By Andy Buyting, Founder & CEO
Having a job that pays well and has good prospects is no longer enough to keep workers engaged and committed. The millennial generation is coming of age and expects a workplace that contributes positively to their work-life balance.
This means injecting fun into your company culture, a feat which is possible without affecting your bottom line. In fact, research suggests that if you get making work fun right, you can even increase productivity and reduce staff turnover as well as making work an enjoyable environment. Here are a few ideas about creating a cohesive company culture to get you started.
Creating Ownership at Every Level
Employees that feel connected to the business at a personal level will be far more committed and experience job satisfaction too. This means that management must be able to demonstrate to each individual how he or she fits into the bigger picture and why their job is important.
Using dashboards at various levels and giving individuals the freedom to make their own decisions contributes to a sense of ownership. Being trusted to do the job and to work in a way that draws upon each individual’s skills and knowledge is extremely empowering and leads to high levels of job satisfaction.
Leading by Example
It’s very difficult to ask employees to demonstrate certain behaviors if, as the leader, you’re not willing to abide by the same rules yourself. Whether it’s offering transparent and clear communication or acting with integrity and respect, if you want to create a certain culture, you have to lead by example.
Staff will respect a management team that is committed to the same goals and hold themselves accountable to the same high standards they expect of their staff. This creates a culture of everyone being “on the same side” rather than an “us versus them” mentality which can be so damaging.
Communicate Small and Big News
All too often, company communication only occurs when there’s some big news which needs to be conveyed, and this can often be negative. Encouraging two-way communication at all levels can help to create a more open work culture, removing some of the negativity.
Tools such as Slack or Google Hangouts can help to improve communication in companies which work across multiple locations or where remote working is permitted. Encourage individuals to share information about their workloads, projects, and successes, and you’ll find the workforce will naturally become more cohesive.
Don’t Forget to Have Fun!
While all of the above are important aspects of creating the right culture, injecting a little fun into the workplace is the final piece of the puzzle. Whether it’s low-level competitions or weekends away, finding ways to peer behind the corporate facade and getting to know each other on a more personal level will inspire loyalty and respect. This will lead to the highly sought-after company culture that will benefit one and all.
