According to a Forbes article by Larry Alton, corporate culture is becoming increasingly important in the continually evolving workplace. He continues to say that millennials – (being the generation driving workplace changes of the near future) – desire an innovative company culture. So if you want to attract bright young millennial minds with the latest in-demand skills, a strong and healthy company culture is essential.
We frequently hear the words “company culture,” – but what exactly does it mean, and why is it so important for the success of your organization?
Company culture refers to the personality of the organization. It defines who your organization is and what it stands for, displayed through the attitudes and values of its employees and leaders.
Here are a few reasons why organizational culture is important:
We now know what company culture is and why it’s vital for a productive and healthy work environment. So, what can you do to ensure your business has a positive culture?
Share the company’s successes and challenges with your team and keep them updated with what’s happening in the company. If your employees feel they’re included in everyday company events, it will motivate them and build trust.
Encouraging open communication across the entire organization will positively impact employee-employer relationships and help diffuse conflict in the workplace.
Think of your employees as integral members of your team. People working towards goals in a unified team can make an enormous difference in the company’s productivity.
Identify behaviors and results aligned with your company’s values and goals and recognize and reward those behaviors as often as you can.
Flexibility has become an increased need within the workplace – especially after the COVID-19 crisis. Workplace flexibility could mean many things – from an employee taking a much-needed sabbatical to work-from-home opportunities. Show your staff that you understand and are willing to accommodate their evolving scheduling needs wherever possible.
One of the most effective ways to measure employee perception is a workplace or company culture survey. It measures how employees feel about working in an organization and includes their feelings, attitude, and opinions about their jobs and different aspects of the company. An added benefit is that employees feel their say counts and that their input is valued.
Although most companies conduct a company culture survey annually, it’s recommended to run it twice a year to keep up to date with the rapidly changing workplace. Building on your employees’ feedback is an efficient and effective way to ensure better employee satisfaction and engagement, leading to a more productive work environment.
A few important points to keep in mind when creating your company culture survey are:
The next important step is to determine what culture survey questions to include in your workplace culture survey. Most organizations use the Likert Scale for their organizational culture assessment questions – (these are questions rated on a scale of one to five with one being strongly disagree, three being neutral, and five strongly agree). This method is popular because respondents can complete the questionnaire in a short amount of time. You can, however, consider including a few open-ended questions for more detailed answers.
You can find a cultural index survey sample here.
Conclusion
Conducting a workplace culture survey is a sure way to identify your company culture and highlight issues in the workplace. It allows you to act – if necessary – to make your organization’s culture more positive, effective, and employee-friendly, leading to satisfied employees and increased production.
Coggno has a wide range of online training courses on company culture.
You can have a look at our free courses here and our course catalog here.
Get the eBook here