How to Establish Your Ideal Company Culture

No matter what type of business you do, your company has a culture.

Your company's culture is an often unspoken aspect of the company. Often times, it is kind of like an unwritten handbook.

In order to get everything your business needs to be accomplished, your company needs to have a solid company culture.

In this article, we'll go over why an ideal company culture is important, and how you can create one.

If your company culture is exactly how you want it to be, you'll notice your employees are more relaxed and often more productive.

It may not happen overnight, but if you have a vision, you will likely be able to achieve it with the right tools.

What Is Company Culture?

What exactly is company culture? Company culture encompasses the perks of working for your company in addition to how things are run.

It may be "company culture" to allow everyone to wear whatever they want on Fridays.

It may be "company culture" to have beverages on Wednesday evenings.

Or, it may even be "company culture" to allow your employees to work from home if their child is staying home from school ill.

Company culture, in short, is what makes your company tick. It is also what makes it difficult for individuals to leave the company, as they sweeten the deal.

Corporate environments are stressful. The job your company has to do might be equally so. But a positive company culture, ripe with benefits and rewards, helps employees grow and keeps them wanting to work for you longer.

A company that has employees habitually quitting and new individuals arriving isn't doing well in that aspect. Your company culture should make people want to stay on board your team.

Let's run down how you can help alleviate stress in your company and create the best version of your company's culture.

Hire People Who Fit in with Your Company

This is a fantastic way to maintain the status quo and keep the business running well. Although new hires will always shake things up, you'll need to hire people who slip into your company's culture seamlessly.

If, for example, you require all members of your team to work together on projects, you should avoid hiring the person who has only worked on solo projects.

But, if your company involves most people working alone and coming together only every so often, that individual might be the perfect fit.

Some companies will have new hires work for them on a trial basis. They can have them come in for a week or two on a paid assignment. If they jive well with the rest of the team, then they can stay on.

This is a great way to tell if the person will fit in with everyone else while paying him or her for their time.

Give Your Employees Perks

Every job has its perks, even if they're small. But in order to keep companies motivated, you need more than tiny rewards.

To keep your company culture upbeat and your employees motivated, you need to set targets yet also motivate your employees to hit them.

There are several different companies that work with employers to supply perks to their employees. These can include vouchers for things like theater tickets or discounts on certain restaurants.

If you're in sales, you can also do something like give away a free mini getaway to the employee who sells the most items.

In other words, motivate your employees instead of punishing them.

If your company's goal is to sell more of a certain product, it is best to reward your employees for doing so. Punishing them for not hitting a target number will only increase stress and reduce motivation.

Be Understanding

As a boss, you need to be understanding of your employees. Of course, there are times when people go overboard and you need to mitigate it. But generally, caring genuinely about your workers is always a good thing.

If you're sensitive and understanding, your employees will be more likely to come to you and open lines of communication.

For example, an employee may be having trouble concentrating at work because his mother was just diagnosed with cancer. He may have to take her to doctor's appointments and be constantly dealing with the uncertainty of the diagnosis.

You may notice this employee's performance start to slip.

If you're not an understanding employer, you may just decide to warn the employee and then fire him if he doesn't shape up. You may reason that everyone goes through hardships in life and it shouldn't affect his performance at work.

However, if you're an understanding employer, together you can create a way for him to get his work done and attend to his needs. This way, your employee feels comfortable coming to you and isn't afraid of you. While he knows he still has to perform in his job, it won't be an extra added stress.

Employees often perform better when they know you're not breathing down their necks. They also perform better when they know you won't lose it at them during their time of need.

Make Sure Your Employees Know Your Company's Mission

This goes along with hiring the right people. But, your company's mission may evolve over time. If you have people who have been there since day one, you'll need to ensure everyone is on board.

Your company's values and mission are important reflections of what you do and your business itself. It also is your calling card when it comes to working with clients or collaborating with others on a project.

If your company's mission is, for example, philanthropic, those on your team should be aware of this and strive to incorporate it into everything they do.

Some company's missions include ensuring that employees can balance work and person lives. This should be something that is well-known within the company and reflects everything you do.

When you hire new recruits, they should be aware from day one that this is an important aspect of your mission, as this makes your company desirable.

Know the Chain of Command

While titles like "boss" may have negative connotations, it is important that there is a chain of command in your office.

Employees need to know who to report to, and who can help them handle problems. While you are a team at the end of the day, there are typically individuals that must work closely together in order to achieve specific tasks.

Make sure all lines of communication are open between team leaders and team members. If there is a clear structure and employees know where to go for help, it will keep them all the more productive. It also won't leave them guessing and making a mistake that could cost you time and money.

Have Fun

Work can be fun. For some people, what they do is rewarding in itself, so they might actually see what you're doing as fun. However, getting to know each other in a more casual setting can strengthen your relationships and make team building that much easier.

Organize a night out for the office or an office party. Have everyone meet up at a restaurant and have dinner. Or, organize a company retreat where all of you can get to know each other on a more personal basis.

Knowing each other's styles and communication can also help when it comes to working as a team. As such, team building exercises, although they can feel a little corny at times, are very important.

Keep an Open Ear

If you're always tucked away in your office, only coming out to say hello or look at what people in the office are doing, you won't foster a lot of trust.

Instead, as the boss, you'll need to make time to get to know everyone on your team. And not only that, but you'll want them to feel comfortable with you.

You should have an open ear for your employees any time they need. Of course, you may need to set boundaries and expectations for when you absolutely cannot be bothered. But you should, most of the time, be able to sit down with employees who need guidance or are struggling with a project.

Making yourself accessible takes away the dark shroud of mystery that sometimes surrounds a boss.

Creating the Ideal Company Culture

Every company has its own ideal company culture. It is up to you and your fellow leaders to create one that motivates and values its employees.

After all, you want to create an environment that is difficult to leave. This way, you'll retain your best employees, and not watch all of the most talented individuals rushing for the door the second their contract runs out.

For more tips on creating a fantastic office environment, visit our blog.