Creating a great company culture is an essential element of successful businesses. It is certainly important in the charity sector where competition for talent can be fierce, and the sector can sometimes seem quite small. At Marble Mayne we are great advocates of the adage “culture eats strategy for breakfast”.
A great company culture is a set of values, beliefs and behaviours that sets the tone and character of an organisation. It also defines the relationships between the staff and how work is done within the company. In short, having an effective company culture helps you to operate efficiently, with a happy workforce, which in turn allows you to be successful in achieving the goals of your company or charity. In this article, we'll be taking a look at why it's important to establish a great company culture, and how you can go about doing it.
Introduction
A great company culture is critical for the success of a business or not-for-profit organisation. It affects the importance staff place on the mission and values, their attitude to work, how they interact with other employees, and also the way they treat customers and beneficiaries. So, having a great company culture is not only important for the smooth functioning of the business, but it also has the potential to increase customer satisfaction, overall productivity and even the quality of services received by beneficiaries in the charity sector.
Why It Is Important to Establish a Great Company Culture?
-It encourages employee engagement: A great company culture will create a positive atmosphere that encourages employees to be more engaged.This in turn leads to increased productivity and overall effectiveness.
-It encourages creativity and innovation: A great company culture will promote creativity and innovation, as it encourages employees to think differently and be open to trying new ideas and approaches.
-It helps to attract and retain talent: A great company culture will help to attract and retain talented employees, as they will be drawn to a work environment that promotes growth and development.
-It enhances customer satisfaction: A great company culture will lead to increased customer satisfaction, as it will ensure that employees are providing customer service that is up to the highest standards. This works in the charity sector too, with beneficiaries benefiting from excellent levels of service from staff and via programmes.
How to Establish a Great Company Culture?
Now that we have looked at why it is important to establish a great company culture, let us explore how you can go about achieving it:
-Encourage Open Communication. Open communication is essential to creating a great company culture. This involves creating an atmosphere where your employees feel comfortable speaking up and expressing their opinions. Here are some ways to encourage open communication:
-Utilise Technology to Facilitate Communication: Technology can be used to make communication smoother and more effective. With tools such as video conferencing, Instant Messaging and group collaboration software, it is easier for employees to stay connected and share ideas.
-Encourage Employees to Ask Questions: Employees should be encouraged to ask questions, as this can help to spark valuable conversations and provide valuable insights.
-Create a Safe Space forEmployees to Express their Opinions: It is important to create an environment where employees feel safe to express their opinions, as this encourages them to be open and honest with their views.
-Recognise and Celebrate Achievements and Success.Rewarding achievements or effort at work can be a great way to motivate employees and keep them engaged and driven. Encouraging a culture of celebrating others’ success is just as important.
-Create excellent Learning & DevelopmentOpportunities. Creating a culture of continuous improvement and learning is another factor in creating a culture that people want to be a part of. Ensure appropriate training and development is offered in every role, so employees can continue to learn and have genuine benchmarks for promotion and progress.
-Prioritise Employee Wellbeing & Offer Flexibility
Prioritising employee wellbeing will also help to create a great company culture. Here are some ways to prioritise employee wellbeing:
-Offer Flexible Working Hours:Offering flexible working hours can help employees to manage their workload and reduce the stress of juggling work and family commitments.
-Provide Team BuildingActivities: Team building activities can help to promote collaboration and encourage employees to work together. This can help to foster a culture of openness and respect.
-Offer Wellness Benefits:Offering wellness benefits such as health insurance, gym memberships and wellness days can help to keep your employees healthy and motivated.
-Foster A Culture of Respect
Fostering a culture of respect is another key element of establishing a great company culture. Here are some ways to foster respect:
-Set Clear Expectations forEmployees: Setting clear expectations for employees will help to ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them and that they are accountable for their actions.
-Encourage Employees to Speak Up:Encouraging employees to speak up will create a culture of transparency and accountability.
-Promote Inclusivity and Diversity In The Workplace &In Your Recruitment Strategy
Promoting inclusivity and diversity is another vital element of establishing a great company culture. Here are some ways to promote inclusivity and diversity:
-Celebrate All Cultures andBackgrounds: Celebrating different cultures and backgrounds helps to create an inclusive environment where everyone is respected and valued.
-Ensure All Employees AreRespected: It is important to ensure that all employees are respected, regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity or background.
-Embed Diversity & Inclusion into Your Recruitment Strategy: Ensure unconscious bias is removed from shortlisting processes, and that there are no barriers to entry for anyone in your application methods
Conclusion
In summary, it is clear that creating a great company culture is essential for the success of any business or charity. It can encourage employee engagement, foster creativity and innovation, help attract and retain talent, and improve customer & beneficiary satisfaction. To establish a great company culture, it is important to encourage open communication, prioritize employee wellbeing, foster respect, and promote inclusivity and diversity. Creating a great company culture is not an easy task and it takes time to get it right. However, if you are willing to put in the effort, you can create an environment that can help your business or charity to thrive and be successful.
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