Products, marketing, even the most innovative ideas can be duplicated in any business or industry. So, what is it that makes one company more appealing to employees if so many aspects can be similar from one workplace to the next? What can keep employees coming into work on time every day even if they could get a bigger paycheque somewhere else?
More so than ever, company culture is vital for attracting and retaining the most valuable employees. A career to the younger generations isn’t just about a paycheque and they need a lot more incentive to stay loyal to a company aside from how long they’ve worked there. Company culture is becoming more of a priority for job seekers and companies are doing more to develop a company culture that stays true to their brand and fits with their ideal employees.
WHAT?
What exactly is company culture? There is no one clear definition of what company culture is. For each business, it may be completely different and some put more of an emphasis on it than others. How your company operates, the mission, goals, vision, and work ethic are all components of company culture. Company culture doesn’t just relate to the workplace or how employees are expected to work. Company culture gives your business and work environment a personality of its own.
While you want your company to be appealing to the right employees you don’t want to create a culture that meets the needs of everyone. Each company will have a different culture and what may work seamlessly for one may not work at all for another. Trying to accommodate everyone in defining your company culture will leave you with a more confused workplace that doesn’t satisfy anyone.
WHY?
It all boils down to efficiency. Employees are more willing to work, energetic, and productive when their own personalities fit in with the company culture. The individuals who work for you and with you will be your best or worst asset. When these individuals feel as though they fit with the company this will show through the work they accomplish. They will be more engaged when they feel they belong with your company from the company’s vision to work ethic, the smallest, as well as the major details of your company, will have an impact on their performance.
But, that doesn’t mean that company culture is all about satisfying the employees. Employers benefit from having a strong and clear company culture that employees enjoy because it means those employees are more eager to work and perform at their best every day. Company culture benefits all individuals in the same company equally. Employers who take the time to establish a clear company culture benefit from having more engaged and productive employees, employees benefit from having a sense of worth working for a particular company and are often rewarded for their work efforts.
WHEN?
Company culture is something that can easily be forgotten about so it is essential that you reinforce and recognize it on a regular basis. It isn’t something you simply put all the work into creating just to have it ignored. You want to get into the habit of publicly recognizing those individuals or teams that understand and demonstrate your company culture through their work. This is something that must be encouraged all the time.
HOW?
Encouraging company culture can be done a number of ways but first, you have to ensure that no one is exempt from the rules and expectation you use to define your company culture. The top executives should demonstrate the same company culture you expect the interns to demonstrate. The leaders in your company need to set the example for the rest of your teams when it comes to company culture.
Recognizing your team’s efforts is one of the most rewarding ways you can strengthen your company culture. How you do this can be done by quarterly parties, holiday parties or simply planning an event where you can recognize those team members with an award. This also will give everyone a common goal to work toward. Documenting these company events is highly recommended. Hiring a professional photographer or videographer will give you the opportunity to capture the experience and be able to use the images or footage to showcase the efforts everyone has put in. From team leadership workshops to your company’s Christmas party Indigo Events can capture these celebrations to document the true essence of your company’s culture. With the professionalism, a clear understanding of the importance for capturing your company culture, and the skill with creativity to uniquely preserve these moments in digital form, Indigo Events can deliver high-quality images that you can use for years to showcase your company culture.