How to Improve Company Culture
Deanna deBara
If you want your company to thrive, it has to be a place that people want to work—and a lot of that is tied to your company culture.
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According to Jobvite’s 2019 Job Seeker Nation Survey, nearly 40 percent of workers say company culture is “very important”—and if your culture isn’t up to par, it could prevent you from hiring and retaining top talent. According to a 2018 study from global staffing firm Robert Half, 35 percent of workers would turn down the perfect job if they felt the culture fit wasn’t a match. The 2018 Employee Retention Report from management platform TINYPulse found that employees who weren’t on board with their company’s culture were 24 percent more likely to leave for another opportunity.
In recent years, corporate culture has been linked to perks like catered lunches, kombucha on tap, and ping-pong tables in the break room. But in reality, it’s so much more than that—and if you want to build a corporate culture that attracts and retains top talent, you need to infuse a meaningful culture into every aspect of your organization.
But how, exactly, do you do that? Let’s take a look at how to improve company culture—and build that kind of culture within your organization that will attract the top talent in your industry (and keep them with your company for the long term):
Focus on onboarding.
One of the core elements of any thriving corporate culture is setting up employees for success from day one. So, if you want to improve your company culture, start with your onboarding process.
Offering a comprehensive onboarding process can help drive employee engagement from the very start. According to SilkRoad’s 2017 State of Talent Report, 53 percent of human resources professionals surveyed reported increased employee engagement levels when they worked on improving their onboarding process.
And that engagement can have hugely positive effects on your company. According to the 2017 Gallup State of the American Workplace Report, engaged employees are 17 percent more productive, have 41 percent lower absenteeism, and drive 10 percent higher customer satisfaction metrics than disengaged. Organizations with engaged employees outperform competitors with a less-engaged workforce by an impressive 202 percent.
Bottom line? Building a company culture that ensures your team is set up for success is crucial for attracting top talent and ensuring they’re engaged with their work. To create that culture, you need a reliable onboarding process.
Offer your team flexibility…
When employees are considering a job offer—and whether that company has the right culture for them—flexibility plays a huge role. According to a 2019 survey from FlexJobs, 69 percent of respondents cited “flexible work options” as the most important factor when evaluating a job prospect.
So, if you want to improve your company culture, offering more flexibility to your team is a great place to start.
Flexible work options can go a long way in building a corporate culture that attracts top talent.
Offering more flexibility to your employees can also help you keep that talent with your company. According to the FlexJobs survey, a whopping 80 percent said they would be more loyal to their employers if they offered flexible work options—and 30 percent have walked away from a company because they didn’t provide a flexible work schedule.
So, if you want to improve your corporate culture, look for ways to infuse more flexibility. Things like allowing your team to work remotely or to set their work hours a few days a week can go a long way in building the kind of culture that makes people want to work at your company—and will help you attract and retain the type of talent you need to take your business to the next level.
…and the space and opportunity to grow.
Flexibility is an essential aspect of company culture—but just as important? Allowing your employees to learn, evolve, and grow in their careers.
According to the Jobvite survey, growth opportunities are the most critical factor when looking for a new job, with 61 percent of respondents putting it at the top of the list of things they’re looking for when evaluating a new opportunity.
So, if you want to improve your company culture, it’s not enough to just hire great employees—you need to foster their growth as well.
For example, when you hire a new team member, incorporate an employee development conversation into your onboarding to discuss their career goals and how they’d like to grow within your organization—and then create a plan to help get them there. Invest in regular training and educational opportunities for your team. Recognize top performers within your organization—and make sure you’re regularly giving them new responsibilities and opportunities to grow into more senior roles.
The point is, when you hire someone, you’re hiring them at a specific moment in their career—but if you want them to stay with your organization, you need to make helping them grow their career to new heights a priority—and a crucial part of your corporate culture.
Have a strong corporate mission—and get your employees on board.
At the core, your company culture is about who you are and what you stand for as a company—and if you want to build the strongest team, having a strong corporate mission (besides making money for your business) is a non-negotiable.
According to the TINYPulse report, employees who believe their company has a higher purpose outside of profits are 27% more likely to stay with the organization. This is even if they were offered a higher salary elsewhere (employees who believe their company had a higher purpose were 24 percent less likely to quit for a 10% salary increase).
If you’re not sure what your corporate mission is, consider it your top priority in improving your corporate culture. Who are you as a company? What are your foundational beliefs? What do you stand for—and how are you making your industry (and the world) a better place?
Having clear answers to these questions—and communicating that mission to your employees—is a great way to improve your company culture (and ensure your team is invested in your organization’s success in the process).
Get out there and improve your company culture.
Strong company culture is essential in building and retaining a high-quality team. And now that you know exactly how to improve your company culture, all that’s left to do? Get out there and build the kind of culture that makes people want to work for your business!
