The saying “actions speak louder than words” couldn’t be more true when it comes to the culture of your company. The “words” of your culture – the mission and vision statements – play a big role in laying the foundation of what your company values. But it may be time to assess what actions your company is taking to instill these values within your team. Building a strong company culture takes consistent effort, discipline, and accountability. This year has proven to all of us that things can change at any moment, which is why it is important to make sure your company culture is ready to withstand any situation. Here are a few ideas your team can implement that can have a lasting impact on how your company accomplishes its goals, both internally and externally.
1. Make Time for Learning Opportunities
A major aspect of moving the business forward is the desire to continuously learn. By implementing routine learning opportunities for all of your employees, you allow them to get a glimpse at what their future could look like. This could be a simple webinar or workshop that the employees attend, it could be a day spent shadowing a member of the management team, or a simple invitation to learn how a new process works. This new knowledge empowers employees to try to solve new problems and creates increased responsibility.
It is important to note that all employees need to partake in these learning opportunities, from top to bottom. Businesses should offer all management personal the opportunity to improve or learn new skills as well. This allows the entire team to maintain a growth mindset, while also putting the value of growth and learning into action.
Not only can learning opportunities have an impact on the individual, but it can also be impactful to the business as a whole. The more employees that understand the business and various processes that go on, the better equipped the business is to provide great service to your clients. Additionally, with all of the changes present in our lives right now, it is important for businesses to take steps that will help to reduce the overall risk of the business. By educating employees and creating a broad understanding of the business you set your team up for success in case anything were to happen. Increasing educational opportunities is a simple way to show employees that the company values individual growth just as much as it values the growth of the business as a whole.
2. Invest in the Best
Employees need to be well equipped in order to do their best work. Make it a point to ensure that your employees have the best tools to do their job. Obviously, this can look very different based on what industry you are in. But, by providing high-quality materials to your team you showcase that the company wants employees to do their best work and is willing to invest in their work. Take the time to understand the workspace and exactly what your employees need to get the job done, Good lighting, functioning technology, and any specific office supplies or tools are just some examples of what you can provide to your team. Throughout 2020, we have seen the way we do our work completely shift. Being able to pivot with all of this change is important for your employees to see. By making top-of-line technology accessible to your team in a time like this a current example of how you can set your business, and its culture, apart. This allows your employees to move forward with their work even as we go through a time of constant change.
Additionally, when you provide high-quality materials or workspaces to your employees, it limits distractions and makes day to day work much easier and efficient. For some industries, our workspaces may look a little different right now, but this shouldn’t stop the business from taking care of its employees. Begin to look at how you can make your office, software, or materials the most efficient for the entire team.
3. Implement an Award System
A simple, but effective way to ensure that your culture is acted on is by implementing an award system. This could be as simple as awarding an individual who best exemplifies the core values listed in your mission and vision statement on a monthly basis. The rewards show that the management team is serious about strong company culture and want everyone to act on it. It may be a good idea to award the individual in front of other team members. This gives the awarded employee the appreciation and recognition they deserve and also sets an example for the rest of the team to follow.
In addition to these individual awards, take the time to celebrate the success of the team as a whole. All “wins” should be communicated and recognized by leadership, whether it be large or small. Make this praise loud within the office so employees understand that their success will be celebrated. Positive communication can do a lot to lift the morale of the team and keep everyone motivated to work towards the company goals.
4. Welcome ALL Feedback
It is important for leadership personal to create an environment that welcomes honest communication and creates a space where employees feel comfortable sharing their opinions. Having two-way communication allows employees to have their voices heard. These conversations should be ongoing and continue to happen multiple times a year – this shows your employees that their opinion matters. If you feel that employees will not be as honest or comfortable in a face to face setting, think about creating a survey that allows them to explain their needs and the possible improvements they feel the company needs to make.
By creating a space where you welcome ALL feedback – the pros and the cons – you allow for the growth of your employees and the business. These tough conversations often lead to improvement more times than not. Your employees are the ones who see the day to day problems, so being an active listener in these conversations can really help to find ways to improve the business.
Focus OneSource
The culture of the company can be a separating factor when discussing the success of a business. At Focus OneSource we are centered around the values of trust and transparency. Not only do we strive to bring these values to each of our clients every day, but we act on them internally as well.
As a Professional Employer Organization, we take the backroom work off of your plate. This means trust and transparency must be present in all of the services we provide. Our mission is to help businesses succeed by increasing productivity and profitability – and we work towards this goal every day with our valued clients.
A partnership with Focus OneSource is a partnership centered on trust and transparency. Call us today to see how your business could benefit from a relationship with us.
