Your company culture is key to the success, productivity and prosperity of your organization and the people that work for it. If your employees are in a culture where they feel supported and valued, it will bring out the best in them. Also, since talented employees won’t settle for a company culture that doesn’t foster their success, your company culture is an important tool for attracting top talent. A good company culture should reduce work stress, not add to it, and it should guide employees in making decisions on their own for the business. Here are five ways to improve your company culture to attract and retain talent:
1) Increase Transparency
For your employees to feel they are an important piece of the puzzle in your company operations, it’s important to be transparent when it comes to what’s going on in the company, what issues the company is facing and what decisions need to be made. One of the most important ways to improve your company culture is to foster a workplace where employees feel that their opinions are valued as well as the work they do. Since you never know where you can find the best answers to your business’s challenges, management shouldn’t be the only ones with a voice about business challenges.
2) Give Employees Autonomy
The best employees out there want to know that they can have breathing room to accomplish their work. They don’t want to be micromanaged; they are already hard working and will bring you the results they need. One of the ways to improve your company culture to attract and retain talent is to focus more on the results of their work and allow them to relax and take control of the process they use t0 achieve the results. A culture of trust leads to happier and more productive employees.
3) Provide Work Flexibility
According to a recent study from Microsoft, 71% of employees say work-life balance is the most important aspect of their job. Employees that have work flexibility are usually more productive, more engaged on the job, and have better relationships with managers and co-workers. One of the ways to improve your company culture to attract and retain top talent is to consult with your employees about their needs for work flexibility. Are they interested in telecommuting part-time? Do they have children and would appreciate having one afternoon a week off to attend their sports games and activities, and can work longer another day to make it up? Also, to avoid employee burnout, managers should encourage your employees to take the vacation time they need by setting an example and remembering to take their own vacations.
4) Encourage unity and collaboration
An article from the Kissmetrics blog brings attention to the fact that many CEOs are now referring to their employees as a “team” to encourage a culture of teamwork where everyone feels united and willing to help each other. To bring your team closer and create a culture of collaboration, show that you care about your employees. Plan team outings and charity events to help your employees get to know each other outside of work. Also, one of the ways to improve your company culture and encourage collaboration is to make sure that the same rules apply to everyone in the company. Company perks should apply to all departments and positions, not just to management.
5) Encourage communication
To improve your company culture to attract and retain talent, show that you value communication by making top level management approachable. Check in with employees regularly to make sure there aren’t any issues they are having with their work that need to be addressed. Have an open-door policy where employees can come to you with any challenges or conflicts they are experiencing in the workplace, so these issues can be resolved before they get out of hand. Show employees it’s ok to ask for help, that they can learn from mistakes and that you are willing to provide them any tools they need to improve their work performance.
Author: Jessica Cody
Jessica Cody, a native of Fairfield County, Connecticut, has a background in online marketing and public relations. Currently, she works at VHMNetwork LLC in the role of Marketing Analyst. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she studied Journalism and Political Science. She is also an avid runner with a passion for the outdoors.
