There are a lot of ingredients that are necessary to create a recipe for business success. You need good branding, a quality product or service, a good customer support team, and so much more. If you skimp out on one of these ingredients, you won’t have as good of an end result.
There are some ingredients that may seem trivial and get overlooked. However, anyone familiar with cooking will tell you that small details are often the most important parts. A dash of salt may seem insignificant for a cake recipe. But little steps are often necessary to balance the texture or flavor of a dish. Without one building block, the entire meal might fall apart.
In the world of business, company culture is one of those small details that holds great importance. In this article, we’ll discuss how business culture is a key part of business success and how you can improve your own company culture.
Helps Everyone Feel Included
The way you approach employee onboarding will set the tone for your business culture both now and in the future. You should look at each new hire as an opportunity to strengthen your team and organization. The more quickly and effectively you can onboard a new team member, the sooner they can hit the ground running and provide real value to your company.
There are a few reasons why new hires might not feel welcome during their introductory weeks with a new company. Existing cliques might not accept new members so willingly. Some people simply don’t like change, so they elect to ignore it. Think of how you can overcome these challenges so every team member, new and old, feels accepted.
To foster a sense of belonging, you might consider inviting a DEI speaker to a company event to share a message with your team. These are specialists in diversity and inclusion, an important aspect of the modern workforce. They’ll carefully dissect the important topics that are sometimes difficult to talk about. Your team will learn to embrace their differences rather than use them as excuses for not bonding or getting along.
Makes Work Enjoyable
Many people you talk to don’t fully enjoy their job. The truth is that working all day isn’t exactly fun, even if you’re in an industry or role that interests you. There are even cases of people who are working their dream job but end up quitting because of frayed relationships. It’s important for people to not only enjoy the work, but the company and people they work with.
Think of the moments that have made you enjoy a day of work. For many, this has to do with office friendships. Spending lunch with a friend or completing a project with a trusted colleague can brighten up any 9-to-5 workday. These small moments make work more enjoyable, which leads to more productive employees.
Be proactive when looking for ways to make work more enjoyable, and don’t be afraid to get creative. Experiment with a four-day work week, themed casual Fridays, monthly team luncheons, or installing a gaming system in the break room. Quality of life adjustments like ergonomic desks, improved lighting, and a full kitchen may also tip the scales in your favor.
Gives Everyone a Sense of Purpose
Are you proud to tell people what you do for a living or which company you work for? Sadly, a lot of people aren’t so keen to share those details. In fact, they may openly talk down on your organization despite being a part of it. This is not the kind of word of mouth advertising you want drifting around.
Part of your business culture should be centered around giving everyone a sense of purpose. Each and every employee from the janitor to the CEO should know what role they play and feel appreciated for what they do. Think of ways you can express your gratitude more often, like throwing company parties or helping each member celebrate key milestones.
Something you can do to improve company culture is to become invested in the personal lives of your employees. Get to know their hobbies and interests and ask for updates throughout the week. Encourage employees to take time off when needed to spend time with friends and family. Also make sure systems are in place that support this. This means there should be someone to cover their shift so they don’t return to a mountain of paperwork. They’ll come back to work feeling more energized and motivated thanks to this type of support.
Attracts and Retains Top Talent
Extremely talented individuals usually have more sway in where they want to work. Numerous companies will be lobbying for their talents, which means employment decisions can be decided based on small factors. Among those details, business culture can consistently set yourself apart from the pack.
Salary, benefits, location, and work hours are all important components when selecting a job position. However, those can all be overshadowed by a poor business culture. If coworkers are difficult to work with and managers are disrespectful, you can kiss those prospects goodbye and settle for lesser candidates.
In numerous cases, a high-quality business culture has outweighed a bigger salary or corner office. In fact, a 2019 Glassdoor survey found that 56% of workers said company culture was “more important than salary” when considering job satisfaction. If you’re going to spend 40 hours or more a week in one place, you want it to be somewhere you enjoy. Extra cash or a weekend of paid leave doesn’t hold a candle to being a part of an organization you even enjoy being with.
The culture of a business, nation, and family are crucial parts of its success. By focusing on improving your company culture you will see gradual inclines in almost every other important metric you track.