In a short space of time, a great company culture has shifted from being a nice-to-have to a business imperative.
Long gone are the days when improving company culture could be put on the back burner for things like growth and profit. A solid company culture is a cornerstone of a business’s success in today’s world, so a strong effort to continue to make improvements should be at the top of all business leaders’ to-do lists.
If your company culture isn’t on the positive side, you’ve probably already seen a high turnover in staff, a lack of interest in your job adverts and a generally unhappy staff complement. And if this is the case, things are only going to be worse as employees continue to work at prioritising their happiness and mental health over a seemingly prestigious position or competitive salary.
Luckily, it is possible for company culture to go from bad to good. A turnaround can be made, but this can only be done if the problems at hand are acknowledged upfront and a number of solid strategies are put into place to start moving things in the right direction.
Psychological safety as a concept is fairly new to many businesses today, but it is actually the key to an employee’s productivity, creativity and ability to innovate. According to an article by McKinsey, psychological safety is defined as “feeling safe to take interpersonal risks, to speak up, to disagree openly, to surface concerns without fear of negative repercussions or pressure to sugarcoat bad news”.
A fear of punishment or humiliation for speaking up, asking questions or sharing concerns is a real problem in the workplace, and it’s not just a problem for those who feel afraid to say something – it’s damaging for the business too. Without freedom of contributions of all staff, initiatives that aren’t working tend to move forward anyway, and when faced with failure, the business usually isn’t equipped to prevent it; worst of all, talent begin to disengage.
The best way you can make psychological safety a priority is to acknowledge it and define it. Many in your business may already be experiencing it but aren’t sure how to feel about it or deal with it. Once defined, the most important next steps are to find ways to facilitate spaces where everyone is invited to speak up and freely. Thereafter, more opportunities for staff to share new ideas should be created, and a set standing on how failure is handled should be shared openly. Once mistakes are recognised as places from which to grow, (reasonable) risk-taking won’t be slow to follow.
Mind your business
In a world where fast-paced and stressful working environments are the norm, it’s often hard to focus on just one thing or stop yourself from stressing about your mounting to-do list. And if not kept at bay, it’s feelings like this that fester and become not just a drain on your mental health but also erode your ability to be a team player or deal kindly with your co-workers.
In general, stressed people aren’t happy people. They can often be short-off or dismissive of others and tend to bring a heavy and dark mood into the office. And unfortunately, today, more people are stressed out than not, so this can create a negative impact on a company’s culture.
Something that businesses globally have started to implement are programmes that focus on workplace mindfulness. Workplace mindfulness has been described as paying attention to the present moment and being aware of your thoughts, feelings and physical sensations at work. By becoming more aware, the goal is to be calmer and more clear-headed, allowing you to think clearly about the work you are doing and also be more in tune with the way you interact with your co-workers.
Unfortunately, mindfulness isn’t something you can master immediately or without help. It’s therefore crucial that businesses look at bringing in mediation or mindfulness suppliers that can either run workshops, host sessions or even identify quiet spaces at the office for reflection.
Due credit
Staff recognition isn’t anything new, but it remains one of the best ways to improve workplace culture. Despite what anyone thinks, all employees want to feel like their hard work is being noticed and, more importantly, appreciated. This is why a successful employee recognition programme is crucial if you want to boost team engagement and truly make your staff feel valued and seen.
But as with everything, one size doesn’t fit all. In order for a recognition programme to work, you should do some due diligence before setting it up.
The ultimate goal is to find different ways to connect and celebrate employees based on what resonates with them most. Some like big public celebrations, while others prefer a shoutout in an email or a prize at a team meeting. It’s important to ask your team what they like and then focus your attention on making these ideas become a reality. It’s the inclusive and authentic recognition programmes that truly improve a company’s culture.
Text | Emma-Jane Truter
Photography | Orion Production
Emma-Jane Truter is founder and Head Social Media Strategist at Emma Is Social.
For more information, go to emmaissocial.com.
