Workplace Culture Strategy For 2018 - You MUST Have This!
Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with a passion.
- Brian Chesky, Co-Founder, CEO, Airbnb
Workplace culture means different things to different people. It is emotional, ever-changing, and complex. It is an incredibly powerful factor in a company’s long-term success. No matter how good a strategy is, when it comes down to actually implementing it, it is people that always make the difference. It can be intimidating and frustrating, often leaving leaders dodging it, neglecting it, or discounting it.
Defining a positive workplace culture is quite complex, given that it needs a balance of productivity, creativity and enjoyment. It is responsible for maintaining employee morale and encouraging innovation. When things get too routine, it begins to show in the quality of work. A work environment may be far from toxic, but if you create a culture of business, as usual, it could lead to stagnation. It cannot be a rigid set of rules - it needs to be tweaked and redefined to accommodate changes in the workplace.
Here’s a workplace culture strategy you could adopt - one that’s in tune with the changes that 2018 is expected to bring!
You MUST Adopt This Workplace Culture Strategy For 2018!
Here’s a strategy you could follow for a positive workplace culture in 2018.
1. Articulate Mission Statement
Make certain you have clearly articulated your organization’s reason for being and the vision for the future. Because research indicates that employees are no longer satisfied simply going to work each day and leaving with a paycheck, help them to understand how the organization is positively changing the world. Encourage management to meet with team members, and explain how individual roles are effectively making a difference.
If you don’t already have one, craft a meaningful mission statement. Meet with your employees to ensure they understand what it means.
You would also do well in helping team members’ link personal goals with organizational ones. In this way, they better “see” how their roles fit within the greater company.
2. Train Employees In New Skills
Employees yearn to learn new skills that help them learn, grow, and be challenged. It is impactful for them when they have the opportunity to work on special projects, enabling them to feel as though they have a say in important decisions.
Provide opportunities for employees to participate on cross-functional teams, and allow them to weigh in on the meaningful conversations.
Regardless of title, enable your employees to expand individual responsibilities so as to get exposure to other business functions (and be sure to recognize appropriately). Provide ways that they can continually be growing their skill-sets, such as in-house training, conference attendance or education reimbursement.
3. Encourage To Innovate
Let your employees know that they are encouraged to innovate and have the freedom to fail. Build goal-oriented workgroups where everyone can bring their best work to the table, and grant employees autonomy to make decisions. Doing so will ensure employees feel armed to reach their goals, and inspired when wins are achieved.
4. Appreciate The Employees
It is imperative that your organization shows its employees that they are valued. Almost half of the employees believe their organization takes them for granted.
Emphasize both formal and informal employee recognition. Encourage management to foster that allow for verbal praise and regular celebrations. Because when employees feel appreciated for their work, they feel the organization respects them as well as the quality of work they do. Award them for their performance with unique trophies, plaques and mementos.
5. Stress Management
Employees want their employers to respect their physical, emotional, social, and financial needs. They have a strong desire to better connect with themselves, the people around them, and the world as a whole.
Provide for opportunities for employees to connect with your organization so that they feel comfortable in saying, “I need a day off,” and validated in their demands for an environment conducive to health and happiness. Ensure a better work-life balance for the employees.
6. Replace Bosses With Leaders
Employees do not want bosses or managers who tell them what to do, but rather leaders who do their best to help them accomplish something.
Employees feel enabled to do their best work when the organization delivers on its promises. And because, in the current workplace environment, leaders are not successfully motivating employees, sharing responsibilities, or advocating for them—they’re also not driving passion and commitment.
Emphasize the importance of leadership—not management to your executives. Encourage them to motivate the employees with whom they work, delegate tasks, and fuel individual passions. Ensure holistic participation of all in larger goals of the organisation.
7. Encourage A ‘Woman-Friendly’ Culture
The contribution of women to the company cannot be second-guessed. It is important to bear this in mind while devising the workplace culture strategy - creating a culture that encourages women to focus on their careers and recognise them for their efforts and achievements.
By emphasising on maintaining a favourable work-life balance, and ensuring that they are able to get back to the workplace even after marriage and motherhood, companies can implement a culture that gives women equal opportunities as men to prove their worth.
The more your organization tries to force loyalty and engagement on your employees, the less you’ll get. Instead, work to create an attractive workplace culture employees want to engage with — one where they want to stay. By doing small things in each of the above areas — even marginal efforts — staggering improvements ensue. Organizations are 25 percent more likely to have teams growing in size instead of stagnating or decreasing in numbers.
Focus on what matters most so that you connect with what’s most meaningful for employees, become an irresistible place to work, and ultimately achieve financial success.