Companies today are faced with an increasingly diverse workforce. This diversity is not just in ethnicity, race, or gender, but also in work preferences and lifestyles. The modern office that focuses on the needs of its employees will see a stronger company culture and higher retention rates. What does this mean for your company?
It means you’ll have to adjust how you think about hiring and retaining talent to best suit the needs of your team. To do this successfully, it’s important first to take into account how different generations view their workplace. In addition, employers need to understand what motivates people from different cultures, genders, and ethnicity. It’s all about understanding who they are as individuals rather than lumping them
1. Define the culture you want for your business
The first step in building a culture is to define it. What kind of culture do you want for your company? What qualities are important? How does this fit with your company’s mission and vision? Culture has to be congruent with the values that you already have established in your organization. Otherwise, it will not be adopted or embraced by employees. If, for example, you want an environment where staff is concerned about their health, but you have a culture where it’s acceptable to bring in fast food every day, your efforts will fail. You have to take steps to motivate your workers toward this goal, either provide healthy lunches at work, hire a professional trainer for office workout sessions, or provide benefits that cater to their physical and mental health.
2. Articulate the values that define your culture
Once you’ve defined what kind of culture you want, then it’s time to articulate the values that will make that happen. Identifying and writing down specific workplace behaviors and attitudes that fit with your vision for the future gives you a strong foundation to build from. Your values need to mean something and they should tie in with what you’re trying to accomplish.
3. Keep employees informed
When it comes time to make decisions, make sure that there is sharing and open communication across all levels of your company’s hierarchy. If you are not open with your employees about what’s going on, then they won’t trust that their needs are being met. Communicate what changes are coming to the company and why they’re necessary. Without this level of insight, workers will feel disillusioned and resentful toward management.
4. Hire for culture fit
Don’t allow cultural fit to become just another diversity buzzword. Hire for cultural fit by focusing on the unique qualities that each individual brings to your company’s culture. You want employees who are not only hardworking and talented but who also share the same values and beliefs about their workday.
5. Encourage employee feedback
You can’t create a culture that fits your business if you don’t ask for feedback. Employees who know they can voice their opinions and be heard on the issues important to them will feel more connected to the company as a whole. Make it clear that honesty is welcomed at all times, but also reward those who bring up serious concerns about workplace operations with positive responses.
6. Treat culture as a living, breathing entity
Culture is what sets your company apart from others in the marketplace and it cannot be allowed to stagnate or remain static. Instead, it must be dynamic, fluid, and adaptable to changing situations and new ideas. You need to keep tabs on what employees are talking about on social media and what they care about. Whether it’s a big or small way, make sure your business is constantly evolving in order to remain competitive.
7. Provide opportunities for professional development
Culture fit isn’t just about who you hire, but how employees feel when they’re on the job. If workers aren’t being challenged with new ideas and projects that keep them motivated, then they’ll feel restless and unfulfilled. Even if you’re not in a position to promote someone within the company, you should at least be able to offer continuing education opportunities or other ways for employees to develop their skillsets through on-the-job learning.
8. Lead by example
When it comes to creating a culture that actually fits your business, managers, and executives need to be held to the same standards as everyone else. They need to model the behaviors they want from their employees and not only talk the talk but walk the walk. In order for a company-wide culture change to take place, every member of management needs to be actively involved.
It is not easy to create a culture that fits your business. In order to do so, you need to identify what kind of culture you want and articulate the values that will make this happen among employees. You also have to keep in mind how these changes may affect other aspects of your company like marketing or customer service, as well as provide opportunities for professional development and lead by example.
