We’re entering a new era of work. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that for businesses to succeed, they need to do more to ensure people are at the centre of their focus.
Creating a thriving company culture is key to attracting and maintaining top level talent, increasing efficiency and making work a great place to be.
Not only that, evidence now shows that treating your employees well can boost brand value.
It takes more than just putting a ping pong table in the lunchroom and stocking up the beer fridge.
Research suggests that most millennials would even take a pay cut to find work that matches their values, puts their skills to good use in a positive environment.
At Bannerconnect, while we’re passionate advocates for data and technology, people are still the most important element behind it all.
To us, the workplace of the future is a place where people love coming to work, are enthusiastic about what they do and have what they need to master it in a positive, collaborative environment with a clear career path.
It takes a bit of work and commitment to create this kind of workplace, but it’s well worth the effort.
Below is our list of the top 10 things you need to do to build the workplace of the future and get your company culture flourishing:
Give The People A Voice
Tools like Officevibe enable people to be upfront, frank and honest about the company and leadership.
Giving employees the opportunity to hold an informal work council to identify areas for improvement and implement new initiatives helps empower an inclusive culture which is everyone’s business and in each person’s power to build the workplace they want.
Be Transparent
Giving people access to the organisation’s goals, priorities and ambitions for the future is the way to get people excited about what the company is doing.
It helps inform employees’ sense of purpose as they can see how their work fits in the bigger picture and is moving the company towards achieving goals.
It might not all be smiles all the time – share the good with the bad. This helps form a more realistic image of the company, builds trust, and strengthens the sense of community.
Encourage Personal Development
People who are passionate and enthusiastic about the work they do are always looking to develop their skills and be the best they can be at doing their job.
Ensure your employees have access to courses, training and tools to learn and cultivate their skills. It’s also important that they have enough time to commit to their learning and development so they can be the best they can be.
Set Clear Career Development Goals
For happy and engaged employees, it’s important that work isn’t just somewhere you show up and kill eight hours every weekday.
There needs to be a clear structure to show you’re heading somewhere, growing in your career and that hard work is noticed.
Be clear and upfront in what they can expect in one year, three years, or even ten years so they know where their job is taking them and what they need to do to fulfill expectation and hit their career goals.
Measure Everything That Can Be Measured
It’s no secret we’re huge fans of collecting, analyzing and using data to make better marketing business decisions. But we don’t think it should stop there – data is an important foundation for all decisions, including building the workplace of the future.
Everything that can be measured, should be measured, from auditing processes, how time is spent, to the level of knowledge on key company priorities. This is to ensure everything is working as it should, or you hope it is.
It’s the only way to know that people are getting the opportunity to use their skills to their fullest, have time to work on their personal development, and identify where there are knowledge gaps that you need to fix.
Give Praise
People thrive when they know their work is valued and they feel appreciated. For many, it’s key in keeping motivation high. However, people are good at seeing through flattery or base attempts at pandering to their egos. Give praise that is sincere, specific and timely.
Give Fast Feedback
No one particularly likes giving or receiving negative feedback, but it’s an essential element of personal growth.
Constructive feedback helps people understand how they can improve and gives them the information they need to do it. How you deliver feedback is important; if it comes across as an attack or criticism it may cause the person to become defensive or withdrawn and have the opposite effect.
Feedback should be as specific as possible and given quickly and frequently. While it may seem counter-intuitive, giving constructive feedback can actually build trust, as it shows you care about the person’s growth and improvement and will be honest with them.
Ensure Good Work-Life Balance
Even once you’ve already made great progress and have made strides towards creating the workplace of the future, no one wants to be on the clock 24/7. Work/life balance should not only be respected, but encouraged.
This is important to ensure people are happy, stress levels and kept in check, and that they’re getting the rest and recuperation time they need to excel.
Align Your Values
Core values are upheld a lot better if they already exist within people individually. If you don’t already have a set of defined values, ask around and base the company’s values on those that people already live by.
If you do already have a set of core values, recruit people who share those values. When your core values are in place, make them the central theme that all things circle back to.
Empower Autonomy
What’s the point in hiring smart, talented people if they just come to work to be told what to do? Autonomy gives people the power to do their best work and achieve results.
Autonomy in your work informs a sense of purpose, accountability and creativity while increasing job satisfaction. Ensuring people know the mission, vision and goals of the company will see them produce excellent work that is meaningful to them.
Implementing these simple tips will help you create a thriving culture where people love working.
Happiness at work makes people more efficient, productive and creates a positive environment – everyone wins!
How are you creating the workplace of the future?
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