Corporate culture: why every employee is important

Does your company have a thriving corporate culture? Are your employees happy? And what is corporate culture anyway? A strong corporate culture is the right way to motivate employees to produce successfully and ultimately to be at the top of the business.

From our professional experience, we know that not every company has a consistently strong corporate culture. Employees are dissatisfied; there is no transparent communication; agreements do not work correctly.

Have you ever asked yourself whether your employees are doing their best? Or are you wondering why the last project wasn't so successful? According to the Gallup Engagement Index, 85 out of 100 employees have little or no emotional attachment to the company they work for.

You are responsible for the culture of your company.

Almost every CEO will either have said: "Our employees are important" or: "Without our employees, we would not achieve our goals" in precisely this or slightly modified wording with a high probability. However, it makes a difference whether these sentences are only said in public or lived in the company.

It's the same with your employees. If you say that you care about your employees, but you don't care about them, it will hurt your entire company because this behavior is the basis for mistrust and lack of motivation. We humans are social beings who always react to their surroundings and quickly see whether you stand behind your statements. As a manager, you are responsible for the culture that is lived in your company. Your employees will behave accordingly.

How to create an environment that makes your employees happy

To create an environment that makes your employees happy and motivates them to perform at their best, strong leadership skills are essential. However, this does not mean the classic management techniques, but real leadership and responsibility. This means that you shouldn't just casually acknowledge the performance of your employees, but really should take the time for each individual to tell them that you appreciate their work.

You want to establish a strong brand, and everyone should associate something with your company - preferably a positive experience.

So that outsiders, customers, and business partners internalize these positive associations, you and your employees must also be able to identify with the values, ideals, and goals of your company.

Why is corporate culture so important for your employee motivation?

Because your employees enjoy their work, encourage and express their creativity. This develops a cross-employee loyalty to the company and the brand so that you can rely on your people in good times and bad. Even then, the employees remain innovative, develop further, and thus contribute positively to the maintenance and ongoing development of your company.

Also, don't underestimate the fact that workers also interact with one another. Companies are rated by their own and former employees on websites such as kununu.com. Applicants can find out about the corporate culture and employee satisfaction in advance.

How to improve your employee satisfaction and corporate culture in 7 steps

Do you want to develop your corporate culture into a successful one? Optimal! With these seven tips, you can turn your previous corporate culture into a unique and, above all - strong - corporate culture.

Ergonomics in the workplace

If you've never heard of ergonomics, that's pretty modest at this point. How should your employees be doing well there?

Ergonomics simply means dealing with social work. It makes sense to deal with ergonomics, especially in an activity that is predominantly performed while sitting.

Why?

Because you simply have fewer sick leave. Incorrect posture and sitting for hours on end can result in significant health damage. That is why you should make sure in your company to promote the health of your employees with an ergonomically designed workplace.

Flexible working hours and working time models

Flexible working hours don't mean that your employees work more or less. Instead, you can adjust the time they use to suit their circumstances. After all, children have to be looked after, pets fed and training times observed. Doctor's appointments can also be attended more relaxed, which generally means less stress among your employees—another plus point for the company.

Did you also know that there are different working time models? A few at a glance:

Flexitime is probably the best-known model among flexible working time models. Within a specific framework, your employees can choose to start and finish work themselves. A core working time in which all employees have to be at work is ideal. As an entrepreneur, it is up to you how long employees have to compensate for plus and minus hours. However, to prevent employees from being absent or working at atypical times, for example, at night or on the weekend, you should still set specific limits for flexitime.

Do you know the working hours? With this model, there are no fixed working hours with compulsory attendance. Instead, your employees work on a project basis within a period in which specific areas of work have to perform their functions. It depends on the outcome.

Individual development of employees

Just because a person has arrived at work, he has not yet fully exhausted his knowledge and talent. Seize this chance! Get your employees to get the best out of themselves!

How?

Make employee development part of your daily work. As an entrepreneur, you are just as much in demand as your employees. Engage with your employees. Get to know the unique ways of thinking, strengths, and weaknesses. This will give you a feeling for which talent you can promote and how and why it can be efficient for your company. You can, for example, fall back on the so-called “triple-A method .” It is based on three pillars: stimulation, recognition, and attention.

This model makes it clear that employee development does not only consist of seminars and training courses lasting several days. Instead, as an entrepreneur, you get to know your employees very well and thereby become aware of which hidden talents may still be slumbering in one or the other.