It is the goal of most forward-thinking companies to build a strong company culture - and for good reason. Attracting and retaining talent is a top priority for most organizations, and a healthy culture creates people that are excited to come to work each day, loyal, and productive. 

According to Harvard Business Review, workplaces are communities, built around the relationships we have with our peers. When the connections are stronger, an organization will experience more energy, learning, and support amongst staff. Plus, a strong company culture is something that job-seekers look for and consider when choosing a company - in fact, many say it’s a top priority. In order to help you build these important connections, we’ve put together our favorite ideas on improving company culture.

15 Ideas for improving company culture

Every company is in a different stage with their culture creation. Startups are just beginning their journey with their employees, whereas huge corporations have challenges around working in silos and bringing everyone together. No matter where your business is in its unique journey, these tactics can apply. Implement these tips to make sure employees feel supported, excited, and engaged. 

1. Determine a code of ethics

An ethical workplace structure is one that employees will feel good about working in. Make sure employees know there is a zero tolerance policy for illegal, unethical, or discriminatory practices within your team. Promote those policies and make sure they’re clearly understood through training and regular communication. 

2. Implement inclusive hiring processes

Decision-making is often improved by having input from a diverse group. Your hiring pool should consist of candidates with a wide range of backgrounds and points of view. Encourage leaders within your organization to look for ways to be more inclusive in their hiring processes. This is a top-down situation, where managers will look to executives to see how important inclusivity is - so lead by example. 

3. Invest in onboarding

Start investing in your employees as soon as they walk in the door. They will feel that investment and start giving their all from day one. Meaningful onboarding process can seriously reduce turnover, so discuss how the new hire can be content and successful in their role as soon as they begin. A new employee’s first couple weeks should be full of applicable meetings, on the job training, paperwork, and connecting with their team. Here are a few of the little touches that can go a long way when onboarding: 

1. Note from company leadership
2. Card signed by their team members 
3. Company swag
4. Certificate or some other token to commemorate the first day
5. Time to socialize with new coworkers
6. Publicly thanking those who have helped with the onboarding process

4. Create clear lines of communication

All employees should have a clear view of their own role and the structure of the larger organization. There should be established lines of communication for bringing up ideas, asking questions, etc. It’s also key that staff understand the best ways to communicate up or down. For example, if they have a question for their manager, should they send an email or a text? Open and transparent communication is one of the most important characteristics of a great company culture. For advice on navigating common workplace issues and other team cohesion strategies, make sure to check out our resources. 

5. Check in regularly

Regular meetings with both large and small teams are important. Managers should meet with their staff at least weekly, and the company as a whole should make a point to meet occasionally, such as for a company retreat or team-building event. You need regular check-points where employees  know they can bring up issues or share ideas and their managers will be receptive. Encourage all of the leaders in your business to set a regular cadence for checking in with their teams, whether that’s a weekly Zoom call or a monthly lunch. 

6. Prioritize comfortable working situations

Employees are not going to feel supported if it seems like you just see them as cogs in a wheel. It’s your job to make sure staff have everything they need to complete their jobs successfully. How are you helping them to complete tasks in a timely and comfortable way? Consider things like: 

1. Approved safety apparatus
2. Clean break areas and access to water or coffee
3. The right devices and technology for each unique role
4. Computer equipment including keyboard wrist rests for people on their laptop a lot
5. Comfortable desk chairs
6. Easy access to the parts of the building they need to visit

7. Encourage continuing education

An investment in a loyal employee is an investment in your business. Since many people have a desire to continue learning and developing, supporting these goals will make them more loyal to your company. It’s one thing to say you support continued learning, but providing real time or funds is where a lot of businesses fail. Do your employees feel like they can take the time away from work to attend a local conference, for example? Look for ways to support ongoing growth, including independent skill building, workshops, seminars, college classes, or working toward industry certifications. Employers also benefit because they will have a more highly-skilled workforce. It’s a win-win!

8. Compensate employees fairly

Few things are as demoralizing in the workplace as feeling like you’re not being paid what you deserve. Simply put: pay your people based on the value they provide. Don’t cut corners when it comes to compensation, and look for additional creative ways to add to rewards, like bonuses, prizes, or special perks. Every company is operating within a budget, so if your current cash situation means you can’t offer large raises, consider adding to staff’s pool of PTO or providing other benefits like gym membership or local transportation passes. 

9. Promote taking time off

Many employees are afraid to use time-off benefits. Even if PTO is available “on paper”, many people feel like there is never a good time to be out of the office.  In fact, Americans left an average of 9.5 vacation days unused in 2021. That is troubling for organizations who want to reduce stress and turnover and encourage healthy work-life balances.

If you want to have truly happy and engaged employees, you need to encourage them to take the time they’re entitled to. Actively remind people that their vacation time is part of their compensation package - and they wouldn’t just leave a paycheck on the table, right? Then, don’t bother people on their PTO. Help them to delegate before leaving, and have plenty of documentation and paperwork available on processes. If you reach out constantly to someone on vacation, you’re only sending the message that they shouldn’t have taken the time off in the first place. 

10. Consistently appreciate and reward hard work

Proper recognition and rewards are crucial for culture in many ways: employee engagement, employee retention, talent attraction, motivation, and more. The importance of rewarding employees in ways that are meaningful to them cannot be overstated. Everything from leaving a note on an employee’s desk to a gift card to a call-out in your next company meeting should be on the table. Not all recognition needs to have a budget; there are many things you can do for free to show employees how appreciated they are, but it needs to happen often and not just once in a while. For more ideas on how to boost employee morale, make sure to follow our blog. 

11. Provide company leaders with the right tools

Do your managers have the resources that they need to create a great culture within their own smaller teams? Business leaders play a key role in developing company culture, but without the right support, that is difficult to do. Ask them about the resources they need in place to listen, connect with, and support their direct reports. That might look like a new online collaboration tool, or the budget to have monthly lunches as a team. Talk to them and then make a genuine effort to provide what they’re asking for (within reason). 

12. Give teams and individuals autonomy (when possible)

Autonomy can contribute to ownership and a connection to one’s work. When employees feel trusted and supported to do their work in the best ways they know how, they are more motivated, engaged, and loyal. Consider the following and see which make sense for your organization or team: 

1. The ability to be creative
2. Support for innovation
3. A flexible work schedule 
4. A flexible work location
5. An opinion on projects to take on
6. The ability to prioritize one’s own work 

13. Encourage one:one communication for managers

Modern leaders want to understand their staff from a holistic point of view. This means that they have to have regular conversations and understand what’s going on with them from a personal and professional perspective. Company leaders should schedule regular check-ins on a consistent basis, like weekly or bi-weekly. A real connection between a manager and an employee can offer significant benefits throughout the entire organization. 

14. Develop a mentor program

Mentorships help both the mentor and mentee. A mentor relationship helps both individuals to develop communication skills, problem-solving capabilities, and leadership traits. Encourage mentorships within and outside of each department. Ideally every new employee is placed with a coach or mentor (not their boss) who can help them to navigate the workplace and office politics. It’s also a good idea to have inter-departmental groups serve as mentors toward each other, so you can pair up an accounting manager with a marketing one, etc. It’s a good idea to create a formal process that is documented and can be referred to throughout the company, but even if you don’t take the time to do that, setting up more junior people with more experienced staff can go a long way. 

15. Look for ways to integrate recognition

Everyone wants to be seen and valued. That’s true from the CEO to the janitor, and everyone’s work is important for a company’s  overall goals. Look for regular ways to make everyone feel appreciated for a job well done. With integrated employee recognition, employees are appreciated frequently for a variety of accomplishments, both large and small. Praise is frequent and comes from both leaders and peers. Many companies institute a peer recognition program where staff can nominate colleagues for great work and have them recognized in front of a group. This can be a really fun and powerful part of an all-team meeting or team-building activity. 

For more tactical ways to build team culture or work better together as a team, make sure to follow our blog. 

What does a strong company culture look like? 

Maybe you aren’t entirely sure what shape your company culture is in. Positive company cultures share a few traits, which we will cover here. Look for these markers as the sign of a strong company culture. If you know your organization has these features, then congratulations - you’ve shaped a positive company culture! 

• Transparent communication - In a strong culture, employees are encouraged and supported in sharing ideas and opinions. Open and clear communication is a top priority for leadership, and vague language is limited. In short, all employees have a voice and understand their role clearly. 

• Real growth opportunities - The key word here is “real”. Many organizations say that there is a clear career path for employees, but few actually help them on these paths. Ample growth opportunities such as the opportunity for a promotion or furthering education programs show staff that the company is investing in them. A well-developed career path is also important for improving productivity and work engagement. 

• Focus on creativity and innovation - Thinking outside the box can lead to finding creative solutions and developing new products or processes. However, this is only possible when employees feel encouraged to share ideas and think beyond their usual workday. Managers celebrate innovations and encourage risk taking in safe situations. 

• Healthy work connections - The right kind of work relationships are supportive and energizing. Employees appreciate their colleagues and trust that their managers have their best interests in mind. Most employees will tell you that feeling like they have friends at work is very important, and being able to truly trust the people around them goes a long way. 

• An understood purpose - Does everyone on your team understand their real reason for being? Your organization’s purpose should be clear, communicated regularly, and inspiring to staff. Employees should be able to find a meaningful purpose in their own day-to-day work, and understand how their contributions are important to the bigger picture. 

• Real reward systems - Everyone values being appreciated for their contributions. A positive culture includes formal systems that reward hard work and performance, such as pay increases or public recognition. The truth is that recognition is a fundamental part of a worker’s overall experience, so finding ways to show appreciation for a job well done is crucial. 

Company retreats build strong culture

All of these steps are important parts of shaping a positive culture. That being said, if your current culture isn’t where you want it to be, you might want to start simply by bringing everyone together. A team-building retreat is a powerful way to help people get to know each other better, have conversations in a relaxed atmosphere, hear from company leadership, and execute employee recognition. You’d be surprised how much impact such a retreat can have on a business who has been dealing with a weak culture. You may want to schedule multiple within one year when you’re just starting out.

If you feel overwhelmed at the prospect of planning and executing such a large-scale event, Surf Office can help. We have organized over 700 retreats that lead to increased morale, productivity, and culture-creation. We can help you to plan a retreat that gets everyone out of the office and injects a boost of team spirit into your company.