First off, it is important to recognize that good company culture will be different within every company. What works for one company, may not be the solution for another. No two companies are going to be identical. No two companies will have the exact same employees with the exact same personality profiles.
However, here are a few things that are remain to be a common denominator for building a foundation for good culture and happy employees.
1. Be transparent about your vision for the company. Your employees should feel included in this vision so they know exactly where you intend to take it. This is incredibly important for startups. Small companies need everyone on the same page. With early stage startups, each member of the company is essentially a marketer by default. Hopefully your employee is proud to work for you, and is proud to show off company t-shirts and proud to be vocal about the amazing places the company will be going. Remember, everyone matters, especially in small teams. Imagine a startup company that is made up of five people. When one person is left out, 20% of your company is effected.
2. Care about your employees’ development. Consider this… what is one reason why we quit a job to start another? Quite often one of these answers is because this individual wants to take the next step up in their career. They want to keep making progress and not be stuck or feel held back.
I remember a recruiter explaining to me how to build a resume and one of the most basic improvement to any resume was to add an objective that usually stated that you “want to be with a company where you can grow.” Face it, one of the biggest reasons people take a new job is because they hope for growth, where they can learn, acquire new skills and knowledge, get promotions, and keep moving up the ladder. Neglecting this natural human desire for success will likely decrease employee satisfaction.
Solutions?
- offer free training
- pay for certifications
- be a mentor
- ask your employees what their goals are
3. Work-life balance. It’s a growing trend these days to see employers offer unlimited vacation time. I remember the first time I heard this from an employer, I was shocked, but it didn’t take long for me to understand the purpose of this and its effectiveness.
Offering unlimited vacation time did two very important things:
- It built trust. The fact that the employer shows trust in the employee to make the best decisions when it comes to taking time off work, it allows the employee to trust the employer in return, and as we all know, trust itself is a key component in any healthy relationship.
- It creates responsibility. We like responsibility. With it, comes great power! Just kidding, sort of. What I mean to say is that responsibility creates the feeling of importance. It makes the employee feel valued.
4. A little friendly competition never hurt anyone. Remember that iconic scene from Glengarry Glen Ross?
First prize, a new car
Second prize, steak knives
Third prize, you’re fired.
Ouch! Okay maybe that is taking it too far, but like I said, friendly competition can be an integral part of motivating your team and building a bond between peers. Make it fun. You can hold a friendly competition for virtually anything in your office. It doesn’t necessarily have to relate to one’s productivity.
Do you believe your company has good culture? You can start finding out with VibeCatch. Click here to book a demo with us. Sooner than you think, you will be sending, simple, and effective polls and we'll show you the results.
