Your turnover numbers are through the roof. You and your fellow executives are consistently trying to find leaks and stop them – Being forced to be more reactive than proactive. There aren’t any overly negative feedback surveys, and everyone smiles when you walk by. What could possibly be the problem?
If this thought process sounds familiar, your business is likely in need of a company culture revamp, rebuilding of trust, and an alignment of leadership. In my travels through the corporate world, I’ve seen companies struggle with culture issues and have encountered plenty of toxic work environments. This is an issue many workplaces are experiencing, and taking actionable steps towards bettering your employees quality of life is critical to talent retention. There is no immediate, overnight solution for this. However, responding actionably will not only boost company morale, but also confidence in the workplace.
Positive Company Culture Recipe
One of the core ingredients in the positive company culture recipe is active, attentive listening to employees. You cannot crave innovative, groundbreaking solutions in one breath then disapprove of new ideas the next. I believe fostering an environment where employees can succeed is comfortable, while fostering an environment where they can fail is courageous. No one ever evolved following a mirrored path to their predecessors. If personnel encourages room to grow, conversations will begin to flow. Mistakes will inevitably be made, but learning will intervene. Confrontation is more beneficial to progress than complacency. While I can admit you won’t always like what you hear, responding versus reacting to honest employee feedback develops trust and improves company culture.
As I previously suggested, accepting constructive criticism from employees is necessary, but what you do with that feedback is vital to improving company culture. Companies often offer employer evaluations to personnel only to overlook the assessments as soon as they’re collected. Disregarding this data diminishes trust and protests typically advertised company values. Reiterating feedback to the associate(s) and collaboratively exploring resolution is a great way to demonstrate your dedication to the employee experience.
Finally, recognition of an employee’s success is just as important as their failure. Despite what AI and ChatGPT is leading us to believe, organizations are only as strong as the people they employ. If the only time you acknowledge an employee’s work is when you’re passing through with a metaphorical fire extinguisher, you’re setting a disappointing precedent. Ideally, personnel will correlate your presence with connection and as a member of their professional network, not as their adversary. Trust is a two way street between the employer and the employee. Establishing this trust with appropriate recognition or acknowledgment structures will boost company morale and personnel’s passion toward organizational values.
Conclusion
As best said by LAK President and Managing Partner Michael Grubich, “Culture is why talent comes to your company. And it’s how you keep talent in your company…” Company culture is a critical aspect of any organization’s talent retention and longevity initiatives. The majority of employees measure respect in the workplace by how they are listened to by colleagues and supervisors alike. A pattern of cheekiness will have a drastic, negative impact on the culture of an organization, so finding balance in leadership is a critical component. Attentive listening, encouraging constructive criticism from employees, and recognizing your workforce’s human advantage are integral aspects of putting your company’s culture on the map. Inspire your leaders, anchor your organization, and shape evolving mindsets with LAK’s company culture initiatives. Feel free to contact me about how LAK can improve your culture and transform your business.