According to the latest Employee Engagement and Organizational Culture Report, almost two thirds of workers rated their work culture "poor to moderate." Only 36 percent of participants in the survey said their office culture was "strong," and a growing number of executives have taken notice of the benefits of investing in a healthy team atmosphere. The study, conducted by TINYhr, asked over 200,000 employees across more than 500 organizations to review their workplaces, and found significant room to grow in most offices.
Part of the solution may lie in hiring practices. Brad Feld, an investor and entrepreneur who co-founded the Foundry Group, wrote in Business Insider that teambuilding at the front end can shore up a positive environment for everyone.
"Many people default into choosing people who have high competence but a low cultural fit," he said. "This is a deadly mistake in a startup, as this is exactly the wrong person to hire."
To reach that goal, it may be important to work out a definition of "office culture." Corporate culture can be defined by values, methodology, communication approaches, community, vision and aesthetic. From dress codes to management styles, it's important for employees to feel encouraged by a company's policies and expectations. This begins by hiring a team whose goals and values align with that of the company.
Managers who are mindful of reinforcing a positive office culture can also set the tone of a productive, simpatico office. Identifying ambitious but attainable benchmarks, motivating workers through positive reinforcement and trusting employees to deliver results without micromanagement can help members of a team go all in on a corporate agenda. With the lifespan of the average corporate job dwindling as today's professionals experiment with multiple career changes, retaining the best employees for the long haul may come down to investing in corporate culture.
