As we start a new working year, a solid and positive company culture can help to nurture staff loyalty and productivity among team members. An improved company culture can, in turn, support business growth.
The truth of the matter is that employees have expectations that go beyond their salary slip. People increasingly care about whether a company has a positive culture, or ethos. In fact, research by LinkedIn* shows that 70% of professionals in the US wouldn’t work at a leading company if it meant they had to tolerate a bad workplace culture.
So, what makes for a good company culture? I believe there are four key components that factor in to improving an organisation’s culture.
A family-like feel
Fostering connections between staff and your clients can go a long way to improving company culture. If staff care for one another, they almost become like extended family to each other. There are various ways of achieving this, including ensuring two-way communication between managers and staff and creating opportunities for staff to get to know each other. This may require a fair deal of creative thinking in our current climate.
Inter-departmental collaboration
Collaboration across departments helps to break down silos and improves company culture. At Mediamark, we’ve been a lot more deliberate and intentional about fostering connections. We’ve seen first-hand the benefit of creating virtual teams across different divisions. This has not only improved turnaround times but has made people from different departments feel like they are on the same team, working towards the same end goal.
Living the values
A company’s values are at the core of its culture. Company culture should talk to a broader culture of how we look after the world around us and how we navigate worldwide issues. Personally, I always try to take more of an activist stand on world issues, which for me reflect on people’s value systems. Speaking out against discrimination, for example, shows that you are living the values of inclusivity and diversity.
Being transparent
Transparency means being open and honest about your company’s plans and business operations. When there is a deep level of trust, employees and managers are more likely to share openly with each other, which can boost productivity. A lack of transparency creates a secretive environment, so it is important to have the uncomfortable conversations with your team.
Sadly, in working from home many companies have seen their company culture suffer. It hasn’t been easy to foster connections, collaboration, and transparency with a work from home model, but it is possible. We’re all being challenged to think innovatively about ways to ensure our employees feel engaged, valued, and heard. But with all the changes we’ve faced, we have a real opportunity to proactively shape the company culture we would like.
Wayne Bischoff is CEO at Mediamark, a multimedia sales house that ensures brands derive maximum value from their advertising spend through tailored multichannel solutions.
