Having a robust and healthy work culture is imperative when running a small business, no matter what industry you’re in. Regular interactions in your workplace (whether between your employees and management, between just your employees or within the management team) all significantly influence your business operations for better or for worse. The atmosphere inside a business is a direct indicator of productivity levels. Happy staff: better results.
While it’s not always clear-cut on how to achieve a better dynamic in the office, there are some key methods you can use which tend to work well to achieve a healthy company culture. Below are some simple, actionable steps that small businesses can take to improve their work culture and propel their business forward.
Be Transparent
Having an easy way for employees to collaborate, communicate, and share information efficiently is crucial for any business. It’s important to keep up-to-date with modern communication tools and project management apps to maintain transparency and organization. This is something that can help foster better workflow and teamwork which benefits the entire business.
Offer Rewards for Stand-Out Work
When your employees are working hard to produce the best results for your business, a little appreciation and recognition can go a long way. In fact, many studies have shown a dramatically lower employee turn-over rate amongst recognition-rich companies. Whether it’s a gift, a bonus, drinks at the local watering hole to celebrate a deal, or even a simple ‘thank you,’ rewards and gestures that show appreciation are meaningful yet straightforward steps that small businesses can take to improve their work culture.
Foster Stronger Coworker Relationships
Much like in sports teams, the relationships between your team members can make or break your success. That’s because when members get along, they communicate more effectively, which is the most important part of running a smooth operation. Think about whether the workplace is conducive to fostering better employee relations and how it can be improved. Hosting activities that allow your employees to mingle and get to know each other more, is always an impactful way to develop your company culture.
Be Considerate of Burnout
We live in a time where we’re always connected — that means that in addition to heavy workloads, there’s not much room for personal time to disconnect and recharge. It’s no surprise that burnout has become such a common occurrence in the workplace today. As the boss, it’s important to recognize when your employees have hit that stage because no matter how hard they try, burn out will significantly affect how they perform. Be mindful of this; help your employees avoid reaching this point by recognizing the need for adequate time off to relax and recuperate.
Be Flexible
Times are changing, and that includes the structure of the workplace. Offering flexibility to employees has proven to be very effective for improving morale, increasing employee retention, and ultimately, keeping them motivated to do a great job. Being flexible can differ for everyone — it could mean offering work-from-home days, shorter work days each Friday, more breaks, or letting parents slip out early to pick up their kids when they need to.
Improving work culture isn’t something that just happens. It takes time, effort, and a good level of understanding from you as a leader. Think about how you can propel your small business forward by incorporating these simple methods for fostering stronger relations and better communication among your team.
