When you think about things that have the most impact on how employees feel about being at work, what comes to mind? Pay and benefits are toward the top of the list, to be sure, but they aren’t everything. Workplace culture can have a huge impact on job satisfaction. So what can you do to help shape it?
Model the Right Behavior
Behavior helps shape culture. Sometimes the best thing you can do to help cultivate the ideal culture for your workplace is to be an example of the sort of behavior that fits in with that culture. When employees see top-level management modeling the right behaviors, they’ll be more inclined to follow suit. Pay attention to the energy you put out, the words you choose, your body language, and the tone of your voice. That, along with your work ethic and how you choose to use your time at work will help employees see what the expectations are and how to meet them.
Company Events
If you want to create a certain vibe or energy within your company, holding company events can be a great way to facilitate that. Company events give employees a chance to mingle and chat with each other and with those at different levels of the company. Decide if you want to create a more relaxed atmosphere or one that is more charged with energy. The setting, lighting, and entertainment you have will all play into the feeling of the event and the culture you want to establish. Don’t make the mistake of not having any sort of entertainment at your event. Entertainment at your work function will keep people relaxed and around for longer. That gives you a better chance to solidify your ideal workplace culture.
Influence Policies, Procedures, and Practices
The policies, procedures, and practices upheld by your workplace may seem like they have more to do with the day-to-day goings-on than company culture, but their impact can be felt there as well. They can influence how formal or casual a company feels, how supportive employees perceive the company to be regarding the work-life balance, and the drive to achieve more. Figure out how policies, procedures, and practices currently influence your workplace culture and then decide what changes, if any, should be made to bring everything more in line with what the culture should be like.
Of course, before you start trying to shape the culture at your workplace, it’s important to first understand what you want that culture to be like. Take some time to get a feel for what the current workplace culture is and compare that to how you want it to be. From there, you can start to strategize how to help shape it to be in better alignment with your ideal workplace culture.
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