A recent study showed that 69% of people listed company culture as the main reason for leaving their current employer. While salary increases are also a major factor, budgetary constraints may not allow for this. What you can control is how people feel about working for you. Below are five tips to follow to cultivate a positive work culture for your staff.
Facilitate Monthly and Quarterly Engagement Activities
A lot of time is spent at work. While productivity is a top priority, you need to allow your team to let loose and have fun. Engagement activities can be as simple as getting breakfast for the team or ordering tacos on National Taco Day. Small things go a long way in showing your team you care about their well being
Another great way to engage your team is to have a quarterly “Go-Giver” activity. This goal is to give back to your local community as a group. This team-building exercise enforces a positive outlook, making them proud of the organization they work for and their contributions. These activities can be as simple as making sandwiches for a local homeless shelter or donating coats in the winter. Choose something your entire team can do collectively. Pick a specific cause to get behind that aligns with the core values of your organization.
Celebrate Achievements with Quarterly Rewards and Recognition
Recognize the hard work of your team on a quarterly basis, highlighting individual key players that made a significant contribution. People want to know their efforts are being noticed, and this helps enforce that feeling.
Reboots reward the team as a whole and should have an element of team building. Bring everyone together to do something fun and recognize the great work done by the entire team. You don’t need to spend a lot of money. Do something that your team will find value in so they feel appreciated. Some ideas include office Olympics, trivia night, or bowling. Get your team together in a way that’s not related to their day-to-day responsibilities.
At IT By Design, we like doing rewards & recognition along with a reboot the first week or two after the close of the quarter. It’s a great way to bring everyone together to wind down and get motivated for the upcoming quarter.
Have Consistent Internal Communications
Create an internal newsletter that goes out once a month to recap everything that’s happened within the organization over the last 30 days. Talk about what’s happening within the company, including any corporate documents, videos, or marketing collateral that you released, pictures from engagement activities, reboots, or rewards and recognition. We like to include a brief message from a member of leadership, inspirational quotes, birthdays, work anniversaries, and new hires. Take this as an opportunity to highlight the positive things happening within your organization. Be your brand ambassador and highlight all the great things your company is doing. Spend some time concentrating on what’s good to reinforce a positive environment.
Highlight Your Team and Your Culture on Social Media
Use social media to highlight your team and your organization. For instance, call attention to a team member with #TeammateTuesday. This allows you to acknowledge someone every week for their contributions. You can also share photos of all your engagement activities. Another great idea is to record testimonials from team members allowing them to share their experiences working at your organization. As a result, your employees will respond to seeing their pictures on your social media sites and will appreciate the positive reinforcement not only from you but from their peers.
Keep it Consistent!
Don’t start something if you’re not fully committed to consistently executing it. Assign specific responsibilities to members of your HR team. This ensures things are done consistently, fairly, and in a timely manner. Create a plan and stick with it! Success happens, but it takes time to get everyone behind your efforts. If you’re not consistent, you’re starting from the ground over and over again. Consistency will also build a level of trust and added respect from your team, motivating them to be productive members of your organization.
