Is Your Workplace Culture In Crisis? Now Is The Perfect Time To Change It

With organizations and the world slowly starting to figure out what our next normal will look like, now is the perfect time for the conversation about what our workplace culture should look like. We do not have to go back to the way we did things in 2019. 

During the pandemic, relationships shifted in the workplace. There are more human factors in play for our people. Organizations have had to learn to be flexible if they wanted to keep their best people. Employees were put in a position to work from home and try to balance home life and work life in this blended situation. It became a challenge for so many to leave their home life at the door now that they were intermingled. 

Workplace culture is described by Indeed as the “company’s mission, objectives, expectations and values that guide its employees.” One of the most important things about creating a strong workplace culture is to walk the walk. It is not enough to have a strong mission statement if you do not live up to what you say you will do. That is actually more damaging than not having these things at all. 

The post-pandemic return to the office is creating a transition in terms of how we work and what employees expect out of their employers. Organizations need to focus on how to retain good workers. Why would someone stay with an organization? I hear all the time that people say they are leaving for more money or for a new challenge. What I know people are looking for is a culture that fits with their values. The days of people going to work and just getting by are going away. People want to feel valued and appreciated. They want to feel they are a part of something bigger and not just punching the time clock. According to a recent LinkedIn Learning and Glint “State of the Manager 2021 Report,” “employees who believe action will be taken on feedback are 2.5x more likely to be happy working at their company [and] 2.3x more likely to believe they’ll be at their company in two years.” This lets us know that people want to be heard and seen. 

The conversation about a strong culture is not a new one, but now is a critical time to be thinking about it. We have the perfect opportunity to commit ourselves to doing and being better. If your organization had a strong culture prior to 2020, today you have the opportunity to take it to the next level. Here are some quick tips on how to focus on culture:

1. Build internal relationships. Continue to support and care for your team members as you have been or to a greater degree.

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