Risk & Business Magazine Hardenbergh Magazine - Fall 2019 | Page 14

COMPANY CULTURE
HOW TO CREATE A COHESIVE
COMPANY CULTURE
H
aving a job that pays well
and has good prospects
is no longer enough to
keep workers engaged and
committed. The millennial
generation is coming of age and expects
a workplace that contributes positively to
their work-life balance. Using dashboards at various levels
and giving individuals the freedom to
make their own decisions contributes
to a sense of ownership. Being trusted
to do the job and to work in a way that
draws upon each individual’s skills and
knowledge is extremely empowering and
leads to high levels of job satisfaction.
This means injecting fun into your
company culture, a feat which is possible
without affecting your bottom line. In
fact, research suggests that if you get
making work fun right, you can even
increase productivity and reduce staff
turnover as well as making work an
enjoyable environment. Here are a few
ideas about creating a cohesive company
culture to get you started. LEADING BY EXAMPLE
CREATING OWNERSHIP AT
EVERY LEVEL
Employees that feel connected to the
business at a personal level will be
far more committed and experience
job satisfaction too. This means
that management must be able to
demonstrate to each individual how he
or she fits into the bigger picture and why
their job is important.
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It’s very difficult to ask employees to
demonstrate certain behaviors if, as the
leader, you’re not willing to abide by the
same rules yourself. Whether it’s offering
transparent and clear communication or
acting with integrity and respect, if you
want to create a certain culture, you have
to lead by example.
Staff will respect a management team
that is committed to the same goals and
hold themselves accountable to the same
high standards they expect of their staff.
This creates a culture of everyone being
“on the same side” rather than an “us
versus them” mentality which can be so
damaging.
COMMUNICATE SMALL AND BIG NEWS
All too often, company communication
only occurs when there’s some big news
which needs to be conveyed, and this
can often be negative. Encouraging
two-way communication at all levels can
help to create a more open work culture,
removing some of the negativity.
Tools such as Slack or Google Hangouts
can help to improve communication in
companies which work across multiple
locations or where remote working is
permitted. Encourage individuals to
share information about their workloads,
projects, and successes, and you’ll find
the workforce will naturally become
more cohesive.
DON’T FORGET TO HAVE FUN!
While all of the above are important
aspects of creating the right culture,
injecting a little fun into the workplace is
the final piece of the puzzle. Whether it’s
low-level competitions or weekends away,
finding ways to peer behind the corporate
facade and getting to know each other on
a more personal level will inspire loyalty
and respect. This will lead to the highly
sought-after company culture that will
benefit one and all. +