5 Benefits of Improving Workplace Culture

Workplace culture can make or break the success of an organization. It is the companies that have stellar cultures that are most successful (think Google, Southwest Airlines, Twitter). If your company is faltering in any way, weak organizational culture could be the problem.

What is Workplace Culture?

Workplace culture, also referred to as “company culture” or “organizational culture,” was defined by Forbes as something that encompasses a company’s “vision, values, norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs, and habits.” Every organization has a distinct culture, whether negative or positive, and company leaders have the power to change it.  

5 Benefits of Improving Workplace Culture

Improving company culture is good for an organization on multiple levels, but has five distinct benefits. For example, leaders should prioritize improving workplace culture for the following reasons:

1. Employees are more satisfied working in a culture they love. Specifically, they love working in environments where they are free to dream. Forbes stated, “Giving (your team) an outlet to express (their dreams) increases engagement and may even turn out some awesome initiatives.” Google has built a company culture that encourages dreaming by giving employees 20% time to pursue side projects. 

2. Companies gain a competitive advantage. This promotes healthy bottom lines. The Academy of Management said that companies with strong organizational culture can sustain superior financial performance.  

3. Customer service becomes stronger (and so do sales). The Benefits of a Good Organizational Culture stated, “As the culture builds, managers learn to better manage the quality of everyone’s experience, inside the company and with outsiders such as customers, clients, suppliers, and other corporate entities.” This also helps increase sales.

4. Productivity is bolstered. The reason for this is because a strong workplace culture supports employees, giving them the knowledge and tools to fully understand and comply with company standards. This causes them to become more invested in their jobs and thus be more productive.

5. Top talent is attracted to the company. “Company culture is a part of the brand you create for your business, and it will make an impact on how you hire talent and what type of talent you attract,” wrote a contributor to Chron. If the employees a company is attracting are sub-par, maximizing culture may help correct the problem.

Strong workplace culture results in satisfied employees, a competitive advantage for a corporation, impressive customer service, higher sales, and increased productivity. Discover how to create a better workplace culture here. 

Questions to Ask:

“Do I see the top 5 benefits of strong workplace culture manifested in my company?”

“If I had to assemble a team of 5-7 people that would strategize and work to make over my company’s culture, who would I choose?”

“What is the best thing about my company’s culture? What is the worst?”