Company culture is often an aspect that is overlooked in the day to day running of a company, but it could be the difference between success and failure. A positive company culture can facilitate improved productivity, increase employee retention, and entice top talent to sign. Employee's have different priorities than the generations before them. Today flexibility, remote working, and office environment can mean just as much as the salary. All these priorities are factored into a company's culture.

Here are 5 quick tips to improve company culture:

Tip 1 - Cultural Leadership

Put someone in charge of the culture of your company. Now if you are a small company, this does not need to be their main role. it can be a side task assigned to them. If you are a large company with multiple locations, you will definitely want to look at having someone in a position that is in charge of managing and improving the cultureof the company.

Tip 2 - Hiring the Right People

Bottom line here, don’t hire a jerk. One jerk can ruin the company culture completely. Pay attention to who you are hiring. Negativity is contagious, try to avoid letting it creep into the workplace.

Tip 3 - Transparency

Each employee has a voice that wants and needs to be heard. You should have a system available where your employees can submit an anonymous review of your workplace environment. Use this information to address employee frustrations because we all know that a frustrated employee can definitely affect the company culture.

Tip 4 - Eat Together

We all have that one guy in the office that always takes their lunches by themselves. That one person can also affect company culture. You are a team. A company that eats together, stays together and ultimately gets along together. Cater in to your office for special occasions such as birthdays or holidays. Have a carry-in where all your employees bring their favorite dish. Encourage your employees to eat lunch together and get some interaction that doesn’t have to do with the day to day work that they are involved in.

Tip 5 - Company Policies

This is most effective tip on this list. If your company policies are too strict, it can definitely destroy your company culture. Take a look at Richard Branson’s unlimited vacation policy. He gives his employees the ability to schedule as much vacation time as they want. And guess what, they really don’t abuse it. They are less stressed and tend to work even harder because they have a company that cares about them and gives back to them.

Employees like flexibility. If they are supposed to be in the office at 8 AM but show up at 8:30, don’t discipline them right away, be a little lenient. Give them the opportunity to step up and do something that day that will make up for the lost time. Obviously if it begins to be an ongoing issue you will need to address it. But the employees love flexibility. They absolutely hate being micromanaged. It can end up being the reason they leave. This article from Business Insider lists 25 companies with exquisite company culture.

These are just a few tips for you to improve your company culture. If you would like more information on how to change your company culture, reach out to us on our website.