What is company culture?
It is not really possible to describe what company culture is. It is not a single ?thing?, but a collection of beliefs, behaviours and actions that work together for better or worse.
It is a combination of how you and your employees work and communicate. How you support and treat each other and your customers.
You can’t easily describe what your company culture is. Instead, what you can do is look for the signs of what your company culture is like. Whether they are good or bad.
Here are some signs to look for when analysing if your company culture needs a boost.
Employees know your company values
A great company culture starts with your company values. Your company values are the shared beliefs about what is most important when conducting business.
Your company values help guide the choices of each of your employees as they work towards your ultimate company goals.
What do you want your company to achieve and what are your company values to help you achieve that goal?
Do your employees know by heart what your company values are?
Do your employees do their best to stand by your company values through everything they do at work?
Low Employee Turnover
How long do your employees stay with your company? Do you feel like you are constantly hiring new employees to replace those who have recently left?
Having low employee turnover, and employees who stay with you for the long term is a great sign of good company culture.
In the past, large salaries and perks would have been enough to keep employees on board for the long term. It is becoming much more common for employees to want more than this.
Employees want to do work that they are proud of. They want to feel valued. They want to work with people who they can rely on as more than just colleagues.
If your employees are staying with you for the long term, it is probably in a large part related to them being happy and satisfied with their job overall, rather than solely because of what you are paying them.
Low Employee Absenteeism
How much unscheduled time off do your employees take on average?
Do you fully understand why they are taking the time off?
There are two reasons why your employees may take unscheduled time off that is related to your company culture:
- They are burnt out
- They are disengaged
Understanding why your employees are taking unscheduled time off will keep you informed of whether your company culture is impacting absenteeism.
Office Politics
Do your employees gossip about each other, or engage in any kind of office politics?
A great company culture leaves little room for this kind of behaviour. If your employees all feel valued and that their opinion is heard by management, they are less likely to resort to backstabbing, gossiping, and other office politics.
If your colleagues help each other out whenever they can, they also generate less opportunity to spark gossip.
Do you and your employees encourage each other to help each other at all times, and to communicate directly with each other when there is a problem? If so, you probably don?t see many signs of office politics.
Clean and tidy work environment
What is your company work environment like? Is it clean and tidy?
Do you provide facilities or perks for your employees to take advantage of?
Do your employees take pride in helping maintain a clean and tidy environment for them selves and for their colleagues?
Energised and engaged employees
Do your employees see work as more than just a job? Are they energised and engaged with their work?
Great company cultures can generate enthusiasm in the employees about their work, and about each other.
Do your employees work together to solve problems?
Do your employees celebrate each other?s victories for the company?
Do your employees dart out the door when it?s time to leave? Or do they take their time and chat with colleagues?
If your employees work and celebrate together, and actively engage with each other, you can take it as a sign of great company culture.
Open communication and Transparency
How open are you with your employees?
Are your employees every caught off guard with a piece of news in a meeting that you have known about for some time?
Do you communicate new information well in advance of it having an impact whenever you can?
If you encourage open and transparent communication with and between your employees, they will trust that you do not have any hidden agenda.
Having trust between yourself and your employees and having trust between all of your employees is a key factor in maintaining a good company culture.
The trust that transparency generates can improve productivity through improved teamwork.
How do you measure up?
How do you rate your current company culture?
What are your strongest and weakest signs of your company culture?
We love hearing about how other businesses operate. Get in touch and let us know.
