A good company culture has the ability to take a good business to great, and in the eleven steps I have highlighted below, I believe that if you get close to matching up to 70% of them, you are in a pretty good place.

The one thing I’m very passionate about, is outdated compliance check, wellbeing solutions. Mental health deserves far more than a ambulance at the bottom of the hill approach and as mentioned above, if you can follow the below steps and be honest with yourself, I tip my hat to you.

 

1.   Self-awareness

You have a company culture right now but understanding whether it’s a good or bad one is the place to start. No matter what industry you are in, future employees want to feel like the environment is a professional one, even if you wear casual workwear all year round.

A.     Ask the uncomfortable questions

i.         Survey the whole company and ask for feedback

ii.         Display feedback to all – Transparency is key

iii.        Have clear objectives in place to move forward

 

2.   New Employment Basics

New employees will talk about this experience forever if it’s not a good one. They might talk about it if it’s a great experience, but a poor start will mean that you need to make up ground, and if management drop the ball from the get-go, you shouldn’t expect the other employees to pick up the scraps.

Show true professionalism from the start by getting the paperwork and compliance ‘must dos’ in such a way that it sets a standard.

Be a positive reflection of the people you want to build relationships with, and no matter what, first impressions do count.

 

A.     Deliver an organized onboarding program

i.         Employment agreements and company policies delivered and followed up before day one.

ii.         Meet and greet in person to create a welcomed feeling

iii.        Establish objectives and key performance indicators

 

3.   De-robot

Relationships are the most important part to building a team that wants to move in the same direction as your values and mission statements. Agile management will treat each employee like the individual they are. You hire people for a skill set they are strong in, but part of the hiring process is making sure that they fit into the group culture as well, so allowing them to shine means letting them be themselves.

The human factor in growing a strong company culture can never be underestimated in our forever growing, technology-based world.

Lastly, as a leader, show that even you have people to go to when you get stuck. A new employee wants to feel comfortable when they under pressure and haven’t built up solid relationships within the company.

 

A.     Seek to understand

i.         Capabilities check completed

ii.         Allow for their personality to come out

iii.        Show vulnerability as a strength

 

4.   Dealing with internal issues

Whatever size company you have, there will always be issues that need to be dealt with correctly.

 

No matter what problems you have internally, have a process in place and stick to them. People will always question how they were treated against another similar issue, so sticking to your system means that there can never be a factor of bias.

A.     Listen and ask good questions

i.         Have a process in place

ii.        Never stray away from it

iii.       Treat everyone the same

 

5.   Strategy and alignment

Clarity in the direction you want to move towards will help your team align themselves correctly. Every business will go through the below phases depending on the current environment, competition or stress levels.

 

Third party involvement can be a very worthwhile investment when it comes to certain aspects of culture. Good examples would be a financial sector having an interior designer coming in to create a better working environment by utilizing space, greenery and pictures.

Childcare facilities or any industry could have a wellbeing specialist look after their employees.

 

A.     Clarity kills uncertainty

i.         Growth

ii.        Consolidation

iii.       Innovation

iv.        Mixture of all with clarity on when and how – focus

 

6.   Problem solving

If you have employee’s, you are going to be faced with problems, behaviors, emotions, and cultural dis-alignment will be stress tested along the way. It’s not just the human side you will deal with, sometimes technology will let you down and all problems need to be solved in a manner that builds confidence is your culture.

Inconsistency with your company values and workplace culture will rot the group from the inside out, so learn to deal with these issues swiftly, ethically and focus on the wider group, not just the individual or the system in question.

 

Maintaining a strong company culture can be strengthened with your ability to deal with the issues face on, with good integrity, character and emotional control.

 

A.     Get the full picture

i.         Hear the issues

ii.         Questions the intentions

iii.        Communicate where the values and culture don’t align

iv.        Clear next steps

 

7.   Pressure valve check

A solid company culture needs to be checked just as much as your car needs an oil change. Principals and standards must be kept and aligned under stress. Resilience in life is about dealing with harder times, in hard times.

Step up and do not let standards slip when the dial starts to hit the red zone. This is where management manage, with the help of good systems and clear objectives.

If you start to take short cuts under pressure, the chances are it will make tough times tougher, in the future.

 

Sweeping dust under a rug might make you seem like you have done the work, but it hasn’t fixed the problem. Leadership development twice a year through team building or personal development courses are an investment for company culture.

 

A.     Management Personal Development

i.         Reset standards

ii.        Calm exterior – clear interior

iii.       Objectives check in

8.   Autonomy

Micromanaging is a thing of the past but can be part of the process to bring up the capabilities of individuals when needed.

 

Fostering the attitude of trust and support right from the start is telling your people that you believe in them.

Words like: Let me know what you need from me to make you happy, and I will support and develop you along your journey.

Growing a group of employees that will go above and beyond for your company is more than just paying them well, your culture will determine if and why they do so.

 

A.     Belief

i.         Be available

ii.        Provide training and support

iii.       Tell them when they do well

 

9.   Health and safety

Safety in today’s world should be the top priority and a key component to your culture. The best businesses I have been involved in start and finish with it at every group discussion. Underlining the importance of this both verbally, and through clear strategic measures..

 

The overall health of your employees will either be a clear advantage or disadvantage to your long-term objectives. Mental health directly affects performance both professionally and personally, and measures should be in place where your team feels like they are being listened to when stressed and overwhelmed.

Compliance is not good enough when it comes to your employee’s health and safety, the ticking of the wellness box and ‘they have the options to call someone’ is a very outdated approach.

 

A.     Proactive updated solutions

i.         Safety first

ii.        Collective and individual health solutions

iii.       Proactive not reactive solutions

 

10.      Integrity

The word integrity means matching your words with your actions and all too often it’s a theme that gets slapped up on the corporate wall because it tells your potential clients you have good values.

 

Authenticity is another word that gets thrown around a lot and closely related to integrity, but when they are followed through in a group culture setting, this provides a spine of a company that shows great strength and support.

When your team feels supported, the culture of the group and work ethic builds alignment. More leaders appear and your organization strengthens from the inside out.

 

A.     Follow through

i.         Do what you say

ii.        Delegate and support when needed

iii.       Grow more leaders within your group

 

11.      Plant seeds and nurture your culture

Culture will not be bought, it will not be led by one individual or one department, and it most certainly can’t be left up to your HR (if you have one?).

 

Just like the best crops available to us, it must be organic and become the way that (insert your company name here) acts and turns up every week, month and year.

 

Not everyone will like your culture, but a big part of this is about getting #2 correct and hiring the right people who get the movement you are installing into this team.

When people opt out because of the way you are folding the new culture into your group, shake their hand and thank them for their service, this is a very good thing moving forward.

In the next ten years, a lot of the old school, company catch ups once a year will be outdated and more will need to be done to stay ahead of the game in retaining top employees, and part of this will be the strength of your company culture.

Just like getting an individual healthier, it’s never just one thing that you need to focus on, but if you do focus on one thing, it will always be the environment that provide so that your team feel happy and supported.

 

A.     Water and Sunshine

i.        Build it slowly

ii.         Allow people to opt out

iii.        Think about the future of your business

 

Got any questions or want to build a better company culture?

E: info@mvcorporatehealth.com

Matt Vaughan