When you think of the office, what images come to mind? Dilbert-esque cubicles? Dress codes? A hierarchical structure where everyone knows their place? Sadly, many people still envision something similar to this when thinking about working in a traditional office. However, times have changed, and so should workplace culture if businesses want to remain competitive in today’s job market. A company’s culture can be directly linked to its success. When employees love their jobs and feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves, there is less employee turnover and greater collaboration between employees. The right culture provides employees with the confidence they need to do their best work every day. Here are some things to consider when revamping your company’s culture.
A Culture of Collaboration
An outdated office culture that may signal to prospective employees is a lack of collaboration between staff members. If you want to hire the best talent and retain the best talent, it’s important to create an environment where people feel comfortable collaborating.
Collaboration is the foundation for creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. When you hire employees who are comfortable working together and helping one another, you are more likely to see a stronger product or service come to fruition.
A great way to promote collaboration within your office culture is to use collaborative workspaces and ergonomics that encourage employees to work together. Collaborative workspaces often have long tables where employees can sit side-by-side and share ideas and findings with one another. Using ergonomic seating is also crucial to promoting collaboration among your staff members.
Recognition of Employees’ Value
If you want to create a culture that is appealing to prospective employees, you need to ensure they feel appreciated at every level. A prospective employee can sniff out a company’s outdated culture from miles away when they see that your employees feel underappreciated and overworked.
If you want to attract top-notch talent, you need to promote a culture that recognizes the value of each employee, regardless of position. If you have a rigid hierarchical structure in place, consider rethinking your management style. A flat organizational structure is now the norm. A flat structure makes it easier for employees to communicate with one another and collaborate on projects. It also promotes greater transparency, which can help minimize issues like bullying in the workplace.
Meaningful Professional Development
In order to retain top-notch employees, you need to offer meaningful professional development opportunities. You want your employees to feel challenged and excited about the work they are doing, not bored and undervalued.
If your employees know that they can’t grow within the company, they will likely look for another job elsewhere that is a better fit for their skill set. If you implement a culture that values professional development, you will have more engaged employees who are excited about what their future holds within the company.
You can create a culture that values professional development in a number of ways, such as by offering training and certification programs or providing employees with room to create their own projects.
Flexibility and Transparency
If you want to create a culture that is attractive to millennial employees, you need to foster greater transparency and flexibility in the workplace. Millennials crave a work-life balance that is often difficult to find in traditional office cultures. They want to be able to work remotely and be given the opportunity to create their own schedules. These types of work-life benefits can also be attractive to employees of all ages.
If you want to be viewed as an employer of choice, you need to be transparent about the types of benefits you offer, including paid time off, health insurance, and retirement plans. You can also be transparent about other factors that affect employees, such as workplace culture, the skill sets of supervisors, and promotion timelines. When you are transparent about all aspects of the job, you make it easier for employees to make informed decisions about whether your company is a good fit for them.
Bottom line
When you promote a culture that values interdisciplinary collaboration and meaningful professional development, you will have employees who feel challenged and valued. These employees are more likely to stay with your company for the long term, and they are also more likely to refer their friends and colleagues to apply for open positions.
A strong and appealing culture can help you recruit top talent and keep the best employees you have. And when the best talent is working together toward a common goal, it’s easy to see how productivity and revenue are positively affected.
