Creating and promoting a positive company culture within your organization will have benefits on how your company grows. A positive work environment will encourage your team to work more efficiently and to be more productive out of a desire to see the organization thrive. It’s important to note that maintaining a positive company culture over a long period of time requires putting consistent effort into this endeavor. Here are a few permanent changes you can make to sustain your organization’s positive culture.
Establish Your Organization’s Purpose and Philosophy
Before you can start working on creating a sustainable company culture, you will have to make sure everyone is on the same page. Talk to everyone in the organization to ensure they all understand the organization’s mission. Your mission statement should start by defining the purpose of your company and who it exists to serve. That will provide the foundation for creating goals, strategies, and values for meeting those goals. As you bring new hires into the organization, the onboarding process should include discussing these objectives with them. This ensures each new employee is on the same page as they enter the workplace and interact with your existing employees. Keeping everyone informed about the organization’s purpose and philosophy will ensure the company culture you create thrives over a longer period of time.
Maintain an Open Door Policy
It will also be necessary to establish an open-door policy that will exist for as long as you manage the company. In doing so, be sure to let your employees know that they can come to you with questions, concerns, and ideas. You should also recognize that you may have introverted employees who will be reluctant to come to you directly. For those employees, you can post a suggestion box near your office where those employees can drop notes that contain their comments or ideas. Try to make it as easy as possible for your employees to communicate with you about matters that affect them within the organization.
Discourage Toxic Behavior
It’s very easy to engage in toxic activities when you see others committing to the same types of behaviors. For example, when your employees see a couple of their co-workers engaged in workplace gossip, they will be more likely to join in on those types of toxic conversations. You should encourage your managers to take steps to prevent unwanted behaviors. At the very least, make sure your managers know that it’s unacceptable for them to participate in those behaviors or toxic conversations. If your employees see their leaders engaged in unwanted behavior, they will begin to think it’s okay for them to do so as well.
Encourage Ownership
You’ll breed negativity and mistrust if you micromanage your employees. Instead, give them the training and guidance they need to understand your expectations of them before setting them free to find their own methods of working efficiently. Let them try out their own ideas and encourage them to use their creativity in solving any challenges that arise. While you want them to know that you’re available for help and guidance, you should leave them with enough independence to work in ways that are best for them. By empowering your employees in this way, you’ll be encouraging a positive working environment that will be more efficient.
Embody the Qualities You Value
You should also strive to exemplify the qualities that you want your employees to possess. It will be up to you to set a good example for your managers and your workers. If you make a conscious effort to show your employees what you expect of them, they will work harder to meet those expectations. However, you should keep in mind that the opposite is just as true. If your employees see you violating your own safety precautions, they will take shortcuts around safety as well. If they see that you’re not wearing a hard hat in areas that require them, don’t be surprised to find your employees failing to wear their own PPE in those areas. When you lead by example, you’ll get the result you expect, and the workplace culture will maintain a more positive atmosphere.
You should consistently look for new ways to improve your company culture. If you run out of ideas, involve your employees in the process. They may have ideas for improving the company’s culture that you haven’t considered. You can implement their good ideas to help your work environment thrive, and that will bring greater growth to your business.
