What an effective workplace culture looks like
There's much to be said about the correlation between employee happiness and productivity. The majority of research suggests that the most likely way to prevent your employees from experiencing dissatisfaction in their roles and falling behind schedule is by keeping your company's workplace culture in check.
Workplace culture can be defined as the "personality of your organisation". It’s the values, attitudes, traditions and behaviours upheld by your company, and how they apply to and influence employees.
Google is a company that is seen to have exemplary workplace culture – creative-enhancing and productivity-inducing; it’s believed their staff perks include free massages, gym memberships and gourmet food, as well as liberal use of pool tables and bowling alleys, among other things.
Of course, Google is worth billions, so they're able to be a little more lavish in their approach and application, but that's not to say you can't get creative at your own company to keep your employees stimulated and satisfied in their roles.
There are many cost-effective ways to keep an effective workplace culture alive and keep staff happy:
Employee recognition
The rewards for recognition of employee effort are commonly offered in the form of the seasonal staff party, casual Fridays, free parking, extended lunch breaks or early sign-outs, 'thank you' notes, vouchers, friendly office competitions, and even work phones and company cars in certain roles.
There’s no single template for how often to reward your employees, as obviously this is dependent upon each employee, but offering regular weekly or monthly office-wide perks is a good incentive to remind employees that they are valued and encourage them to keep striving in their roles.
No official work hours
Many employers today allow staff to choose their start and finish times, provided it's between sensible hours. Letting employees complete their nine hours within a time frame that both suits their lifestyle and allows sufficient time for contacting people during standard business hours works in the best interests of the company.
Training and development
Given the rapid advancement of technology, it seems unwise to overlook the necessity for in-house training and development. Keeping staff up to date with the processes around them is a good way to improve efficiency, measure performance, and encourage positive relationships within the workplace.
Skills that can be enhanced are split into two categories: hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills impact work productivity directly, for example, being up to date with new technology systems, while soft skills are the interpersonal skills that influence office morale.
What positive workplace culture results in:
- Attracting and retaining top talent
- Employee loyalty
- Improved engagement and performance
- Improved office morale
- Measurable business results
- The ability to manage people better.