Company culture isn’t about the branded stationery, the mugs or the trendy office furniture that you might have. It’s all about the way you do things in your organisation. How you build that culture will determine how well you, your team, and the business, thrive.
A company’s culture is built on its values, beliefs, attitudes and the relationships between colleagues which build over many months or perhaps years of working together. But over the last 9 months, organisations have gone through a huge transition together and leaders have to consider the impact that a move to more remote or flexible working patterns has had.
There may be concerns about mental health, boredom or demotivation due to continued time away from the workplace. Relationships could be harder to build or maintain virtually, particularly for new employees or those who’ve moved job roles into a different team.
Some will want to return to the office and their own “normal” as soon as they possibly can, while others might want to change their working practices for the long term. These all present challenges which could affect the culture and ultimately the business performance.
But there are opportunities here too, for managers and leaders to take a fresh look at company values and make sure they reflect the new reality. What have we all learnt from our experiences this year and how can we adapt and incorporate this into our organisational values in the future?
Your organisation’s culture really does matter. Good decisions and ideas can come from anywhere within it and making sure everyone feels involved and able to speak up at any time is key to a positive working environment.
Our working world has undoubtedly been turned upside down this year and 2021 is likely to at least begin with further uncertainty, but fine tuning your company culture against this difficult backdrop is important. It could mean the difference between retaining your best people or seeing them move on to pastures new.
