Changing Your Company Culture
Organizations across the country have undergone massive change in the last year. From switching to a partial or full-time remote workforce, to being more flexible with hours for employees who had found their lives turned upside down due to the global pandemic, the way we work changed. Now, as organizations begin calling people back to the office and life seems to be switching “back to normal,” companies are looking to rebuild, maintain, or enhance their culture to meet the changed expectations of their employees.
Maintaining — or improving — company culture looks different now than it did before simply because employee expectations and realities have changed. To keep up with those expectations, leaders and organizations need to be ready to adapt — read on to find out how to maintain a positive company culture after a year of extreme change.
Be Flexible
Many employees found that they not only were capable of working from home, but that they really enjoyed it, too. Recent surveys showed that 40% of Americans prefer to work from home full-time, while 35% prefer a hybrid model. For reasons ranging from avoiding long commutes to the freedom to spend their lunch hour with loved ones, workers are reluctant to let go of work-from-home policies.
For the sake of your company culture, employee happiness and retention rates, don’t automatically count these more flexible work policies out—if your employees have proved that they can handle a hybrid working model throughout the pandemic, consider giving a permanent, more flexible policy a shot. This doesn’t just apply to working from home—employees have more of an appetite for benefits like flex hours, hybrid work policies, and the like than ever before. Maintaining a positive company culture means working with your employees and meeting them where they are whenever you can.
Communicate positively and effectively
Communicating effectively remains one of the most important tenets of having a positive company culture. With workforces more spread out, leaders need to be incredibly intentional about the way they communicate. It’s important that everyone is receiving the same message, whether they’re in office or working from home.
Beyond day-to-day communications about company initiatives or projects, it’s important to take time to check in with your employees about themselves, too —make sure they’re doing okay both in and out of the office, and your company culture will reap the benefits. Additionally, it’s important to remember that communication goes both ways—listening is just as important as speaking .
Recognize your employees
It’s important to recognize the effort that your employees put in for your organization. In the past year, people have had to cope with previously unknown amounts of stress while they continued to work throughout the global pandemic, and whether you realized it or not, many people combatted some high-level burnout to keep themselves pushing forward. Recognize what people have gone through, and the work they’re putting in for the organization — genuine recognition and appreciation helps motivate a workforce.
Interested in working with a coach to improve your company culture? Reach out here for a complimentary coaching session!