In a world drowning under the rising influx of AI, shrinking economies, population loss and reducing jobs, how do you improve your company’s working environment and culture?
The first thing to keep in mind is that a company’s culture cannot be a set of rigid rules that are written in stone. Changing and adapting to keep up with different expectations, laws, preferences and other factors is the only surefire way of maintaining a healthy and professional workplace.
1) Leave The Politics at Home
Political discussions often turn into heated arguments and bad blood between coworkers which can disrupt the harmony and trust of your team. The tense environment can also affect the productivity and motivation of employees.
Since people with different political ideologies and beliefs are bound to disagree, it is best to make your workplace a politics-free zone.
2) Encourage Regular Feedback
Growth stems from the ability to listen to internal and external feedback, and incorporating it into the values and practices of the company. GIve your employees the chance to give their feedback without the fear of repercussions and judgement.
This will help build a culture of trust, transparency and learning. Creating different channels of feedback such as anonymous suggestion boxes, group meetings, 1-on-1 sessions can help improve the quality and frequency of useful feedback.
3) Create a Strong Foundation of Values
It is important to have a clear idea for the kind of culture you want your company to have and a strong foundation to support and build it further. The fundamental values that define your company’s mission and vision should be at the heart of your strategic decisions.
A well-defined culture can help avoid workplace disruptions and potential roadblocks in the future.
4) Hire For Success
Now that your idea of culture and working environment is in place, it is important to ensure that your hiring complements those ideas. Make sure that your new hires match your core ideas and fundamental values.
When the entire team shares the company values and goals, and works in unison like a well-oiled machine, things fall into place.
5) Applaud Originality and Initiative
We operate in an era held captive by copying, repetition and recycling of ideas. It is easy to lose track of what’s original and what’s inspired. So when people take the initiative and energy to come up with different and better ways of doing things, make sure that they are rewarded appropriately.
After all, ideas can change the world, and they’re the hardest to conjure.
