Engagement isn’t as high as it could be, and it doesn’t matter what type of business it is or what the workplace is like on a daily basis. Most companies today have low engagement numbers because they’re trying to do the same thing that has been done year after year. Increasing engagement improves productivity and furthers the growth of the company, but it’s not easy to do. With the right help, though, it’s possible to discover and cultivate a company’s culture, leading to a significant improvement in engagement.
Engagement and Culture
Engagement and culture, for businesses, are intertwined. Engagement is impacted by whether employees feel like they’re important, they’re valued, and they’re a part of the company, not just an employee. Many businesses try to increase engagement by throwing small parties for the employees or rewarding work, but this isn’t going to work. It hasn’t worked for many years. Instead, creating and evolving the company’s unique culture is the way to increase involvement and engagement from employees, leading to increased productivity, too.
Discovering the Culture
Each company’s culture is unique. It’s what makes the company work, what helps employees connect on a deeper level, so they work well together, and what encourages the employees to do their best each time they work. Discovering the culture can be done through short surveys, looking at benchmarks and metrics, and listening to what employees like, don’t like, or want to change. It can take a little bit of time to discover the culture, but it’s possible to do for any business. Once the culture is found, it’s time to help it evolve.
Encouraging Growth Through Culture
Once the company’s culture is discovered, a plan can be implemented to help it grow stronger and to use it to encourage engagement and growth. Plans should include what the employees want to see, changes they might prefer, and more. Often, improving the culture and starting to use it does require changes, but it doesn’t require anything major. It’s not necessary to make every Friday a casual day or to have team-building exercises that just take away from the time that’s needed to get projects done. It can simply be small changes to make life a little easier for employees or to make it a little better to show up day after day.
Using the Culture
As the company’s culture grows and changes, it can be used to help further the company. When new employees are needed, for instance, it’s possible to screen potential applicants to see who will fit in with the company’s culture. Many companies experience high turnover rates for new employees because those they hire may be skilled but may not be a good fit for the business. On the other hand, when culture is taken into account, it’s easier to find employees that are highly skilled and a great fit for the company’s culture.
Improving engagement and increasing productivity is more complex than business owners realize and may require taking a step in a new direction by developing the company’s culture. When it’s time to take the first step, companies should work with experts they can rely on to help them do this right. Visit the website for HR Soul today to learn more about how they can help and what they can do.
