Company culture is the lifeblood of an organization, influencing employee experience, engagement, retention, and overall performance. 

As a leader, your role in driving your company’s mission and nurturing a strong culture is paramount. It begins and ends with you.

Today, we will explore actionable strategies for improving company culture, drawing on the experiences of successful organizations and the latest research in the field.

Different Types of Company Culture

There are several different types of corporate cultures, the main ones being:

1. Clan culture 

2. Hierarchy culture 

3. Market culture

4. Adhocracy culture 

Each has its own unique characteristics and benefits, and a company’s individual culture should align with its goals and mission. 

Companies with strong cultures tend to have better productivity, employee retention, customer satisfaction, and financial performance. 

To create a strong culture, a company should: 

1. Define its core values 

2. Communicate them to all employees 

3. Reinforce them through policies and rewards 

4. Be consistent in its efforts 

But, you may ask, just how should I do that, then?   Well, regardless of your company’s culture, there are some steadfast values that will ensure your policies connect with your employees. These are:

But you still need to put it all into practice. Here are 7 actionable takeaways for you to implement.

7 Actionable Takeaways

1. Align Company Values With Your Organization’s Mission and Vision

A strong company culture starts with a clear understanding of the organization’s mission and core values. Ensure that these guiding principles are communicated consistently and incorporated into every aspect of the company; we actually recently wrote a post showcasing examples of integrity in the workplace, which is highly relevant to all this talk on values. 

Urge your employees to understand and embody these values, promoting a shared sense of purpose and unity. Make sure your mission statement is accessible for everyone to refer to.

2. Foster Employee Engagement Through Recognition Programs

Regularly recognize and reward employees for their hard work and dedication, both formally and informally. Develop recognition programs that celebrate achievements, milestones, and exceptional performance. This will boost employee satisfaction and retention, contributing to a positive work environment.

To create an effective recognition program, consider the following tips and examples:

1. Define clear objectives: Determine the specific behaviors, values, or company goals you want to recognize and reward. This will ensure your employee recognition program is aligned with your organization’s culture and objectives.

2. Offer timely recognition: Praise and recognition should be provided as close to the relevant achievement as possible. This helps reinforce positive behavior and encourages employees to continue performing well.

3. Customize rewards: Tailor rewards to the individual preferences of your employees, as different people are motivated by different incentives. These rewards can be monetary or non-monetary, such as additional time off, personalized gifts, or public recognition.

4. Implement peer-to-peer recognition: Encourage employees to recognize and appreciate the efforts of their colleagues. This can be done through an online platform or an informal process like a “kudos” board.

5. Make it inclusive: Ensure that your recognition program is open to all employees, regardless of their role or tenure. This will create a sense of fairness and encourage everyone to participate.

6. Track and measure success: Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your recognition program and make adjustments as needed to keep it relevant and engaging.

A great example of a successful recognition program is Google’s “Peer Bonus” program. 

When employees can nominate their peers for bonuses, this fosters a positive company culture of appreciation and collaboration. 

3. Prioritize Employee Well-Being and Mental Health

Support employees’ well-being by addressing burnout and promoting a healthy work-life balance. Offer flexible work schedules, remote work options, and mental health resources. Regularly check in with employees to understand their needs and concerns, fostering a culture of empathy and understanding.

Here are a few examples of actions that you could take to support your team more and begin leading with love:

1. Implement flexible work schedules: Allow employees to work hours that suit their personal lives, such as starting earlier or finishing later, or even offering compressed work weeks. This enables them to manage their work-life balance more effectively.

2. Establish remote work policies: Provide employees with the option to work remotely, either on a full-time or part-time basis. Ensure they have access to the necessary tools and resources to be productive while working from home.

3. Create mental health support programs: Partner with mental health professionals to develop programs that support employees’ mental well-being. This could include offering stress management workshops, mindfulness training, or access to therapy or counseling services.

4. Encourage regular breaks: Encourage employees to take short breaks throughout the day to recharge and prevent burnout. You can create a designated break area with comfortable seating or promote outdoor breaks for a change of scenery.

5. Host team-building activities: Plan team-building activities and events that promote social interaction and relaxation, such as team lunches, game nights, or off-site retreats. This can help employees feel more connected to their colleagues, reduce stress levels, and promote more teamwork within a professional environment.

4. Encourage Open Communication and Feedback

Establish an open-door policy and create channels for employees to voice their ideas, concerns, and feedback. Show genuine interest in their perspectives and use their input to drive improvements. 

Encourage team members to share their thoughts during meetings and offer constructive criticism, fostering a workplace culture where transparency is encouraged and employees can trust one another to provide honest feedback.

5. Invest in Employee Development and Mentoring

Support employees’ professional growth by offering one-on-one training, development opportunities, and mentoring programs. Encourage experienced team members to guide and support newer employees (without micromanaging), fostering a collaborative environment where everyone can learn and grow together.

This will ensure that you always have top talent at your fingertips and will show employees that you value them and believe in their long-term potential. To a large contingent, perks like this (development opportunities, mentoring, and education) are worth even more than monetary awards.

All the best companies offer this, as it’s widely acknowledged that it’s easier (and more cost-effective) to retain top talent than having human resources continually hunting for the next star. 

6. Optimize the Onboarding Process for New Hires

A new hire’s experience of your company culture begins the moment they walk through the door or log on.

Ensure new employees have a seamless onboarding experience by providing them with comprehensive orientation programs and assigning them a mentor or buddy. This will help them integrate into the company culture more easily and contribute to their long-term job satisfaction.

7. Track and Measure the Impact of Your Efforts on Great Company Culture

Set clear metrics and goals for your company culture initiatives and regularly evaluate their effectiveness. This will help you identify areas that need improvement and fine-tune your strategies to achieve the desired outcomes.

Tracking and measuring the impact of your efforts on culture across the whole company requires a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. Here are some methods you can use to evaluate the effectiveness of your initiatives:

1. Employee surveys: Conduct regular anonymous surveys to gather employee feedback on various aspects of the company and work culture, such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, and communication. Track changes in responses over time to identify trends and areas of improvement.

2. Sentiment Analysis: Send out pulse surveys directly to your employees to find out if they love working for you. With our surveys, it only takes 3-4 minutes for them to fill in. After that, we’ll collate the data into one easy dashboard. If you consciously place love for your employees at the center of your business model, then our certification will certainly be for you. 

3. Performance reviews: Incorporate assessments of cultural fit and alignment with company values into performance reviews. This can help you track whether employees are embracing the desired culture and identifies areas for further development.

4. Focus groups or interviews: Organize focus groups or conduct individual interviews with employees to gather qualitative insights on the impact of your efforts. This can provide valuable context to help you understand the reasons behind the data you’ve collected through surveys and metrics.

5. Exit interviews: When employees leave the company, conduct exit interviews to gather insights on their experiences and reasons for departure. This can help you identify any issues related to company culture that may need to be addressed.

6. Observations: As a manager, make a conscious effort to observe interactions and behaviors within your team. Take note of changes in team dynamics, collaboration, and general morale to gauge the effectiveness of your efforts.

7. Feedback from clients or customers: Gather feedback from clients or customers who interact with your employees. If your employees are happy, then this will be noticed by your customers.

Final Thoughts:

Improving company culture is an ongoing process that requires dedication and commitment from leaders and team members alike. 

By implementing these strategies and remaining attentive to the needs and well-being of your employees, you can cultivate a positive, thriving organizational culture that supports the success and happiness of everyone involved. And as we’ve seen during the pandemic, resilient and adaptive company culture is essential in navigating uncertain times and ensuring the long-term success of your organization.

If you think that you’re already doing what it takes to become a Most Loved Workplace®, then check out this page to certify your company in 5 easy steps – good luck! Or,  if you’d like to become a Most Loved Workplace and develop a culture where employees love to do their best work, then start the certification process today.