An organization is about more than sales numbers and a collection of desks. Organizations are nothing without an established company culture.
Key Takeaways
- Prioritize a healthy work-life balance
- Operate with flexibility and prioritize respect
- Set clear standards and expectations for your employees
- Integrate an employee recognition program to help your employees feel seen
- Take some time to enjoy humor in the workplace. Don’t be so serious!
- Inspire employee feedback and open the door to communication
- Volunteer to help your team when you can
- Encourage employees to set their own goals and focus on them in the workplace
Building a positive workplace culture is critical to ensuring your team is happy and productive. So, here’s exactly how to create a healthy and positive organizational culture.
See Related: 6 Reasons Why Public Speaking Is Actually Really Hard
The “Do’s” Of Creating A POSITIVE Work Culture
As a business leader in the workplace, you have a major responsibility to the organization and to your team. Your employees look to you as their fearless leader to guide them!
Every member of an organization has a responsibility to the company and the employees. But a fundamental role that many of us may forget about is the part we play in shaping the work culture.
Every company has a culture. And this culture goes deeper than you may think.
Your workplace culture is a collection of people’s values, beliefs, and behaviors. It’s not just about the color scheme of the website or the slogan on the office walls. It’s about the very principles and standards that each and every worker contributes towards.
Your current company culture is the master behind all day-to-day operations. It sets the tone for new hires. It’s what drives the company forward and allows the organization to thrive.
But not all work cultures are beneficial. It’s possible for a company to have a toxic work environment. And, unfortunately, that’s how businesses die.
It should go without saying that cultivating a healthy and wholesome company culture is critical. And as a leader, you must know how to create a POSITIVE culture.
Here’s how.
#1. Prioritize A Healthy Work-Life Balance
When we go to work, it’s easy to just think of the people that work there as mere co-workers. And that’s okay – to a certain extent.
A positive workplace culture is one that recognizes that employees aren’t machines. And that’s just the foundation of it.
You must fully understand that every employee has a life outside of work. And it’s common for most to view their job as a way to support their outside-of-work endeavors.
Regardless of how obsessed with work your employees are, you must prioritize a healthy work-life balance.
What It Really Means To Have A Healthy Work-Life Balance
A work-life balance is critical for a healthy lifestyle. Not only is it necessary for employee morale and happiness, but it’s also essential for business success. Because when employees feel energized and balanced, their productivity soars.
But this balance is more than just taking the weekends off work. Your employees need to have the motivation to pursue activities outside of work that nourish their minds and bodies.
That means things like taking the time to discover new hobbies, tending to their family life, and understanding how to leave work in the office!
One key aspect of a positive work culture is a healthy life balance. In fact, it’s one of the fundamental factors. So if you genuinely want to make more of an effort to cultivate a positive work environment, you need to be active in promoting a healthy life balance.
#2. Operate With Flexibility
To create a positive workplace culture, you need to ensure you are actively supporting employees. Workplace leaders have a personal responsibility to improve work culture and ensure their team is happy where they are!
A positive workplace can be described with words like collaborative, fun, or flexible. And that’s from a 2022 survey from Quantum Workplace.
A great place to start improving company culture is with these words.
To establish positive core values and culture initiatives, integrate the word “flexibility” into all you do. A positive workplace helps employees feel heard and supported. Your team members want to know that if life happens, everything will be okay!
What To Do When “Life” Happens
Life happens sometimes. Your team members are human, and human things can happen.
Maybe they get a flat tire on the way to work and are late. Or their daughter has a dance recital Thursday afternoon that they really can’t miss. Honestly, it can be almost anything. But your team is human, so let them be human!
Plus, flexibility and flexible schedules help you attract elite candidates and earn the respect of your employees.
When it comes down to it, just be flexible. Don’t adhere to traditional company norms just because “that’s how you always did it.” Your team deserves better than that!
#3. Set Clear Standards For Your Employees
Transparency and communication are the foundation of your organization’s success. Without it, everything from organizational development to meaningful relationships falls apart.
A positive company culture is about creating a healthy and enjoyable environment for employees. And when employees know what is expected of them, this positive environment is much easier to cultivate.
Creating A PUrpose In The Workplace
When your team members don’t understand their value, role, or purpose, they can easily feel disconnected or out of place. In addition, murky expectations and confusing goals can lead to disengaged employees and cognitive interruptions.
This is a pretty basic standard for most organizations. But you would be surprised at how many workplace leaders overlook the importance of clear expectations.
So, please don’t make the same mistakes as them!
#4. Integrate An Employee Recognition Program
When we work hard and do our best, we like to be rewarded. I’m not talking about participation trophies. I mean the basics, like a mere “thank you” or maybe a company Slack shout-out.
Because employee recognition is one of the best ways to create a positive company culture and establish a wholesome and rewarding environment. You know, the kind of work environment that employees love to be a part of!
When you take the time to reward and recognize your team for their efforts and hard work, it makes them want to keep doing it. This leads to employee growth, an engaged workforce, and a thriving business.
And that’s the recipe for success!
The Best Way To Recognize And Reward Your Team
One of the great things about employee recognition is that there are so many ways to integrate these practices into your company culture. But not all recognition methods will suit your unique workforce. That’s why it’s key to find a way that truly touches your team.
Need some ideas to get started? Try some of the following!
- Host a company event with a hilarious keynote speaker to entertain your team while helping them feel empowered and connected
- Start an employee of the month program
- Have a team lunch with your employees
Find something that your employees love to do, and capitalize upon it!
Bonus: 5 Famous Public Speakers Throughout History
#5. Take Some Time To Enjoy Humor
Work can be stressful. After all, we often have a lot on our plates. But that doesn’t mean that work can’t be fun!
Turning a heavy workday into something lighthearted and enjoyable can light the fire for a positive work culture. When we laugh and appreciate the moment, our environment becomes much more amazing.
A Truly Effective Way To Promote A Positive Company Culture
When employees feel chained, it’s hard for humor to blossom. A supportive culture is about enjoyment and appreciation. It’s not about blank faces and dull moments.
So make sure your team knows it’s okay to bring in some humor! Crack some jokes and play a friendly prank or two.
This is also a great way to foster meaningful relationships and encourage collaboration. When we can laugh together, we can connect. And that’s how to spark an inspiring team effort!
#6. Inspire Employee Feedback
Feedback is how you know what you need to improve on, both as a leader and as an organization. Without knowing how your employees feel, you’ll never know what to change!
As I said earlier, you need to maintain transparency. And this goes both ways.
The Two-Way Road Of Employee Feedback
As a leader, you need to be transparent about the inner workings of the company, as well as progress towards the organization’s goals. Your team deserves to know information about their workplace.
And your employees need to feel comfortable enough to offer up their own feedback. Your employee’s feedback is the only way to truly know how to improve the workplace for them.
Instead of thinking of it as a way to fixate on what’s going wrong, think of it as an opportunity to capitalize on what’s going right. Knowing how your employees feel and think is the best way to truly transform your organizational culture into something positive!
#7. Volunteer To Help When You Can
A core responsibility of workplace leadership is to provide support for the team. This can look like reward programs, a flexible schedule, and more.
But there’s another straightforward way to show your employees that you care about them and want to help them. And it’s simple!
Volunteer to help your team when you see them struggling or whenever you can!
We all know that actions speak louder than words. So it should go without saying that showing your team you want to help by actually helping out is a great way to support them.
And you don’t need to go over the top. Sometimes it can be as simple as finishing up a tiny project for an employee with a lot on their plate. Just see what you can do!
#8. Encourage Employees To Set Goals
Even though we can work on making it feel comfortable and enjoyable, the workplace is still a workplace.
Plus, when employees feel driven, motivated, and productive, it helps cultivate a positive work culture. Motivation is the key to finding a purpose in the workplace.
Throughout my time as a corporate emcee, I’ve learned a thing or two about the power of goal setting. I’ve seen how goals help employees take control of their time and create personal accountability. It’s an excellent way to break out of our comfort zones and inspire innovation.
Workplace goals are a crucial part of organizational culture. It gives your team something to look forward to!
Plus, when your team members reach their goals, it gives you a great reason to recognize and reward them. So tie it into point #4 I made.
Wrapping Up
In the end, a positive workplace culture is about creating a safe, supportive, healthy, and happy environment for your team. It’s different for each organization, so find a way to make it unique and beneficial for your team!
Keep Reading: 5 Reasons Why Logos Is Important For An Effective Speech
—
Adam Christing has been called “The Tom Brady of emcees.” He has hosted more than 1,000 company meetings, special events, gala celebrations, and more. He is the author of several books and founder of CleanComedians.com. For more event tips, follow Adam Christing on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
