Barriers and characteristics to building a positive workplace culture
When we talk about aspects of what makes an organisation a good place to work, the primary factors most of us take into account are the brand value of the organisation and compensation paid to employees. Well, it’s almost 2023 and the most important factor that undeniably affects the employees in today’s ever evolving landscape is the organisation’s work culture.
A great organisational culture is key to developing the traits necessary for business success in 2023 and beyond. Culture may be defined by an organisation’s values and the way things are performed. Having said that, culture affects performance—not just for individuals, but also for the whole company. Excellent work culture will undoubtedly serve as the foundation for successful businesses with notable financial successes, low employee turnover and high engagement scores. Studies claim Companies with healthy cultures are 1.5 times more likely to experience revenue growth.
We often assume that a company’s workplace culture is unfavourable when we learn about its high attrition rate. Most people doubt a company’s culture because they lack knowledge of the background and specifics of their business. A high turnover rate is typically viewed as a bad characteristic and causes the organisation’s workplace to come under fire. Most of the obstacles to creating an iconic corporate culture are also the results of strong workplace culture, creating a vicious cycle.
In turn, this affects how employees see themselves as a part of the organisation, their general grasp of the business, strategic decision-making, or the definition of their company’s goal, among other things. Despite this, several obstacles prevent the development of an iconic culture that most organisations aspire to. Surprisingly, many problems result from positive workplace culture, creating a feedback loop that exacerbates the situation.
The five biggest obstacles to creating a strong workplace culture are mentioned below for your deeper understanding :
1. Pressure on Productivity, first :
The pressure to boost productivity, according to leaders, is one of the largest obstacles to maintaining a healthy culture. Employees can find themselves strapped with more responsibilities, expanding goals and tightening deadlines. When you add these factors up, it can often lead to an increase in pressure to compromise ethical and organisational values. These outcomes are closely tied to some of the issues that organisations list as barriers to preserving their culture. Productivity and staff retention are two desired results that make having a strong corporate culture crucial.
2. Transparency at Work :
Leaders have noted that maintaining a high-performing culture is difficult in the face of workplace transparency. Senior leaders are particularly aware of the change in working relationships because of technology and other advancements. In addition to traditional, official channels like HR communications and communications from their immediate supervisors, employees’ perceptions of the companies they work for are now shaped by company-supported social media and even external forums like Glass Door and LinkedIn, where a company’s message and image can be challenging to control.
3. Employee Mobility :
Many employees in today’s hybrid environment work remotely, which prevents them from participating in the culture of the company. The transitions could be hampered by a variety of challenges with reporting lines, local HR support, and payroll arrangements. Planning their career’s advancement and subsequent phases can be challenging. As a result, it is a significant
barrier to developing a positive workplace culture.
4. Remote Work by Employees :
The working norms have taken a huge shift from before post the introduction of remote working at the workplace. Employees now don’t have a direct connection with their colleagues and the trust among them is decreasing which has completely changed the workplace dynamics. Employees often feel disengaged and left out during working hours which is becoming a major obstacle in building a strong and transparent working culture.
5. Mergers and Acquisitions :
It makes sense that when two businesses unite, mergers and acquisitions might cause cultural disruption. Leaders claim that it is challenging to guarantee a positive workplace culture after mergers and acquisitions. The blending of various corporate cultures is a challenge for businesses engaged in mergers and acquisitions, and for businesses doing business abroad, social cultures—the traditions, viewpoints, and conduct of many peoples and nations—adds even more complications.
Organisations are putting a lot of effort into enhancing their workplace cultures, providing excellent employee experiences, and attracting and retaining the greatest personnel. Talent attraction and retention are becoming major challenges in today’s fast-moving era and to overcome this challenge, Businesses are spending large sums of money to enhance their workplace cultures.
There are six qualities of a great workplace culture that every employee seeks in a company.
1. Purpose :
Connecting employees to the organisation’s mission or the difference it makes in the world is what is meant by purpose. People aspire to be a part of something greater and more meaningful than themselves. Where most firms fall short is in connecting their “why” to the ambitions, yearning for significance, and desire to be effective that exist inside every employee.
2. Opportunity :
Giving employees the chance to grow, develop, and contribute involves giving them the means to do so. Most companies think of opportunity exclusively in terms of career advancement, but this is not what opportunity really means to an individual. Other factors exist in addition to promotion like new learning interventions, certifications, boot camps, or the opportunity to work in different domains can keep employees motivated and engaged
3. Success :
Giving employees the flexibility to innovate, complete crucial jobs, and be a part of successful teams is the key to success. The best employees are those who go above and beyond the call of duty and actively improve things for the good of the company. The company is devoted to creating a winning culture and aims for annual success. Additionally, employees want to work for a company where they can experience this journey first-hand and take part in it.
4. Appreciation :
Recognising and appreciating an employee’s exceptional work, talent, and distinctive contributions should be a practice regularly adopted by organisations. Both formally and informally recognising employees is possible. Leaders and peers can officially recognise and celebrate an employee’s accomplishments.
Well-recognised employees have more drive and determination. They develop a stronger connection to the company because they feel like their bosses see them as human beings and have their best interests in mind. Working in a place where people are encouraged to recognise the good work of their colleagues is empowering. It makes it easy to go to work when you know you are part of a strong team working towards a common goal.
5. Wellbeing :
Improving an employee’s physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being requires ongoing attention and effort. We are aware of the detrimental stress that work causes on an employee’s life. To increase an employee’s productivity, care must be taken of them. Employees want to be treated as individuals, not merely as revenue generators for the company. Understanding the employee’s needs and motivating them in their low time not only helps to increase their productivity but helps them to be more loyal to the organisation.
5. Leadership :
Effective leadership involves inspiring teamwork among employees and giving them the tools, they need to succeed. Many employees have little faith in their top executives and immediate managers. A lot of leaders also struggle with inspiring workers, delegating tasks, standing up for workers, and inspiring enthusiasm and dedication. Strong leadership can provide a sense of vision, purpose, mentorship, and inspiration to those they lead. This can help them reinforce and strengthen their workplace culture.
Recruiting, engagement, tenure, satisfaction, and other business KPIs like revenue growth and expansion all experience huge changes in organisations when they only slightly improve in each of these six categories.
Employers today must have a distinct culture that reflects who they are and what they stand for. They also need to know which culture best reflects their beliefs and the manner that they want to approach their work. Finding the correct cultural fit is crucial for employee happiness, while employers must be clear about their value proposition to promote employee retention and contentment.
If you want to be truly effective at advancing in each path, whether you work for a large firm or your own business, you must be resilient when faced with setbacks. For the benefit of our customers, shareholders, and employees, we must make sure that we maintain our culture and understand what makes our business exceptional.
This is a comprehensive guide on why making culture is a major strength of your organisation. If you want to build a road map to an effective culture that can thrive in this highly changing business world. Let our experts help you.
