What Defines Good Company Culture?

We have been talking a lot about company culture and the importance of employee engagement lately. In this post we will focus on what good company culture is and how the right culture is key to a good customer retention programme.

It’s very easy to assume that good company culture is all about the perks these days, when we all refer to and are wowed by the impressive perks associated with the large technology companies in particular. And while perks do indeed attract employees to your organisation, perks alone do not get staff to stay. All the free food, yoga classes or office massages in the world would not keep many in an uncomfortable or high stress working environment. But having an established company culture will go a long way in helping. So if it’s not the perks, what does define a good company culture?

1. Core Values

‘Culture is the result of behaviours. Behaviours are guided by values.’ It’s incredibly easy to be cynical of company values and assume these are just well meaning words that don’t add anything to the day-to-day running of a company. However, when properly developed, communicated and executed, these values are the guideposts for company behaviours and no matter how much the company changes these will remain.Core values should be then embedded into every aspect of the business (hiring, performing, communication, recognition etc.) from the top down and this will guide how your employees work. When employees are passionate about the values and mission of your company, they are engaged in their job and want to help their company succeed.

2. Putting People First

You can’t have a good company culture without putting people first. Your staff are the heart of your business, ignoring them leads to low morale and poor attitude and results in low productivity and performance. On the other hand when employees feel cared about, they tend to stay longer, work harder and have higher productivity so looking after your staff is a win-win for everyone.Employees want to feel valued, so you can’t underestimate the importance of recognition. And you don’t need an unlimited budget to do this, a simple company email recognising a team member’s achievement can do wonders for that employee’s morale. Or having a staff announcements section on your company intranet can encourage real camaraderie amongst your employees.As you grow if you can provide bigger perks such as free health insurance, onsite gym etc. that’s great but don’t forget the basics of recognition and camaraderie. And when rolling out perks, listening and identifying what your employees want creates a culture of understanding and openness making staff feel comfortable and valued.

3. Being Consistent

Many make the mistake of seeing “Company Culture” as a one-time exercise. That once defined, that’s it done and it’ll be fine left to its own devices… Wrong! Now that you’ve defined your company culture you need to pay attention to it. Culture is constantly evolving so monitor it and be open to feedback from your employees. Some things might not work and may need to be reshaped as you grow.

For more information on the importance of company culture and how to identify future employees based on cultural fit please contact Sigmar on 01-4744600