Any CEO worth their salt knows that cultivating a good work culture is the key to employee retention.
After all, 58% of employees have left a job or would consider leaving a job if the work culture was negative.
A healthy work culture keeps your employees satisfied and feeling valued in their role. This leads to higher employee engagement and higher profits.
Companies with higher employee engagement were 21% more profitable than their unengaged counterparts, one study found.
But these days ‘work culture’ is such a buzz word.
You might already have some policies in place, or you’re looking at reworking your approach.
Whatever your position, here are some actionable tips for creating a positive work culture that will have your employees jumping out of bed excited to get to work.
Every voice matters
A lot of companies claim to have an open-door policy for their employees. But it’s not a lot of use if your employees don’t feel comfortable bringing issues to you.
Cultivate an environment where every single voice in your company is heard. Make time to check in with every member of your team on a regular basis.
Manage conflict and work on building trust between individual workers. Put in place changes that your team suggests or come up with a compromise.
Show your team their voice matters.
Be transparent
Be open with your employees.
Involve them in business decisions. Explain the steps in the businesses projects, the goals of the business and future plans.
If there are any changes to your plans or hiccups, be open and honest with your employees. Doing this shows respect and helps them to understand the purpose behind tasks.
Understanding how a small task fits into the bigger picture adds to their sense of accomplishment. It also ensures they complete tasks with meaning.
Offer incentives
Make your employees feel valued by offering incentives.
Create an employee rewards program or offer time in lieu for high performers.
An employee who puts in the extra work and doesn’t get recognised will become complacent and disengaged.
Find ways to offer perks for those employees who go above and beyond and you’ll have a company filled with high performers.
Encourage professional development
Every employee in your company has the potential to move up the ranks, to do more and to be more.
From the casual office administration assistant to the leaders in your teams, empower your employees to reach their potential.
Work with each of them to uncover their passion and support their ambitions.
Offer time off for professional development courses or networking events. As they grow in their abilities, they will have more value to offer the company.
Sow the seeds of their success now and they will be more likely to remain loyal to the organisation.
Don’t micro-manage
One of the biggest pet peeves in the workplace is being micro-managed. Give your employees some space and ownership over their workload.
Let them come to you when they want to debrief over tasks or workloads. Empower them to make their own decisions.
They’ll take more satisfaction and pride in what they are producing.
Be Flexible
Flexibility has never been more important to employees.
After a year that saw so many of us move to working from home, many employees are looking for more flexibility in their workplace.
Whether it is one day per week working from home or a couple of hours out of the day to do the school run, these little changes can make all the difference to someone.
Give your employees the freedom to set flexible hours and they will work harder for you because you’ve respected their needs.
Prioritise Breaks
With mounting workloads many employees feel pressured to work through their lunch break. This inhibits productivity.
Taking breaks from their computer and their desks give employees a chance to recharge and come back to work with fresh eyes.
Combat the afternoon burnout by creating a work culture where everyone takes their breaks. Encourage them to get up once an hour and stretch, get a cup of coffee or have a chat with another employee. They’ll feel supported and their work will improve.
Organise social events
We spend an average of 40 hours per week with the people we work with. That’s more than our friends and often more than our family.
When you spend this much time with people it’s important you have a good relationship with them.
Cultivate strong relationships by bringing employees together to socialise with company BBQs, picnics or social drinks. Or plan something a little left of field like paintball or rock climbing.
These activities build rapport and create a social environment where your employees want to support each other. This leads to a stronger community at work.
Offer a health and wellness program
Give your employees a boost with a health and wellness program.
Offer a weekly yoga session on their lunch break, a monthly discounted massage, or a discounted gym membership.
Setting up these programs shows a holistic approach to work culture. It will be attractive to your employees. It also shows your company cares about the health of your employees and reducing stress in the workplace.
Birthday Leave
There is one day in the year which for each person is all about them and it’s their birthday.
Adding one extra day of leave for your employees won’t make a big difference to the bottom line. But, it’s a great way to show them that you respect them as individuals and how valuable they are to the company.
It’ll also be a good incentive to bring in new employees and no one wants to work on their birthday.
Companies talk a big game about creating a good work culture. Instead of talking about it, be one of those companies.
You’ll see higher employee retention, an increase in profit and employees primed to take on leadership roles.
