Before I begin my rant I just want to share a little story. I once worked for a company that was at one point the absolute best job I had to that point. We were given flexible work hours, time to relax, play ping pong, costume contests, health challenges/rewards, and time to work on personal projects to progress our skills. This doesn’t sound like anything as extravagant as Google or CHG, however, at the time I felt valued as an employee.
As time went on and the company grew, I found that there were a lot of changes to the company culture. Priorities changed from valuing people as people to driving sales; numbers became the priority. Numbers are not all bad when your priorities are in line with everyone’s vision. Long story short, the benefits that we once enjoyed from being employed with this great company were plucked away one by one. As business initiative drove forward, people became less important.
I began to see my job as a chore. I dreaded every morning with the thought of going to work. Among losing staff from unsatisfying conditions, positions were not filled and work piled up on top of stress. This company eventually realized a 50% turnover with its employees. These employees were people from customer service all the way up through executives.
The Problem
Ok…. your employees might not “hate” you but they could very well be happier. Your employees are your biggest asset and are not just some business object that you can throw away. In my opinion the biggest problem that companies face now days is showing that their employees are valued in a way that the employee would NEVER want to leave. Think about it! If your employees love working for you so much that they would rather take less pay and awesome culture than all the money or incentive in the world then your company would grow quickly.
Think of the absolute worst job you’ve ever taken. Why was it so miserable? I would venture to say that it had something to do with the culture, co-workers, managers, or you just simply did not like that line of work. Defining your company culture is as essential to your business’ success as doing the work itself. Your culture should define everything you do as a company. Payroll, incentives, PTO, benefits, customer service, PR, marketing, and many more are all affected by your organization’s culture.
4 Key Elements to Great Company Culture
1. Hiring People Who Fit Your Culture
Your “peeps” should fit the culture so as to not feel out of place. A qualified individual who’s skills fit (or even exceed) the job description will likely leave the company if they do not feel they belong. Finding those who both fit the culture and know their stuff is crucial.
2. Employees Who Know the Values and Mission
Because your values and mission are defined in part from your culture it is also important to make sure the employees know the mission and values. An employee who has the values and mission of the company branded in their minds help drive business.
3. Good Decisions Come from Anywhere
This one is obvious! If you aren’t involving the whole company in important decisions or at least seeking input then your going about decision making the wrong way.
4. You’re a Team and Not Just Individuals
If you look at your organization person by person you will find a lot of variety and difference. However, depending on your company culture and how focused your employees are on this culture, looking at your organization as a whole could look quite different. Your company should be unified as one with the same goals in mind.
Synergy
Just in Case Preparedness helps families build emergency supplies.
Infinity Locums helps doctors find work through online job postings.
Chiropractor that specialized in pregnancy chiropractic work. Thousands of people have come to him for help through his website.
A personal website where they are able to showcase their professional skills.
Need for Adventure is an outdoors adventure travel agency. They are able to help customers enjoy the outdoors by managing the appointments on their website.
Climbing Outdoors is focused on sharing exciting outdoor adventures. This website has aided in a great following.
Manzanarez Photography is an excellent photographer that is truly passionate about what he does. His website helps to showcase is beautiful work.
Christensen & Hymas is a personal injury law firm that focuses on taking care of their clients. This website has aided in more than 5 million in revenue for their firm.
