How to Create a Positive Corporate Culture

Creating a positive corporate culture might be one of your top priorities in business. After all, as well as being important when it comes to reaching out to customers, this can play a key role in helping you to recruit and retain the best personnel. But how exactly do you go about forging the right culture for your company? Here, we take a look at some of the most effective ways to achieve this business holy grail. Have a clear vision for your company, and share it A positive corporate culture requires a clear vision, and so it’s vital that your company offers a compelling narrative. As part of this, you should create a strong brand story that sets out what your company stands for and wants to achieve. As well as communicating this message to your target market, make sure your employees hear it loud and clear. It should be encapsulated in everything from your training material to your marketing resources and social media messaging. Workers like to be able to see the bigger picture when they’re performing their roles and to know that their hard work is making a difference. Setting out a clear and well-articulated mission statement can serve as the basis of your business culture, so it’s well worth putting some careful thought into this. Provide a comfortable, flexible office space The chances are, your workers spend a lot of time in the office. This means there’s no room for second best when you’re designing your workspace. Poor quality furnishings and uninspiring décor can send a message to your employees that you don’t really value them and the work they do for your business. It can also make their working days unpleasant. In short, a badly planned office can spell disaster for morale. So, when you’re setting up your work area, think long and hard about what exactly it is you want to achieve, and make sure you choose quality fixtures and fittings. For example, ensure that your office chairs provide plenty of support and are comfy for people to use for long periods of time. When it comes to the layout of your workspace, think about how much flexibility you want your workers to have. Traditional open plan layouts represent an efficient use of space and they can encourage collaboration between members of staff. However, they can also lack privacy and they have a tendency to be noisy. To ensure your personnel have greater control over how and where they do their work, you could zone your office and create a number of different environments. For example, as well as conventional desk and seating areas, you could create more secluded spaces that offers people some peace and quiet. You could also provide a more relaxed social space where people can go to discuss ideas with their colleagues without disturbing others. Make sure your décor is spot on too. For example, your colour scheme should reflect your brand and make your workspace an attractive, appealing place to be. Extras like plants and pieces of artwork can also improve the look and feel of offices. Paying attention to office design details like these will reassure your employees that you value them and it should help them to work productively and in harmony with one another. Recognise hard word and achievement A positive corporate culture can only truly come about when personnel throughout a business – from the top to the bottom – feel that their contributions are valued. To ensure this is the case in your company, it’s vital that you recognise and reward hard work and achievement. From conducting regular and fair appraisals to reflecting workers’ efforts and successes in their positions and remuneration packages, there are a range of steps you can take. You can also go further by doing things like running ‘employee of the month’ awards and celebrating work anniversaries. It’s important for your managers to provide encouragement and praise on an ongoing, informal basis too. Give your employees opportunities to bond away from their desks Team building exercises can play an important role in promoting a healthy company culture. They give your staff members a chance to connect away from their desks and they can help to improve communication. Company events can also give your employees something to look forward to. There’s no shortage of activities to try out. From structured team building days that see your personnel come together to solve problems in a professional context to more relaxed social gatherings like sports events, charity fundraisers, quizzes and parties, you’ve got plenty of options. Getting your workers together away from the office like this doesn’t have to cost a fortune and it can have a hugely positive impact on morale and cohesiveness in your company. Encourage workers to share their concerns and ideas It’s also important to make sure that employees feel free to express themselves, their ideas and their concerns. By having an open-door policy that encourages your workers to reach out to their managers whenever they have something on their mind, you can ensure that a whole range of potential problems don’t simply pass under your radar. You may also find that you tap into a wealth of good ideas that can help to drive your business forward. Workers like to feel as though they are being listened to and that their opinions count for something, so by making it easy for them to speak to managers and get their thoughts across, you stand to raise morale and make your workplace a more constructive and harmonious place to be. There’s no getting around the fact that creating a positive corporate culture can take time and effort, and it’s not something you should expect to be able to do overnight. However, by adopting a holistic approach and focussing on everything from your company vision and brand messaging to your office design, you should be able to achieve your goal.