Have you ever wondered what work culture is about, or which effect it has on employee well-being? Values, gestures, background, ideas, and traditions – these are some of the things that form cultures. At the workplace, the employees adopt these things and form a cohesive whole, i.e. the work culture.
The work culture affects the employee well-being, motivation, and work well-being. It also forms the setting for internal activities. Furthermore, it has a positive effect on the company’s results, job satisfaction, retention, and resignations. So why not invest in improving your corporate culture?
This is easier said than done. We have therefore listed five important points regarding corporate cultures, that you do not want to forget, and they indicate good employee well-being at your company.
1. Justice and respect
Imagine a situation where you are working harder than a colleague in a similar position for the same pay. Or a situation where acknowledgement for the work you do is given to someone else and you are ignored. These scenarios will probably be very unpleasant.
Fair work tasks and demands as well as a work environment where everyone is equal greatly influence the social capital, employee well-being, and job satisfaction in a company. When you feel that you have been treated fairly, you are also more able to internalize and develop on the basis of big changes, setbacks, and criticism.
You are already well underway, if you keep the following in mind:
- Make decisions in an objective and fact-based way
- Make good use of pay recommendations
- Set up common rules for the workplace
- Listen to all parties that are involved in the decision
- Make it clear that if decisions aren’t fair they can be changed
- Improve your emotional intelligence and empathy
- Acknowledge your employees
2. Diversity
We are all different but we are worth the same. This should be evident to anyone, but it isn’t always the case.
Diversity and productivity go hand in hand, and much research has been done regarding the interplay between the two. E.g. research from McKinsey shows that companies that invest in gender diversity have seen their productivity increase by 21 %, and the companies that invest in cultural and ethnic diversity have increased their productivity by (up to) 33 %. This shows that diversity is a great way to turn productivity into profit.
3. Don’t forget trust
Trust between colleagues strengthens positive feelings, appreciation, and attitude among employees, and this has a direct effect on the work environment, the corporate culture, and employee well-being. When trust has been established, you will notice positive changes regarding focus, quality, creativity, effectiveness, and commitment in the work that is performed. Furthermore, it also frees up time and money, when there is a smaller need for supervising the work.
Start to strengthen the trust in the following areas:
- Performance and goals. See to it that everyone knows why they are doing the job they do and what it means to the company. Set up clear and reachable goals, and award good performances. Don’t punish mistakes but learn from them.
- Open communication. Be a role model for open communication. Listen and discuss things openly. This goes for problems as well as successes. This will encourage your employees to do the same.
- Cooperation. Not everyone enjoys working together, but the employees should be encouraged to work together anyway. In that way, they learn from one another, and most importantly, the trust is strengthened.
- Acknowledgement. The value of what each employe and team member contributes with should be acknowledged. Acknowledge individual successes and distribute responsibility and freedom evenly. This will help you develop individual appreciation among your employees. When good traditions like these are established, they spread to the work environment. And all of these things contribute to employee well-being.
4. Work-related cohesion
Cooperation in a supportive, helpful, and motivating atmosphere is essential in order to create cohesion among a group of people who work together and get the job done. Different opinions and personalities can challenge the cohesion in a group and create challenging situations. Therefore, it is important to identify and handle problems early on in order to build up a good corporate culture.
A workplace with successful cooperation and a strengthened feeling of belonging among the employees also increases the immaterial capital in the company and can also have a direct and positive effect on customer satisfaction.
TIP: A good work environment is a more important employee motivation factor than traditional rewards that are typically material. Therefore, invest more in the work environment because it is also more rewarding in a financial way.
5. Support from colleagues
Help at the right time – it is that simple. Support is multifaceted, and many people might not have the courage to ask for help, or maybe they don’t know that they need it. Support from colleagues can look different in various situations.
In the list below, we come with examples of what help and support can be:
- Help at the workplace. Regardless of whether it is a small or a big work-related problem, it is always important to get help, and the support from colleagues is invaluable.
- Constructive feedback. People cannot improve without feedback. The key to success is therefore an open work atmosphere, where criticism in the form of constructive feedback can be given.
- Teaching and training. Knowledge and skills are more valuable than money. Employees learn from each other constantly in a learning-focused environment.
- Being present. Sometimes it is enough just being present. Presence is even more important in the current and digitizing world, and the mere awareness that you are not alone might be the thing that makes an employee pull through.
- Listen and provide guidance. Sometimes, we work so hard that we forget the one thing that is most important – us. A good colleague notices that someone needs help, and they can stop their colleague in their tracks and offer guidance, so their colleague can carry on with a positive mindset, renewed energy, and maybe even a good idea. Listening and providing guidance can be a determining factor for employee well-being at your company.
Investing in your employees is definitely worth it
To measure employee well-being at your company and gauging how the corporate culture is are things that aren’t that easy. This is because they are affected by many factors; i.e., the company’s values, the work environment, health & well-being, job satisfaction or maybe even reward methods.
With Weekli by Talentech, you can identify your employees’ actual pain points early on in the process, and you can act based on facts instead of emotions. For example, being tired of one’s job or lacking motivation are serious matters, and it will save your company for a nice amount of money if you work to prevent these things and other negative consequences.
