culture that defines what the company’s value and vision are all about. You have a culture, regardless if you are putting effort in on it; in this article, we’ll cover 11 great ways to build a fun, positive company culture.
Many companies focus mainly on the importance of their product and services and they tend to forget about looking after their employees. After all, it is the behaviour of your employees towards the company that creates a company culture. To be able to sell products and provide great service to your clients or customers, companies need to go back to basics; which is creating a positive company culture.
There are many methods to create a positive company culture, and here are the best we have (through our own experience).
Determine your company values as a team
Company values do not have to be the same from the start of the company and they do needs to be reviewed over time. Start off the new year by brainstorming company values and goals as a team and do get everyone involved.
When the company values are determined as a team, it gets each individual motivated and looking forward to heading to work every morning instead of dragging themselves out of bed. Employees get motivated when it is their own goals and values that they are trying to achieve and they also get to motivate colleagues as well.
Positive communication
We are not talking about random chats by the coffee machine. We are talking about focusing on positive messages that can assist in encouraging positive company culture.
Communication is a fundamental human need, and employers need to communicate effectively in order to build a supportive relationship that could assist in excelling an employee’s talents or skills during challenging situations.
Employee feedback
Employee feedback is important as it shows that you are interested to know how you, as a company, can improve and do better.
Any constructive feedback is good; it assists with the performance of the company and helps you understand what areas need work, or are lacking. Be it performance review or employee feedback surveys, employee feedback makes the workplace better by listening to employees and helping them become more effective than they already are.
Care and concern
People want to feel appreciated when they come to work. They spend more time at work than being with their loved ones or spending time for themselves.
When managers or leaders show concern to their employees, it shows that employers are not only interested in making the sales or increasing the company’s profit margin. Express that you care for the team as well as each individual employee. Employees will share when they know you care.
“To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace.” – Doug Conant, Campbell Soup
Knowing their roles
It is good to be a ‘jack of all trades’ however it is better to be master at one.
To create a positive company culture includes knowing the roles of each of the employees and assisting them to either be better at it or learning new set of skills they never thought that they would enjoy. Be the company that wants their employees to succeed as an individual.
Be vulnerable
Honestly – nobody likes a bully. There are some companies that consist of hundreds of employees and it is hard to keep track of each of their personal traits and character.
So be sensitive to your surroundings and eliminate people who are always negative. Do not allow bullying to occur, ever. Stamp it out immediately and relay your expectations clearly.
Welcoming new ideas
When you allow or encourage employees to brainstorm new ideas for the company, employees will realise they their thoughts and ideas are equally as important to them as well as the company. This allows your employees to grow and encourages creativity.
Create a supportive environment in the workplace that nurtures personal and professional growth.
Rewards
Employees deserve the best when they have provided you with the best that they could possibly do. Give credit and recognition when it is due, even if it is just a pat on the back or a simple ‘Well done’ email to make their day.
Awarding them with small tokens such as vouchers for the employee of the month can also motivate other employees to be better in the near future.
Making it a routine
It is rather demoralising when a monthly company event gets forgotten due to hectic schedule and meetings.
Keep track of regular company events or retreats in order for employees to look forward to and to get motivated for. You can even encourage suggestions from the employees for the next coming company event.
Flexibility
Rules are meant to be broken; some rules at least. When a company provides flexibility for their employees, employees tend to be more committed and dedicated to their job.
At times, giving the employees freedom to explore different methods allows their mind to be more creative and innovative in providing new ideas or more than one solution to a problem.
Humour
Seriousness aside, let’s add a little humour to work. By adding a little ‘fun’ in a stressed work environment, employees will feel a little relaxed and might even get to complete a task earlier than expected. Adding humour at work also makes work more productivity as it increases creativity and positive attitude. After all, laughter is the best medicine and it does bond people closer.
“You can have everything you want in life if you just help enough people get what they want in life.”
— Zig Ziglar
In summary
Any company would want to succeed and perform better year after year. But for a company to succeed, one has to look after their employees and create a positive company culture.
Employees want a good job that is not only about the paycheque and benefits. They want to feel wanted, needed and useful in the company and they want to have a little fun, given how many hours they put into their job per week. If you create a positive company culture, you give your employees a reason to look forward to heading to work every morning.
Get motivated on creating a positive company culture with these inspiring company culture and employee engagement quotes.
