Strengthen Your Company with These Building Blocks of Corporate Culture
Successful businesses across numerous industries are all finding the same thing: a strong company culture can go a long way. Zappo’s, for example, credits their corporate culture for a 5% employee turnover rate and a 75% customer return rate. Tech startup SumAll credits their culture for a massive talent application pool, which allows them to cherry-pick new hires with the experience, skills, and personality necessary for success. Hospital call center experts BerylHealth used their corporate culture to situate themselves as a premium provider, drumming up increased business and profits.
Beyond the measurable effects of strong corporate culture, there are more personal benefits, too. A strong identity can help employees feel like a part of a larger, meaningful organization, and can reduce the feelings of alienation, stagnation, and frustration that can often occur from spending one’s days in an office environment. And of course, when employees feel better about where they work, they tend to be more productive.
Growing Your Corporate Culture
Looking to build your company culture, but not sure where to start? These building blocks provide a strong foundation to expand upon.
- Define yourself. The first step to building a corporate culture is deciding exactly what you want that culture to look like. Identify your priorities and values, figure out how your business model fits into your desired culture, and strategize ways that you can turn abstract culture into actual practice.
- Encourage open communication.Culture is only possible when the whole company comes together to create it, and one of the best ways to foster this togetherness is to value each person’s input. Transparent management also goes a long way toward keeping everyone in the loop and ensuring that even entry-level employees feel like part of the decision-making process.
- Celebrate success. Positivity is one of the shared traits of many of the successful start-ups (and some more established companies) noted for their strong company cultures. Take every opportunity to praise employees, turn every mistake into a teachable moment, and reward hard work and results.
- Hire for your culture. Personality is often overlooked during the hiring process, but you can’t build a culture without employees who support it! Search for talent with the skills and experience you need and a shared sense of values.
- Have some fun. Some companies are known for the break room air hockey tables and on-staff massage therapists. While you don’t necessarily need to take those routes, make sure that your employees have opportunities throughout the day to relax and take breaks. Performance goes up when employees feel positively about their environment!
Corporate cultures don’t just spring up out of nowhere – they take innovation, effort, and a willingness to shake things up to truly work. But if you’re willing to invest in the spirit of your company, you may be pleasantly shocked at the results!
