A strong company culture can assist in attracting top talent and boosting productivity. For this reason, entrepreneurs and small business owners should focus on developing their company culture from the very beginning. But what comes to mind when you think of company culture? Game rooms, free snacks, or casual Fridays? There are many more crucial aspects that need to be established for a solid company culture. Below are some of these key elements:
- Clear Mission and Vision: Every successful company needs to have clear visions and missions. They must understand their current position and where they aim to be in the future. Establish goals to reach your company’s visions and communicate these goals to your employees through newsletters or meetings.
- Clear Communication: You always have to be transparent when communicating with your employees. Even if the news are bad, you should still clearly talk with your employees and explain them what is going on within the company. Create time to listen to your employees’ concerns and do your best to solve them. Keep an open channel of communication and get their feedback when necessary.
- Autonomy and Responsibility: Promote employee empowerment in your company. Let them be accountable for the tasks they work on. Also, if you give them more responsibility, this gives them a reason to learn more and move forward in their careers. When your employees accomplish their responsibilities, take the time to appreciate them.
- Recognize the Achievements of Employees: Always take the time to appreciate your employees. Write an email or a personal thank you note for their accomplishments and you can even give them a small gift like a gift card or tickets to a sports game. Also, recognize this success in their annual review and make a pay raise accordingly or promote them to the next level.
- Offer Flexibility and Mobility: Work flexibility is very important especially for younger work force. Since they are very tech-savvy, they prefer to work from anywhere with an internet connection in flexible hours. Make a program for them in which they can rotate departments or different offices nationally or globally. If you force them to stay in the same environment for a long time or sit at a desk all day long, they will be unhappy and their performance will drop. Thus, let them be flexible and mobile.
- Provide a Pleasant Work Environment: Providing a room for serenity and refreshment will help boost your employees’ morale and productivity. When your employees want to take a break, they can go to this room and relax. This room can also be used for socializing activities such as a happy hour gathering or eating lunches together.