The Importance of Workplace Culture and How to Improve it

Workplace culture is a powerful tool to keep existing employees engaged and aligned with a company's values. Having a good workplace culture not only promotes a successful, structured and healthy working environment, but also helps attract the best talent to your company.

Candidates today look for more than just salary, they want to work for companies that value and nurture them, and workplace culture is one way to demonstrate to potential employees that as an employer your people are important to you.

A company’s organisational culture should focus on their mission, objectives, expectations and values that guide its employees. A strong company culture promotes employee productivity and performance to help motivate everyone to do their best work.

Why is workplace culture important? 

There are many benefits for having a good workplace culture for both the company and its employees, including:

Enhanced employee engagement

A working environment that has a strong culture is focused on purpose and clear expectations. Setting these out from the onset helps employees to understand what is expected of them and inspires them to perform well and be more engaged with their work duties.

High levels of employee engagement leads to more productivity and helps to create a positive environment. 

Better employee retention

People who feel valued and respected at a company are more likely to stay with the company for a long time. Fostering a positive workplace culture can help employees feel like part of the family rather than just another person in the crowd.

This can result in improved employee morale and loyalty and less employee turnover, meaning that companies can save time and money on having to hire new staff.

Improves the onboarding process

Your workplace culture can help drive your onboarding process for new hires to ensure the transition into their new role is seamless. It is also a great time to educate new hires on your workplace culture so they understand the expectations and objectives from day one and are on the same page.

Promotes a healthy environment

People do not want to work in toxic environments, and while no one sets out to create one, workplace environments can become toxic if there is not a clear and strong company culture.

The structure provided by workplace culture can improve workflows, guide decision making and help overcome barriers. It also supports good team relationships and unifies the employees and company together to work towards the same shared purposes.

Principles to improve workplace culture

Just like every area in a business, your workplace culture needs continuous review and improvements to ensure it remains relevant and effective. It is not something you can create and then leave for years before you review again.

It is also important to include the whole team in discussions about the culture, this not only ensures all opinions are heard but helps keep employees aligned with the company.

Here are four key principles to follow to improve your workplace culture:

1. Always communicate everything: Miscommunication or exclusion is one of the main reasons employees become disconnected and leave a company. Ensuring communication is clear and consistent at every level keeps your employees informed, engaged and on board.
2. Listen to concerns and feedback: Arrange regular one-to-one meetings with employees to give them the chance to discuss any concerns or feedback. Listen to all points raised and action any relevant changes to demonstrate that employees' opinions are valued.
3. Ask for feedback: Encourage employees to give their feedback on any issues the company is facing. Feedback can be obtained in a structured way that follows a specific process or it can be more relaxed in the form of a meeting or one-to-one conversation.
4. Be consistent: Maintain processes, procedures and leadership to create consistency within the workplace that will drive the workplace culture.

Why choose Digitech?

At Digitech, our team of recruiters and strategists bring a breadth of knowledge and vast experience in the tech industry. From understanding market conditions to ensuring the tech recruitment journey is smooth, we can help you source the best tech talent and reduce your time to hire.

Whether you need a contingent resource to meet a peak in demand, are looking to hire for a permanent position or want to engage with contract workers, we can help you find candidates that have the right skill set and are a good fit for your business. Get in touch with us to discuss your requirements and see how we can help.