THE MAKERS AND BREAKERS OF COMPANY CULTURE
Who would have thought that the nicer the work environment, the happier and more productive employees will be? It’s a long fought for concept, with even the biggest in the biz often struggling to create that ideal culture *cue ooo and ahhh-ing*
The push for positive company culture has really grown in the past twenty years or so, but unfortunately, so has the gap between perceived company culture and how staff actually feel.
I’m sure we’ve all worked somewhere or knew of a workplace where the standard thinking was:
““We sure will look good if we make it seem like everyone loves being here! Everyone, put on your best happy face!”
We saw Apple’s version of this ‘happy face’ in shiny photos of Apple Park in Silicon Valley. This futuristic office is complete with a 100,000 square-foot wellness centre – I mean come on…
However, us devoted iPhone fans were shocked to see the conditions faced by over 350,000 employees of the Foxconn factory complex in China, working around the clock to produce over half a million iPhones a day. This just doesn’t seem to line up with their brand, nor values.
This got me thinking about what good company culture actually is. During my pre-employment years, I used to think that it revolved around how well an office was decked out.
A table tennis table in the meeting room? Yes please, hire me.
Lots of snacks in the kitchen? Don’t worry about wages, I’m there.
A 100,000 square-foot wellness centre? That’s it, I’m moving to California.
As it turns out though, there are actually far more important factors that will ultimately impact retention, organisational reputation and productivity within a work place.
So, what are the things that really, truly matter to employees? Allow me to present my findings.
Open communication (particularly between hierarchical levels, if present) -
Communication isn’t only integral to the productivity within an office, it also impacts how comfortable staff feel – comfortable within their roles and responsibilities, and how they can react when faced with difficult situations. Messaging needs to be able to flow between areas and staff, both up and down the hierarchy! The rise in open planned office spaces reinforces the importance of this… I see you, Inka. 😉
Comradery -
You can never underestimate the feeling that others have your back and you’re on the same wavelength as your colleagues / friends. You’re all playing for the same team, after all. A lot of this comradery stems from fostering social relationships – lunches, coffees or simply checking in on a colleague with a quick email or slack message.
Working with meaning –
Knowing that your work is valued and aligns with the wider stance of the organisation is massive in creating job satisfaction. It’s an often-neglected element, but one that workers crave.
Get rid of the goss’ –
Ahh, it always comes back to office politics. No one wants it, and it shouldn’t be tolerated or encouraged in any form. An easy way to quash the goss’ is to set the standards from day one, and make sure all team members are sticking to these standards.
Celebrate the wins –
It makes sense that employees will work hard knowing that their work is appreciated, and that they are recognised for their achievements. Regular recognition will prove that performance matters (yay, revenue) but most importantly, that employees are valued. A super easy way to acknowledge work being done throughout the week is with a quick 5 minute ‘weekly wins’ session.
At the beginning of my internship I definitely thought that an amazing array of snacks and ping-pong tables would make for a pretty cool company to be a part of. But after interning at Inka I fast realised that the priority should be that staff feel supported, listened to and valued.
If you can talk the talk, you’ve got to be able to walk the walk.
This post was written by Inka Intern Courtney as part of our 12 week Intern Program.
If you're interested in interning with us, keep an eye out for announcements on our social channels or apply today!