Your company culture should never be shallow. A company’s culture should reflect the values of its leadership and the goals it has set out to achieve, as well as be something employees feel proud to be part of every day. But what if your company culture hasn’t had this kind of depth? Is there hope for improvement? How can you avoid creating a shallow company culture in the first place? Here are some questions to ask yourself about your company culture, with suggestions on how to achieve greater depth.
Your company culture is a reflection of your brand—and if you’re not taking its importance seriously, you’re going to suffer in terms of employee retention and morale. When employees feel as though they aren’t a part of something bigger than themselves, turnover rates are higher. And when companies are working overtime to fill vacancies and find new candidates who can fit into their corporate culture, it ends up costing money that could be spent on other important aspects of business like marketing or sales.
How much does your company culture impact employee turnover and growth? If you’re not paying attention to it, it may be a big deal. Here’s why: Employees with a healthy workplace culture tend to stick around longer—meaning turnover is low—and feel more engaged in their jobs; according to Harvard Business Review, employees with high engagement are more than six times as likely to take an innovative approach at work as those who aren’t. On top of that, these workers are 16% more productive on average than people with low engagement scores. Shallow company cultures are terrible for companies and their employees.
Check out more turnover statistics here.
If turnover at your company is high, or if many employees are still on their initial probationary period after several months, it’s probably a sign that people don’t feel like they belong. High turnover is an expensive problem for companies; studies show that each new hire costs anywhere from 30 to 250 percent of that person’s annual salary to replace. With so much money being spent every time someone leaves, make sure you have a strong recruitment and retention program in place.
The starting point of a deep culture team is self-awareness. An understanding that each and every person who works for your company has been placed there to contribute their knowledge, creativity, and energy to further your mission. Whether you’re part of an entry-level position or a senior leadership team, it’s up to you to embody your company’s values in order to ensure everyone on your team feels fulfilled and motivated. But what does that mean, exactly? And how do you make sure that your company’s culture lives past its founders? Let’s get into some specifics:
‘How can I become a better leader?’ Leaders need to approach communication as something more than telling others about things they should do; rather, communicate using skills like listening, empathy, humility, and honesty.’ What are some common reasons why companies fail at fostering a productive team environment with employees feeling unmotivated at work?
Write down your company’s mission statement. What does it say about your company culture, and about you as a leader? Does it accurately capture who you are and what your organization stands for? We have to be intentional when developing our organizational identity, so we can attract employees that align with that identity. The first thing they see (and experience) is your company culture; so make sure that says everything you want it to say, in a positive way.
Find our more about the impact a great company culture has on productivity.