Do you want to create a culture of engaged employees? Start by building an engaging culture. Empower staff and include them in your vision. Build a culture that employees can embrace and believe in. But more importantly, don’t just put it on paper, pour it in the workforce. Employers are beginning to realize that engaging their workforce by offering more than money and benefits will motivate employees to buy-in to their plan and work for the success of the business.
A while ago I asked a friend how they liked working at their place of business. "It's a job, it pays the bills" was the response. On the bright side, he didn't say it was a horrible place to work, but there wasn't much endorsement going on for the culture of the company.
You don’t have to be a large corporation to build a culture for your business. From 5 to 5000, regardless of the number of employees, building a company culture involves identifying the values and practices of your business, and sharing and moving the entire workforce toward those values.
It’s been published that businesses with an adaptive culture that is aligned to their business goals routinely outperform their competitors. Some studies report the difference at 200% or more. Just as each business is unique, their culture should also be unique, reflecting on the overall goals and creating a plan to promote the goals.
A CEO for a company I once worked for spent a considerable amount of time identifying and driving a new culture by spreading the word to hundreds of employees about the culture he was creating. Talking about the values he said “These are not simply words generated by an outside consultant, to which we pay lip service. They are values that guide our operations throughout the group every day……" He believed in creating a better work environment which would in turn result in better products and better returns.
Cultures are driven by leaders, and different leaders believe in different values. In large corporations it can be a difficult transition when leadership changes, and with it, values often change with new leaders focusing on new priorities. In small business, building a solid culture can be a work in progress, as leaders come and go, or move on to bigger roles.
What is important to you when it comes to your business? What do your customers think of when asked about your business? Are the answers aligned?
Is SERVICE a priority?
Do you sell a product in which TRUST is a factor?
Do you encourage your employees to have FUN?
Reviewing your company culture is a good idea. Creating a solid culture is a great idea!
So the next time someone asks one of your employees how they like working at your place of business, the optimum answer for any business owner big or small is to hear their staff say,
“I love it, It’s a great place to work!”
Barb Bruce service@myradius.ca
