How to Build a Positive Company Culture from Day One
So you’ve worked on your company branding, focused on building a diverse and inclusive hiring strategy, and always have an eye on employee retention. You’re accomplishing a lot already! But what’s one more thing that can help all of these efforts and reinforce the progress you’ve made thus far? Shout it from the rooftops with us: building a positive company culture!
A feel-good, honest company culture that’s true to your brand’s ethos will help to inspire and aid in retention efforts. It will attract the folks you’re looking to hire, and is a great way to promote your company online. But building said culture is often easier said than done, and it really starts on day one. Here’s how to get started.
What Is Company Culture?
Much like culture in the broader sense of the word, in a corporate setting, company culture is often described as a shared set of values and goals that will directly impact attitudes and practices of all members of an organization. These traits characterize a company, and often trickle down from the C-suite to 9-5ers. Culture affects how workers and management interact with each other, and how everyone then handles client relationships as well. It’s the baseline of beliefs that ends up affecting everyday practices and procedures. Your company culture can be the glue that holds everyone and everything together, or it can be a divisive force that tears apart.
If done right, a positive company culture can do wonders for retention efforts, because people feel part of something bigger than themselves that’s constantly improving and moving forward. Other results of a positive culture can include increased productivity, profitability, innovation, flexibility, and adaptability. Taken together, these byproducts promise a naturally greater competitive advantage.
All that said, while a definition is fairly easy to pinpoint, what that means for each individual company will vary widely. We can’t get too granular here, but let’s dig into some accessible and actionable ways of how you can start improving company culture on day one, or right away if you’re already an established company.
Negative vs. Positive Company Culture
Positive and negative are fairly simple concepts when it comes to how people interact, but let’s get into some concrete examples that bring this idea down to earth.
Critical elements of positive company culture:
- Strong communication: open and transparent communication and a team that always feels heard and valued
- Mutual respect: everyone receives the same level of respect, regardless of position in the company
- Collaborative environment: teamwork and mutual support are encouraged, along with collaborative projects and team-building
- Defined values: words must be borne out through actions from the entire leadership team as an example to every employee
On the other hand, if these pillars of positive company culture are not upheld, things can quickly turn negative, leading to a toxic work environment. Here’s what that can look like:
- Lack of transparency
- Unfair treatment /discrimination
- Exclusionary behavior
- Lack of trust and support
- Excessive workload
- Unrealistic expectations
- Poor communication
- High levels of stress, burnout, and employee turnover
- Absence of personal pride in work
What can lead things down this path? Bad habits, negative attitudes, and hypocritical or secretive behavior–whether intentional or not–on the part of management can quickly filter down through all levels of a company. Like an unchecked virus, the negativity can quickly get out of control, infecting everyone in the organization. Once established, it’s hard to unwind. Better to start working on building a positive company culture from day one.
How To Build A Positive Company Culture
While we cannot overstate the importance of great company culture, we can admit that it’s not always easy to get there. But with these solid pointers, you’ll be well on your way to success.
Define company values and mission: work with a diverse group of employees and management to define and then articulate your company's purpose and core values
Set goals: make company objectives part of every aspect of work, and make it clear how every role contributes to upholding them
Provide meaning: help employees to see how implementing the core values and company goals can positively impact everyone, from fellow employees to your company and clients
Focus on diversity and inclusion: equitable hiring practices and a more diverse workplace help everyone to feel included, valued, and respected, and will foster engagement
Promote communication: transparent communication from leadership models your ideal, and can create an environment where employees of all levels are able to comfortably and safely share thoughts and opinions
Encourage collaboration: working together on projects can help employees to get to know each other better and form a stronger bond and relationship
Model recognition: make it a practice to regularly acknowledge and reward employees for their contributions
Invest in employees: create opportunities for growth and long-term success, such as professional development, training, and skill-building
Cultivate flexibility: offer flexible schedules, remote work options, and take a healthy work-life balance into account
Promote well-being: both through protocols at work and wellness initiatives, and by fostering a compassionate and empathetic environment, leadership can help to reduce stress and improve employee health and well-being
Encourage creativity: reward innovation and forward-thinking mindsets that can give employees room to stretch their wings
Listen attentively: more than sharing information, being ready to carefully listen and act on feedback from your team is the first step to acknowledging your team’s value and thereby improving company culture
Clearly, if all of these objectives are implemented, you will be very likely to have a group of fulfilled employees who feel cared for, respected, and valued. In turn, they will help to propel your company forward and provide a competitive edge when job seekers are evaluating your company as a potential employer.
If you’re well past day one and you aren’t where you’d like to be, start where you currently are. Instead of scrapping your entire cultural framework, take time to evaluate what’s working and what isn’t. But don’t take your own word for it–ask employees at every level for their ideas and opinions regarding where company culture could be improved. Then take the best ideas and work with your employees to make them part of your new everyday. Showing that you value their opinions is the best first step you could take.
Work With Technical Search Consultants
Another key way to improve company culture? Delegate the hiring and onboarding process to a job search consultant like the experienced team at Technical Search Consultants. We’ve been working as a staffing agency in Cleveland since 1989, and we’ve learned a few things along the way. When employees are properly screened, educated on company culture, and carefully onboarded, retention rates climb and new hires mesh well with your existing workforce, whatever their position in the organization. So take time to focus on building the most positive and inclusive company culture that you can, and know that our agency search consultants will be working hard to find those just-right people that will complement your efforts. Together, we can build your ideal workforce, positively impact corporate health, and support your company's bottom line. Contact our team to learn more and get started.