How’s your Organization’s Culture? Part 2

By Michael W. Hill, Mobius Vendor Partners Executive Consultant,

Author of Measuring to Manage

It’s been said “an organization is only as strong as its work culture.” Your culture is the accumulation of the talents, skills, knowledge, work ethic, and health of its employees. As things become more competitive organizations must ask: what can be done to create a strong employee-thriving culture?

Daily stress, disengaged employees, mergers, accelerated growth, market changes can all contribute to changes in your culture. So, the culture you had last year may not be the culture you have today.

Successful organizations focus on their workforce, is your workforce helping you to create the culture that is needed for the organization’s growth? Along with employee engagement with your customers, employees need to be engaged, inspired, and connected to their coworkers. The organizations that can accomplish this end up with a culture in which the organization and the employees thrive.

Let’s look at some of the signs we see in organizations with bad cultures.

Core Values not being followed by the managers.

When this happens, employees become confused and struggle to perform their jobs in the best way and to the performance level the organization needs. 

We have all run into situations that scream “do as I say, not as I do.” When company managers exhibit this behavior employees will become disheartened with this lack of accountability, leading to lower morale and possibly a disregard by them with regards to the core values.

So, what do you do? You need to address this behavior immediately. Step up and be the leader that your team needs. Make it very clear how the managers behavior was not in line with the core values of the company. Then make sure the individual knows exactly what is expected of them. This needs to be in writing so there is no disagreement between yourself and the manager.

Sometimes situations are so negative and have such a draining effect that it’s not worth keeping the offender around. Possibly their core values are not aligned with your company’s. 

Are you giving your employees a good Work-Life balance? 

Since the pandemic, employees and employers have been exploring different options to get their work done. The debate between remote work versus office work has been one of the hottest topics for a while now.

    What some companies and some employees are finding is that there’s no one universal answer. Some jobs lend themselves to be accomplished outside the normal “office setting,” while others need that office setting to get maximum production. The same is true with employees. Some find themselves very productive doing “remote work,” while others need the office setting to be productive.

    Anyone working with teams knows the importance of the in-person setting. You increase collaboration, mentoring, and an overall sharing of ideas, and you create an environment to establish trust. It’s been said you can only build trust in a face-to-face atmosphere.

So, what do you do? The answer to the solution to your company’s position needs to be well thought out. Maybe a survey would help? You might be making some assumptions that are just not correct! Some of your employees may want the structure of an office setting. Some of your employees may currently be looking for employment elsewhere because you have called them back into the office. You don’t know until you ask! 

Do your employees feel appreciated?

Failing to show your employees’ appreciation or failing to point out the good work they do can have dire consequences. When employees feel unappreciated morale and performance can drop. A recent Gallup poll reports that employees who don’t feel adequately recognized are twice as likely to say they’ll quit within the next year.

So, what do you do? Survey your employees as to what they would like. Ask them what they’d like from you as far as how you show them appreciation, and how often. You may be surprised at the results, and you can feel confident that you’re showing your employees how much you appreciate them.

You probably noticed that I point out with each “sign” that you need to ask your employees for their input. Some of what you “need” to know can only be answered by the employees themselves. Maybe a survey would help? You might be making some assumptions that are just not correct! Get your employees involved! Some of the “sign” of a culture issue may be affecting your employees more than you think and  they may currently be looking for employment elsewhere because they do not feel that the organizations culture is one in which they want to work. 

You may want our help. 

At Mobius’ Employee Experience – EX Consulting Employee Experience – Mobius Vendor Partners (mobiusvp.com) – we have the software to survey your employees so you can make the best decisions for your company and respond to your employees’ needs. Contact us to get started.

Mike’s book: Measuring to Manage is available on Amazon.