Workplace Culture – Is Yours Positive?

“ Workplace culture” is a phrase often heard being thrown around, but what does this actually mean?  Workplace culture simply refers to the shared values, work patterns, expectations and behaviors amongst people within the workplace. Informally described as “the way things are done around here” and contributes to the emotional and relational environment of your workplace. These values are generally unspoken, however they play a huge part in the overall vibe of the workplace.

Why is a positive workplace culture important?
Your workplace culture is the environment that you create for your employees and this may facilitate or impede how well employee’s work as individuals and in a team. Culture is as important as your business strategy because it either strengthens or undermines your objectives, and it plays a powerful role in determining employees work satisfaction, relationships and performance. Positive culture also attracts talent, as its seen to be a major advantage to potential employees, building competitive advantage. It also helps to show them what’s expected.  A positive culture creates a better workplace environment and therefore the overall success of the business.

What influences workplace culture?
The culture of your business is essentially influenced by everything. Leadership, management, workplace practices, policies and people influence culture significantly, for example, you as a leader and how you manage and the leadership styles you use, what you communicate and emphasise, your vision for the future, what you celebrate and recognise, what you expect, the stories you tell and how you make decisions.  Who you hire, their personalities, values, skills and experiences and how your workplace is organised also influences workplace culture.

Creating a positive work culture
There is no shortcut to creating the best culture. Most leaders let workplace culture form naturally without defining what they want it to be, and that’s a mistake. Each culture is unique to the individual business needs. But these points are the most important:

• Cultivate employee relationships: Strong relationships in the workplace can lead to increased effective communication.
• Build universal traits employees seek from employers: Collaboration, supportiveness and respect are the most common wants from employees.
• A comfortable workplace.
• Career development training: Learning never stops. It’s important to provide your team with developmental training so that they can upskill and grow into better leaders.
• Be mindful of burnout: overworked and stressed staff can be a key indicator that your culture is unhealthy.

Identify your culture
Every now and then it’s important to step back, evaluate, and identify your workplace culture, keeping in mind that culture is always a work in progress.  But, understanding what it is now and what you want it to be in the future, is a step in the right direction. Positive workplace culture is as important as business strategy, it’s too significant to ignore, and should be a priority for any business leader.