Create a Company Culture that Makes Employees Say “I Love My Job”

by Gavin Meacham on January 16, 2019 in Find Talent, MindSpring News

 

If you’re having trouble attracting and retaining talent, a lackluster company culture might be to blame. It’s the reason 47% of employees are willing to change jobs, and 71% of those employees are even willing to take a pay cut. In today’s job market, it’s no longer enough to offer competitive wages and run-of-the-mill benefits; candidates want to feel confident that the position they choose will complement their lifestyle, support their career growth, and enable them to look forward to showing up every morning. Put simply, employees want to love their jobs.

 

Far past catering lunch once a quarter or recognizing an employee of the month, your company’s culture should be more than a random series of engaging events, but a leading pillar of your operations. Defining your organization’s unique version of company culture doesn’t happen in a single meeting between leadership and HR – it takes time, but it’s well worth it in the end. Check out our company culture examples below and consider how you can tailor them to fit your organization.

 

Invest in Your Employees’ Growth

The average full-time employee spends around 2,078 hours a year at work. That’s 2,078 hours solely dedicated to making your business the best it can be. As an employer, the most meaningful way you can show your appreciation is to return the favor and help them become the best they can be.

 

Top notch companies have professional development ingrained into their culture, and this extends far beyond mandatory clickthrough training videos. Employees who truly believe their employers care about their professional growth will be more satisfied within the company – and less likely to look elsewhere for new opportunities. Ask your employees, what skills do they want to hone? How do they want to grow within their role? Then, find a way to make it happen. Professional development opportunities can range from attending industry expos, hosting guest speakers, or can even be as simple as developing a lunch and learn with internal subject matter experts.

 

Recognize Their Contributions

With 35% of employees considering a lack of recognition to be a major hindrance to their productivity, investing in recognition strategies pays for itself, especially when you factor in turnover due to employees feeling undervalued.

 

Before you think to yourself, “Well, obviously recognition is important, what’s new?”, hear us out. Often, recognition is written off as an obvious best practice that doesn’t require a complex strategy – it’s seen as regular thank yous or quarterly bonuses. While that sounds simple enough, to truly have a winning company culture, businesses need to take it a step further. More than a quick “job well done” email when a project is wrapped up, recognition needs to run deep in your organization and make a real impact on your employees.

 

Take a moment to consider the different ways you recognize your employees. Does recognition occur primarily between managers and their direct reports? Or does your culture encourage a web of recognition across all teams and levels? Are “wins” tracked and showcased to boost morale? And, most importantly, are high-performing employees being recognized with well-earned promotions, project assignments, and/or raises? Ultimately, all employees, whether permanent, temporary, or consultants, want to grow within their careers. If they’re not being recognized and appropriately rewarded for their work, you can expect them to look elsewhere.

 

Work Hard, Play Hard

Company lunches, team-building excursions, field days, happy hours after a long day – the list goes on. These events, big and small, are critical when it comes to fostering meaningful connections between your teams. When working to develop a winning company culture, it’s important not to underestimate the power of positive co-worker connections. For many, the office is like a second home – having co-workers to celebrate the victories, brush off the losses, and laugh a little too loudly with, can make or break their employee experience. As an employer, it’s up to you to facilitate these connections.

 

You can create additional relationship building opportunities while weaving corporate social responsibility into your culture by launching a company-sponsored volunteer program. For example, you can organize committees around different local causes and offer Volunteer Time Off for employees to volunteer together during work hours. This initiative alone will boost morale, as 88% of millennials say their job is more fulfilling when they’re provided with opportunities to make a difference in their communities.

 

Bottom line: An employee who looks forward to every workday isn’t some fabled myth. Sure, early wake-ups, daily commutes, and PowerPoint presentations will never be thrilling, but as an employer you have the power to make it all worth it. By creating a company culture that touches on the examples above, your employees will be able to confidently say “I love my job”.

 

Whether you’re looking for a permanent or temporary employee, or a consultant for project work, we’ll connect you with your ideal candidate. What open positions do you currently have?