In the modern workplace, a positive culture is not a nice to have — it’s a must have. With the majority of employees expecting their employers to value their well-being, constantly invigorating company culture is an imperative investment in both your people and your bottom line. By regularly evaluating your efforts, planning, intentionality, and overall benefits, employees can experience a positive workplace culture that supports their needs, and in turn, the success of your business.
Understanding The Impact Of Positive Culture
A company creates a positive workplace culture through its policies, beliefs, and values which guide the behavior of its employees. This encourages an environment in which each employee can thrive.
According to an American Psychological Association (APA) study, 92% of workers want their employers to value their overall well-being. However, this same study showed that 55% of workers feel their employer perceives their company culture to be more positive than it actually is. What’s more, 57% of workers reported experiencing negative impacts due to work stress. It’s clear that culture can positively or negatively impact both employee and employer, showing that the resources an employer may expend to strengthen their culture is money well spent.
Five Ways To Improve Workplace Culture
The U.S. Surgeon General’s office published The Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being for employers wanting to build a positive work culture. Employers can use this framework as a starting place to build customized solutions that work for them. Here’s how:
- Create A Physically And Mentally Safe Work Environment
Unsafe work environments, which include both physical workspaces and also the emotional environment, can impact an employee’s health and wellness. Almost 70% of people say their supervisors have a greater impact on their mental health than their therapist or behavioral health provider. Successful employers offer manager trainings that cover topics like inclusive and compassionate leadership styles, collaboration and change skills, as well as risk management education.
- Strengthen Employee Connections And Sense Of Community
Facilitated trainings and localized team exercises aimed at collaboration create a sense of community and foster efficiency. Managers know their direct reports best, which means they can often tailor team building efforts to their needs. More creative options could include virtual escape rooms, icebreaker quizzes, sales exercises, or community service events.
- Promote Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance offers employees the flexibility to meet both their work and personal demands. Outlining and respecting time off policies, workday breaks, and wellness days are a great way for employers to encourage this balance. Similarly, offering a hybrid work model gives employees the ability to better manage their in-office time. Employers can also offer benefits like an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for whole-health support. An EAP offers resources that can help employees with life stressors so they can more easily bring their focus back to work.
- Show Each Employee That Their Contribution Matters
Acknowledging small wins — in addition to the more obvious larger ones — is a quick win that can have a long-lasting impact on how employees feel about their contributions. Each employee is different, and embracing that diversity is also key to showing them their work matters. At an enterprise level, employers can establish performance goals and communications to connect employees to the overarching mission and goals of the company, so they feel part of the work and results.
- Develop Your People
When companies provide avenues for development, studies show employees are more engaged, productive, and likely to stay. Companies offering personal and professional training programs were also found to be significantly more profitable. While career advancement isn’t always possible, creating a culture of learning, constructive feedback, inclusion, and development shows that a company is invested in helping their employees thrive. When employees feel they are supported in this way, their productivity and loyalty increases.
Increasing Value And Driving Business Outcomes
As companies grow and evolve, keeping culture top of mind is important. A positive work culture that supports overall health and wellness is essential to worker satisfaction. Meeting the needs and expectations of employees in this way enables them to successfully contribute to their company’s bottom-line — making people one of the greatest workplace investments an employer can have.