Tag: workplace culture

Using Rewards & Recognition to Shape a Successful Company Culture

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_09When employees come to work on time every day, stay until the work is completed and do the job well, they deserve more than just a paycheck. Recognizing an employee’s contributions to the workplace plays a considerable role in retaining the best members of your staff. The cost of losing an employee is about one to two times his or her annual salary [1]. Consider these ways in which retaining employees through recognition and rewards is good for your bottom line and your corporate culture.

Motivation

Earning a reward, even something as simple as an “Employee of the Month” mug or a sticker for the employee’s ID card, motivates that person to continue performing at a high standard. When an employee is given a reward that is tangible and visible, other members of your workplace will see the reward. These awards could be given out monthly, quarterly or annually. This regular issuing of rewards could motivate additional members of your staff to up their performance levels in hopes of earning their own recognition.

Acknowledgement

While a private “good job” on an employee evaluation is helpful, sometimes a public acknowledgement of exemplary work is even more important and empowering to your employees. You do not have to go overboard or make a big deal, which could cause workplace resentment, but it is important to make a public acknowledgement about the contributions of employees when they go above and beyond your expectations. A moment at a monthly staff meeting for acknowledging and recognizing superior performance shows your staff that their work has not gone unnoticed.

Retention

Employees who are rewarded and recognized for their work are likely to remain in your organization. These people may become known in your workplace culture as rock stars and the go-to person for expertise and advice. Even if these well-recognized people do not become executives, they will continue to be a source of pride and inspiration for your corporation. Employees who feel valued and excited to come into work each day, anticipating recognition for their efforts, will stay at your organization for the long term.

 

[1] http://www.cio.com/article/2868419/careers-staffing/how-to-improve-employee-retention.html

Building a Strong Company Blog By Including Employees as Authors

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_08Including your employees as authors on your company blog helps to build a stronger company culture. The different voices that your employees have to offer also provide your blog with a wider perspective and range of writing styles. According to Marketeer, corporate blogs with 15 posts per month generate an average of 1,200 new leads [1]. Allowing more people to participate in blog authorship can expand your reach even more.

Offering a New Perspective

Each employee in your company offers a new perspective on what it means to be a member of the organization. Writing from the same perspective all of the time can be boring to your audience. If every blog is written by the CEO, your readers will have no way to know what the rest of the people think. Allowing different employees to author blog posts shows that you value every member of your company equally. Including various employees at different levels of your company also demonstrates that every person’s voice is respected.

Exploring How Employees Joined Your Company

Companies often seem like impersonal, huge entities to the public. Including employees as authors on the company blog provides a more personal view of what happens in your company. Employees can explore their career history and how they came to be a member of your business. Each person’s career takes a different path, and this sort of biography can be fascinating for your loyal customers and business partners to read. This information also shows how your employees have the skills and experience to do their jobs.

Highlighting Employee Work

While the general public and even the other workers at your company know what the CEO, CFO and COO of your company do, they might not have a good idea of what your business analysts, customer support staff or human relations coordinators do on a daily basis. Allowing your employees to write blog posts about how they contribute to your organization highlights the fact that your company would not be what it is without everyone there working together to help the entire business succeed.
[1] http://marketeer.kapost.com/corporate-blogging-stats/

Building a Stronger Corporate Culture Through Organizational Volunteering

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_27When people are engaged with the community and participate as citizens, the entire world benefits. Even at the organizational level, volunteering within the community helps to build a stronger corporate culture. As you develop your company’s goals and human resources programs, consider these ways in which you can build a stronger corporate culture through organizational volunteering.

Increased Employee Engagement

Organizational volunteering helps to boost employee engagement with your company. Engaged employees are happier at work and in their overall lives. Happy people are more pleasant to work with, listen better, and offer more positive interactions with coworkers, managers, and clients. According to Open Source Learning, organizations with engaged employees enjoy a 16% increase in profitability, an 18% increase in productivity, a 12% increase in consumer loyalty, and a 60% boost in the quality of the work that they perform [1].

Enhanced Social Capital

Social capital is a concept that addresses how the community sees your company. When your employees are volunteering on behalf of your organization, your name gets out there. The community sees your organization as a positive influence on the community and as an entity that is invested and cares about the people and neighborhood. When your employees see that the organization they work for is viewed positively and thought of as an asset to the community, this strengthens your corporate culture. Studies have shown that socially tied workers have higher levels of trust, are less likely to be opportunistic, and are more likely to cooperate and share information [2]. Your employees will gain pride in your organization and will feel that they are making a difference both at work and in the volunteering that they do as a part of it.

Shared Information and Skills

Organizational volunteering can also boost your corporate culture by allowing your employees to help each other develop and strengthen their soft skills. For example, sorting donations at a food bank and loading them onto shelves allows employees with strong organizing skills and stacking skills to help others. Volunteering in a community garden allows your skilled gardeners to share their knowledge of fertilizers, compost, and seeds with the rest of your staff. The sharing of information and uplifting of skills strengthens relationships, which can extend into the workplace.

[1] http://www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/productivity-profitability/#

[2] http://www.globoforce.com/gfblog/2015/social-capital-what-it-is-why-your-employees-need-it/

Improving Employee Retention by Building a Better Corporate Culture

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_07A positive corporate culture does more than keep management happy and demonstrate success to shareholders and investors – it also helps to retain the employees who make the organization successful. The 2016 Deloitte Millennials Survey said employees that stay within their organizations for at least five years are more likely to report a positive culture than others [1]. It’s important to pay attention to employee turnover, as the average cost of a lost employee is approximately 38 percent of the employee’s annual salary [2]. By building a better corporate culture, you can keep the top talent and experience within your organization.

Shared Priorities

A strong business culture is established upon a foundation of shared priorities. One way management can show that the concerns and priorities of the staff are important to them is by watching their pronouns. Rather than referring to employees as “them” and “they,” management can use inclusive pronouns such as “we” and “us.” Managers should also listen to employee conversations. When the staff members refer to themselves as a part of the organization, this indicates that the corporate culture is strong. An inclusive vocabulary allows for the development of shared priorities at all levels.

Listening

Successful business cultures also include listening. “When leaders share ideas and updates with their employees, open communication becomes second nature, and everyone feels equally invested in the company’s overall goals [3].” All management, from the lowest-level manager to the CEO, must spend time listening to the concerns of employees. Once concerns are heard, this gives the management the opportunity to present a thoughtful solution to the problem. Problems can be solved through respectful discussions and regular feedback to ensure that solutions are working for everyone. When ideas are heard and considered, everyone on the team will feel valued and more satisfied with their work.

Develop Bonding Opportunities

When your employees feel like they belong at your company, they will want to stay. Bonding activities as simple as walking meetings provide your staff with something to look forward to. Bigger events such as office potlucks and charity collections allow everyone to come together for a common cause. Even competitive contests can be fun, such as a contest for the best holiday decorations or the most over-the-top Christmas sweater. Bonding can also be done through shared activities. Consider having an employee volunteer day in which everyone in your organization works for a charity such as the local food bank or cleaning up a school playground or park. These simple activities allow employees, managers and leaders to come together and appreciate each person’s unique set of skills. Every person’s contribution has an exponentially positive effect on the whole organization.

 

[1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/wesgay/2016/11/29/meet-the-woman-behind-linkedins-culture/#1d429aa132c0
[2] http://www.talentculture.com/how-high-employee-turnover-hurts-your-company/
[3] https://www.fastcompany.com/3044879/hit-the-ground-running/how-to-make-your-workplace-fun-productive-and-creative

Five Benefits of Having Walking Meetings Outside of the Office

Posted on by Buyer Advertising

image_011The sit-down meeting may be a basic part of how your organization gets things done, but consider whether it really improves your organization’s productivity. The human body does some of its best thinking when moving. Researchers at Stanford University found that the creative output of people increases by an average of 60 percent when they are walking [1]. Consider these benefits of having walking meetings outside of the office.

Fewer Interruptions

During walking meetings, employees are less tempted to whip out their smartphones and catch up on the day’s news or posts from their social media feeds. Outdoor meetings also have fewer interruptions of uninvited guests walking into the meeting room. You may be able to get more done in less time by having a walking meeting.

Better Communication

Walking outside breaks down the barriers between management and employees. Your employees may be able to get their points across more succinctly and quickly than if they were sitting down across a big table from you. While outdoors, people become more relaxed and in tune with their surroundings, making it easier to say what they are thinking and feeling. Jeff Weiner, the CEO of LinkedIn, discovered that with walking meetings, the conversations are more candid—possibly because the two people aren’t making direct eye contact—with minimized distractions [2].

Improved Energy

Many office workers experience the 2:00 p.m. slump. This low-energy time of the day lends itself to poor focus and concentration. Taking your meeting outside of the office and having everyone walk around is an invigorating experience. The fresh air, sunshine and gentle breeze renew everyone’s energy and restore the ability to focus.

Healthier Bodies

Sitting for six hours per day during the workday has been found to increase cholesterol levels, blood sugar and blood pressure. Getting your staff outside and having walking meetings helps add some physical activity to their days. More active employees are healthier and may experience fewer illnesses.

New Ideas

The outdoor environment is always changing. From the leaves on the trees to the birds in the air, no two outdoor meetings will be the same. As your staff engages during walking meetings, the changing scenery may also inspire new ideas and more creative thinking. Your organization can benefit from the increased creativity and the new solutions that such creativity can bring into the workplace.

 

[1] http://www.inc.com/peter-economy/7-powerful-reasons-to-take-your-next-meeting-for-a-walk.html

[2] http://www.business.com/company-culture/walking-meetings-are-your-new-creativity-booster/