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How to improve your company culture

Posted by Oliver Corrigan on Jun 27, 2017 8:30:00 AM
Oliver Corrigan
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The importance of a good company culture is sometimes undervalued. A strong culture can help a business run smoothly, effectively and positively. Companies such as Google, Apple and Microsoft are renowned for their great culture. And there’s a lot that we can learn from these companies.

As we’ve seen with businesses such as Sports Direct your employees are your most important asset, and as we mentioned in our previous blog happy employees are 12% more productive. With a more tight-knit, satisfied and productive team, there are so many benefits that come from a good culture – and the aforementioned tech giants completely understand this!

According to Virgin Pulse, 80% of businesses want to improve their corporate culture in 2017. Of course, creating a good company culture is no easy task. It takes years of work, usually starting at some point in the early stages of the business and being maintained throughout. With this in mind, if you expect to transform your business culture overnight then prepare to be disappointed. Saying that, whether you’re a start-up business or a well-established global organisation, there are some things you can do to create a better company culture.

 

1. Set an example

Everything starts from the top of the ladder. Look at it this way – if a business leader left work half an hour early every day, their staff would be more inclined to leave early too. Likewise, if a business leader stayed at work half an hour later every day, their staff would be more inclined to stay later too. Business leaders set the trend for the rest of the company and it’s important for both you and your management team to understand this.

Different leadership styles can also make a huge difference to your company culture. The way you and your management team operate around your employees can drive your culture. It’s important to remember that different employees will react differently to certain leadership styles. For example, some people may react well to transactional-style leadership whereas some may react well to transformational-style leadership. By understanding your employees, you will be able to understand what leadership styles work best and how is best to create a positive office culture.

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2. Open and honest communication

No matter what business or industry you’re in, communication is key. How can your employees get involved in promoting your company culture if they don’t understand it? Continuously and consistently demonstrate your company culture and values, so that your whole organisation feels a sense of community. If you don’t demonstrate your company culture, it’s no more than a mission statement. But good communication and understanding can really make your employees feel part of something and encourage them to spread positive messages about your company.

Transparent, honest communication between your management team and your employees can have an extremely positive effect on your business operations as a whole. 50% of employees say bosses sharing information and data has a significantly positive impact on productivity and motivation. Understanding what you’re happy to share with your employees can be a great way to build trust and make people feel involved.

Why not even encourage your employees to get involved in establishing your company culture? Regularly ask your employees what they would like to see at your company – whether it’s trivial things such as a pool table or Xbox, enhanced training & development, or more team activities. One idea could be to have an anonymous ‘suggestions box’ which is discussed in your weekly team meetings.

 

3. Treat your employees well

Happy employees are an essential aspect of a good company culture, and an essential aspect of creating happy employees is to treat them well. Happy employees can help reduce your staff turnover and improve your company culture in general. In fact, 75% of employees would stay longer at an organisation that listens to and addresses their concerns.

One way to encourage employee happiness is to reward them. Some ways that you could do this is through introducing personal rewards depending on how well an individual performs, or through group rewards depending on how well the business performs. You could even arrange weekly or monthly social events that align with your company culture.

Another important part of achieving employee happiness is to encourage a good work-life balance. With proven benefits including increased productivity, reduced work absences and a happier, less-stressed workforce. Why not discover our three tips for a better work-life balance?

Did you know that we have over 1,200 trees at Carrwood Park? Plenty of space for a lunchtime walk...

 

It’s important to note that a ‘good company culture’ varies from business to business, especially on a more international scale. For example, more Western companies may find it rude to answer your phone in a meeting, whereas in places such as Abu Dhabi this is more than acceptable. As a business leader, not only is it important to bear in mind cultural differences between other businesses, but also between your own employees. One person’s idea of a good company culture may vary from another person’s, which takes us back to our second tip – good communication. Ask your employees what they want to see your business do, and you can’t go wrong.

Are you after a work space that encourages a positive company culture, working alongside like-minded businesses? With over a decade of experience in helping businesses grow, Carrwood Park is perfectly positioned to provide expert advice to our residents on how to transform their company culture. For more information on how we can help your business, why not get in touch with our team?

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