EAE News
Corporate Culture: When Companies and Employees Become One
23 de May de 2022
We start developing a personality from the moment we’re born — and, sometimes, even before that. Our parents’ genes and the feelings of a pregnant mother can have a big influence on babies, even when they are still in the uterus. All of that, plus education and experiences, help us forge the way we act and the value we hold. Something similar happens with companies.
Believe it or not, companies also have a personality. Fostering corporate culture should be every company’s priority, since most of its success will depend on it. But, what exactly is corporate culture? What’s it for? And, more importantly, how can we help employees identify with the company?
What’s Corporate Culture?
Corporate culture, or organisational culture, is a set of rules, values, beliefs and ways of acting that guide a company. Although it’s often top management that defines these values and greatly influences a company, the way in which employees behave, their personality and the way they relate with each other, also have a direct influence over corporate culture. That’s why it’s always best that the guidelines and convictions of top management align with the attitudes and personalities of the workforce.
Why Is It Important to Foster Corporate Culture?
Companies that have a good corporate culture have better chances of positioning themselves in the marketplace, since it affects every area of the company. Facing outwards, it helps project a good corporate image, which makes it easier for clients to identify themselves with our company and places us ahead of the competition. Facing inwards, a well established corporate culture helps collaborators fit in with the identity of our company and to feel comfortable in the workplace. It also makes it easier to create an ideal work environment, which is great if you want to attract and retain talent!
How Can You Foster Corporate Culture in Your Company?
You may have very well defined values in your brand manual, but if you don’t manage to properly transmit them to your employees and if they don’t identify themselves with them and with the way the company works, then the personality that your company projects will be completely different.
Transparency
Transparency will help you have the trust of your teams, which will increase their commitment to the company. Communication and information, at this point, are crucial. Employees shouldn’t never have to ask how the company is doing regarding its goals or its general situation. They should always know what’s going on.
Flexibility
Flexibility has become a key factor in recent years in response to the new normality we found ourselves in. It doesn’t matter what the company’s values are, employees should identify themselves with them and implement them in the best possible way.
Acknowledgement
Employees who feel acknowledged for the work they do are 50% less likely to leave the company than those who aren’t. Identifying behaviours that are in line with the values of the company and acknowledging or rewarding them will make them become more frequent and will help others identify them as examples to follow.
Relationships
Even if employees belong to different departments, getting them to know each other and interact will certainly spread the corporate culture and increase their commitment. It’s always nice being part of a group. Fostering encounters and relationships among employees by, for example, creating spaces for that, will help you achieve this goal.
Purpose
Every position inside a company has a purpose. It’s up to the company to make it visible for employees. Numerous studies have highlighted the importance of purpose among workers. Those who find meaning in their labour and who see it as important for the company will be more motivated, satisfied and committed.