Building Company Culture: The Foundation is Operations

In the 2021 State of Workforce Management, improving company culture was identified as a top priority among human services executives this year. However, only 56% of leaders say they feel prepared to address this initiative.

What is Company Culture

Company culture is a set of shared values, goals, attitudes, and practices that characterize an organization. Or, as Gallup puts it, culture is “how we do things around here.” Company culture can impact your organization in many ways. A positive culture is associated with higher levels of employee engagement, reductions in absenteeism, lower turnover costs, and improved morale. It also helps create a strong employer brand that can attract potential talent to your organization.

Identifying Your Ideal Company Culture

There is no one-size-fits-all type of ideal company culture. The right culture for your organization may be drastically different from the organization next door. It helps to think about the types of words you want to use to describe your ideal culture. While a welcoming and empathetic work environment might be right for you, another company may be focused on being more innovative and competitive. Thinking about your organization’s mission, vision, and values can help you narrow your focus to identify the characteristics that are most important for your organization.

Auditing Your Existing Culture

Once you’ve created a clear picture of your ideal culture, you have a goal to work towards. The next step is to take an audit of your existing culture and think about where you are right now. Remember that your company culture isn’t what you say you want it to be. Instead, it’s what your employees say it is. What you can do to help improve company culture though, is create a great employee experience.

The Human Services Employee Experience

Two thirds of human services organizations say their employees are emotionally invested while at work, and the meaningful work that employees perform at human services organizations can be incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. At the same time, however, employees in this industry are prone to burnout and compassion fatigue. Therefore, these organizations still need to place special emphasis on creating a positive employee experience and caring for the needs of their frontline workers.

Learn More

Learn more about building your company culture, exploring different employee engagement strategies, and leveraging your existing workflows to create a foundation for the company culture you'd like to achieve. Read through the guide above to continue.