Corporate culture is easily influenced and can impact the business in many ways, both positive and negative. In this article, we discuss the best ways that employee surveys can help build an awesome corporate culture.
For some new businesses, a corporate culture can be something that they just “fall into”. Although most businesses don’t have the capacity to fund their corporate culture in ways that Silicon Valley can. As a start-up or a small business, you can still build an awesome corporate culture for your employees.
Although building a corporate culture can be easy, many entrepreneurs and managers fail to see the importance. Because of this, their culture gets assigned to them, instead building the one they want. Because it’s easy for entrepreneurs to overlook culture, often, when they do begin to establish one, it can appear to be too late.
An entrepreneur may even ask themselves, “Why should I even care about the culture?” The answer is simple, happy employees, equal better performance. And hostile or even boring office environments aren’t sustainable. As a result, your business will struggle to hold onto the best talent.
Still, often the first step taken to build an awesome corporate culture is to hire the best people for the job. Thankfully, small businesses tend to attract the passionate and hardworking talent they need. Because of this, generally talent isn’t a major concern for start-ups. However, not every small business is a start-up.
So before we get into the best ways to build an awesome corporate culture, make sure you hire the best people possible. Generally, a good rule of thumb is to hire individuals who are not only great at what they do, but are also individuals you like.
Remember, just because you’ve hired amazing talent, doesn’t mean the office culture will run seamlessly. Maintenance is regularly required and employee surveys are an excellent way to help.
Creates an organisation built on action and responsiveness
Being an actionable office means that whatever happens, there is a solution to the issue. By being an actionable business, you can easily build an awesome corporate culture, here’s how.
A company which is responsive and fast to react is one where employees want to be. This is true for all aspects of the business, including the responsiveness to employees and their queries. For example, if there is a problem within the office, a fast response is needed. When a speedy response does come, employees are impressed.
This is the case when it comes to surveying employees or any act of gathering an employee’s thoughts. If, when gathering employee survey results, you find a problem, being actionable means that the issue gets solved ASAP. This helps to create a culture that gets stuff done, proves you listen to your staff and can fix any office ‘bugs’.
Image: energepic.com
Employee surveys facilitate discussion
Following on from the previous point, you can build an awesome corporate culture through surveys by the discussions the surveys facilitate. To do this, management can discuss the survey results with the whole team. Doing so, the team understands the inner workings of the business much better. Therefore feeling more included. When an employee feels this way, they’re more likely to enjoy work and perform.
What this also does is helps for a free-flowing discussion within the office. This allows for employees to be heard and taken seriously. While allowing management to lead by example and show they care about their employees.
Helps find the ‘stars’ and the ‘vampires’ of the business
Implementing a survey program into your business allows management to gain useful insights into their business and employees. The Harvard Business Review published an article outlining the types of employees a business may have. In turn, finding which employees are ‘Stars’, ‘High potentials’, ‘Zombies’, or ‘Vampires’. Using their evaluation system and a survey, it can become much easier for management to identify these types of employees.
Throughout their evaluation, the vampire employees are by far the most dangerous. For a business, the vampire drains the office culture, by being dismissive of the office culture and contributing nothing. In turn, this does contribute to the overall culture, making it negative. In their post, they make particular note that even if a vampire employee is doing their job for the company, their dismissive attitude towards the office culture is more damaging than their positive work.
By implementing employee surveys, management can identify these people. This allows for space to fix the problem. Not only that, employers can make note of their employees that fit into the other three categories and reward, push or train them to meet their cultural standards.
Image: Andri
Reaffirms company values and builds upon the team mentality
An office culture is much more than a ping pong table in the lunch room. Often, it can be regarded as the combined mentalities that the team hold. In a recent post by Kissmetrics, they mention that a great culture is built through these shared beliefs.
For instance, this can occur when all of their attitudes are in sync, reaffirming the businesses values, mission and standards. The way that employee surveys do so, is because a good boss would discuss the results with the team. Doing this ensures they bond together as a team. As they grow as a team, understanding each other and their values, they become closer as people.
Ultimately, this provides the office culture with positivity, as the team connect more with each other and the company. Making the workplace more enjoyable and in turn, aligning with the companies’ standards, values and mission.
In Summary
To build an awesome corporate culture takes time. Regardless if you’re a start-up, a small business or a conglomerate, corporate culture matters. By taking time to understand your ideal culture, it will prove time well spent. Yet many entrepreneurs and business owners struggle to find where to start.
A great place is by establishing your values, mission and your way of working. However, hiring the best people that share these feelings is arguably more important. But culture doesn’t run smoothly once your team is assembled. Like anything else, maintenance is required. Getting their thoughts and opinions is useful, but what you choose to do afterward is vital.
So as you want your business to grow, create a strong company culture that allows for everyone to thrive. In doing so, your employees and customers will love you for it.
Good luck!
