While running a successful and growing business, business owners, executives, and the human resources team are constantly pulled in many directions. For the company to survive expansion, building a team that can be trusted when work needs to be delegated is crucial. Sometimes, leaders can struggle with finding the right people to add to the team, and when they do bring on new team members, they want to ensure they understand the company and stay engaged with its goals. One of the best ways to help with these processes is to clearly define a workplace culture. Defining and developing a positive workplace culture will directly impact your team’s well-being and, therefore, the overall success of your organization.
The Foundation: A Positive Workplace Culture
A positive workplace culture serves as the bedrock for employee satisfaction and productivity. A strong culture makes seemingly intangible things, such as collaboration or motivation, become the things that drive your company. When developing a culture, there are both concrete tasks to complete and abstract concepts that should guide the processes. Here are some crucial elements to consider:
1. Define Your Core Values:
The most important practice that a founder, owner, executive, or HR team member can do to define a company culture is to define the company’s core values. The goal of the practice should be to clearly articulate the values that guide the organization. The values must be more than just words on a wall — they should be the ideals that you find permeate every decision and action. They should be succinct so that they do not belabor every decision. Instead, they should provide guidance and a context through which the rest of the team can understand the decision or solution.
2. Recognition and Appreciation:
Now that the core values have been defined, it’s time to launch the culture and discuss how to make it catch on and grow. The first step is to keep your core values in mind when hiring. In interviews, look for the ideals important to the company culture and recognize potential employees who embody those values. As you continue to build out the team, regularly acknowledge and appreciate solutions, decisions, and employees that align with the core values. Reinforcing the hard work and achievements of your team members who follow the core values and epitomize the company culture promotes further buy-in from those employees. Seeing what employees get celebrated for is a good example to other employees who will be faced with similar situations. The recognition and appreciation will boost morale and motivation and in the end, these positive ideals will become synonymous with the company culture.
3. Be Open To Evolution
Inevitably, on the way to building a successful company, the company will have to pivot at one point or another. This flexibility to evolve should be an essential piece of the culture and apply to the culture itself. We’ll talk in the future in more detail about employee engagement, but if your culture fosters open communication, you allow your employees to mold the culture in a way that becomes even more beneficial. Encourage transparent and open communication at all levels. When employees feel heard and valued, they are more likely to engage actively in their work and contribute to the company’s success.
4. Embrace Diversity and Inclusion:
The final step to creating a positive company culture is to celebrate diversity in all its forms. A diverse workforce brings varied perspectives and ideas, enriching your workplace culture. Ensure that your policies and practices promote an inclusive environment that leaves the door open to solutions that may have not previously come to light.
The Link to Health Benefits
Every executive decision should consider the company’s culture when weighing the decision. As a health benefits company, we are vested in how your employee benefits package affects culture. Let’s discuss briefly how your benefits package, specifically the health benefits, plays a pivotal role in supporting workplace culture.
One goal in many successful company cultures is the focus on employees. Employees who feel that their well-being is prioritized are more likely to be engaged and committed. It goes a long way if it’s clear that the health benefits plan has been tailored to the employee and not just built around saving the company money. A company should offer health benefits catering to its workforce’s diverse needs. Creating a customized package ensures employees feel valued and supported in their health and wellness journey.
Conclusion
Investing in a positive workplace culture and employee engagement is not just an altruistic endeavor — it’s a strategic move that pays dividends in the form of a motivated, productive, and loyal team. A thriving workplace culture is the cornerstone of a successful and sustainable business.
If you have any questions or want to explore how our health benefits solutions can complement your workplace initiatives, don’t hesitate to reach out. Here’s to building a workplace where every individual can flourish and contribute to the collective success of your organization!
In a future blog post, we will investigate how to enhance and grow company culture through employee engagement.