It’s no surprise that there is a direct correlation between a strong organizational culture and employee engagement. High-performance cultures tend to have more engaged employees who are positive, driven and proactive. With this culture, organizations can stay competitive. Many businesses make the mistake of thinking surveys alone can increase employee engagement when there is so much more in the equation.
Remember, employee engagement reflects how employees feel about the culture and the impact of their role on a day-to-day basis. The better and stronger the culture of your business is, the greater the likelihood your employees will understand and commit to their goals, be more innovative, take reasonable risks and continually deliver for the business. A better way of driving employee engagement and growth is by understanding and elaborating the culture of your business.
So how are culture and employee engagement connected? How do you improve your culture?
1. Have A Clear Definition
The same way you would with your business strategy, you need to define it clearly through your mission, vision, values, and expectations of behaviors. Expectations about employee behaviors need to be thoughtful, intentional, and, most importantly, human. Ensuring your staff can be their authentic selves will create a culture of inclusion and belonging.
2. Document After Defining
Whether through a handbook or presentation, you will need to document the key elements of your defined culture for future reference and reminders. Most importantly, you’ll need to distribute it throughout your business via team meetings, town halls, and organizational communications so that it continues to resonate with your staff and becomes second nature.
3. Get Feedback
Feedback is the only way we can have a culture of continuous improvement. Using surveys to understand and get a read on what is going well and areas of improvement will ensure you focus on the correct elements for your employees. Creating an engaging culture is one thing, but evolving it to generate fresher ideas is a whole other beast.
4. Ensure Your Employees Are Involved
Culture is all about your employees, so having them at the center of your culture strategy is number one. An action plan proceeding from their feedback should be developed and communicated. Understanding engagement factors can achieve this through focus groups, which would encourage sharing fresher ideas.
But the work is only halfway done. Very similar to customers, employees have more options in the labor market than they did in the past. As an employer, you need to put in the effort to attract the best talents actively. This is even more of a necessity now as employees no longer stay in a single job until retirement. And they’ll leave even quicker if it does not correspond closely to their values and passion.
Creating a solid business culture is not the easiest thing to do as it’s not something you set and forget; it requires ongoing commitment and investment. The effort needs to be put into providing the tools, atmosphere, and support to meet employees’ expectations. Remember, impressive all-star level engagement doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes time, effort, and, most importantly, great leaders like you.