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14 April 2023

Workplace Culture: Why It Matters For Firms In 2023

Workplace culture encompasses the essence of a business, including its values, beliefs, goals, attitudes, and behaviours towards work practices. A positive work culture prioritises the well-being of employees, fostering an environment of trust, respect, empathy, shared values, and support. This can lead to increased productivity and success for the business. 

As an employer, it is crucial to create a workplace culture that promotes satisfaction and engagement among employees and stakeholders. A negative workplace culture can result in high turnover rates, absenteeism, poor productivity, and a lack of collaboration among teams. Conversely, a positive workplace culture can improve morale, teamwork, and overall efficiency. 

For HR managers, identifying candidates who align with the company’s workplace culture is vital. Employees who feel their personal values align with the company’s culture are more likely to remain with the organisation and contribute to its success. 

Why is workplace culture significant? The workplace culture is a crucial element in your business strategy as it can either support or hinder your objectives. Creating a positive workplace culture for your employees can lead to the following benefits: 

• A wider range of candidates: The workplace culture affects the types of candidates you attract for job vacancies. A diverse pool of talent is more likely to be drawn to an inclusive workplace based on shared values and respect. 
• Higher engagement and retention: The workplace culture impacts how employees perceive their work environment. In a strong culture, employees feel appreciated and more engaged in their work, leading to higher retention rates. 
• Improved morale and job satisfaction: Happy employees tend to be more productive and stay with a company for an extended period. 
• Enhanced workplace performance: Businesses with a positive workplace culture generally outperform their competitors and are more successful. 

In essence, your workplace culture and brand are intertwined. To be successful, a brand relies on the collaboration and coexistence of its employees. An excellent workplace culture revolves around people who are engaged, empowered, and content with their work environment, supporting the company’s goals and vision. 

Brand Values and Culture Correlation  

The values of a brand are crucial in establishing a strong workplace culture, as they are a set of principles, beliefs, and attitudes specific to an organisation, just like workplace culture. 

Brand values are an essential tool that, when properly ingrained into your workplace culture, can inspire a sense of purpose, positively impact employee engagement, foster stronger relationships with clients, and drive successful business decisions. 

When brand values align with workplace culture, they create a powerful competitive advantage that can attract new customers, build brand affinity, attract and retain employees, improve business operations, and stay ahead of the competition. Values also help employees understand what the business stands for and what is expected of them. 

It’s crucial that brand values accurately represent the business and that workplace culture and hiring processes reflect these values. Failure to do so may result in a toxic workplace culture that can quickly damage the business. Brand values are unique to each organisation, and examples of good branding values include “Work & Play as One team,” “Be Ambitious, Be Bold,” “Invent Solutions,” and “Creative Raving Fans.” By integrating brand values into workplace culture, businesses can future-proof their operations from poor performance and downturns and operate with authenticity and integrity 

What does a positive workplace culture look like?  

Positive workplace cultures are often characterised by employees who genuinely enjoy coming to work. There are a few common characteristics that these businesses tend to share, including: 

1. A deliberate focus on employee well-being: In these workplaces, leaders make it a priority to cultivate a positive culture and actively seek out ways to boost morale among staff. 

2. Opportunities for growth: Businesses with positive cultures prioritise employee growth by offering training and development opportunities, as well as clear pathways for promotion. 

3. Recognition and rewards: Acknowledging good work is an essential component of positive workplace cultures. When employees feel valued and appreciated, they are more likely to be motivated and engaged. 

4. Collaboration and teamwork: Successful businesses foster a culture of teamwork and collaboration among employees. When employees feel like they are part of a unified team effort, they become more energised, motivated, and productive. 

Creating a positive work environment requires leaders and managers who genuinely value their employees and are committed to helping them grow both personally and professionally. 

How to create culture in teams that are onsite, hybrid and remote. 

In the current landscape of hybrid and remote work models, managers are faced with new challenges in building workplace culture. Despite the potential difficulties, it is still possible to integrate company values and culture in a hybrid or remote work environment. 

In Australia, half of businesses offer hybrid work options to their employees. To improve workplace culture in a remote or hybrid setting, Employment Innovations has implemented flexible working practices while maintaining employee well-being and service quality.

Here are some effective strategies that can help foster a positive culture for onsite, hybrid, and remote teams: 

1. Offer flexibility. Flexible working options, such as flexible start and finish times, working from home, or choosing their own hours/work days, can enhance work-life balance and maintain a positive culture. 

2. Utilise cloud-based collaboration tools. Project management and collaboration tools can help keep onsite, hybrid, and remote employees connected, promoting teamwork and boosting morale. 

3. Prioritise regular feedback. It can be challenging for remote workers to feel connected to the workplace culture. Managers can schedule regular video meetings or emails to provide feedback, guidance, and mentoring to remote employees. 

4. Schedule social events. Social activities and company events can strengthen team bonds and promote engagement and productivity. For hybrid and remote teams, monthly virtual events like coffee chats or online happy hours can be organised.