10 Ways to Build a Winning Employee-First Culture
When it comes to building a winning, employee-first culture, it can be hard to know where to begin. Here are 10 strategies you can implement today to start making your employees a priority and make the office a better place for everyone who works there.
Approximately 83 percent of executives and 84 percent of employees say that high levels of employee engagement and motivation are essential to a company’s success.
How do you foster engagement and increase motivation in the workplace? Start by implementing a culture that puts employees first.
1. Encourage Feedback
When taking steps to improve the culture at your workplace, it helps to find out what people do and do not like about it.
Encourage your employees to provide feedback on the current workplace culture and make recommendations for how it can improve. There are lots of ways that you can do this, from surveys and questionnaires to meetings with teams or individual employees.
2. Recognize Your Employees
A big part of fostering an employee-first culture at your workplace is to recognize your employees for the good work that they do. Praising workers when they go above and beyond and take steps to improve the company will encourage them to continue making these efforts. It’ll also encourage others to step up their game and be more engaged and productive.
3. Hold One-on-One Meetings
Some employees might be hesitant to share suggestions for improving the company culture in a group setting. If they have a chance to sit down with a manager, supervisor, or another higher-up one-on-one, though, this can help them to feel more empowered and able to share what’s on their mind.
Consider holding regular one-on-one meetings. That way, workers have a chance to set goals, address potential problems, and know that their voices are being heard.
4. Provide Real-Time Feedback
In addition to seeking feedback from employees, it’s also important to provide them with feedback in real-time.
If employees can receive feedback on their performance right away, it shows them that their supervisors and managers are paying attention and care about their work. It gives them a clear sense of how they’re doing and helps them to address potential issues in a constructive way, too.
5. Invest in Onboarding
The establishment of an employee-first workplace culture begins with onboarding. New-hires should know right away what they can expect from their new employer.
Make sure your onboarding materials represent the culture of your office in an accurate way. The onboarding process should provide employees opportunities to ask questions and create relationships with current employees, too. That way, they can feel that they’re part of the team and are being welcomed into the group.
6. Encourage Work-Life Balance
Employee-first workplace cultures recognize that employees have a life outside of the office. To show employees that you care and value their well-being, take steps to encourage a good work-life balance. This might include providing opportunities to work from home when necessary or allowing more flexibility when it comes to letting employees create their own schedules.
7. Give Back to the Community
Employees might feel more loyal to their employers if they know that the company is dedicated to giving back to their local community.
Businesses that make efforts to volunteer and connect to the community often have better levels of employee engagement and more satisfied employees. Great things can happen when workers know that their supervisors and higher-ups within the company care about their community.
8. Prioritize Employee Wellness
In addition to promoting good work-life balance, employers should also take steps to prioritize employee wellness.
By implementing programs that improve employees’ health (physical, mental, and emotional), employers can show that they care and can create a more employee-centered workplace culture. Corporate wellness programs, bringing healthy meals/snacks, and on-site health resources are all great investments to consider.
9. Encourage Socialization
When employees have opportunities to socialize (and are encouraged to do so), they can feel more connected to each other and more engaged at work in general.
Employers who want to create an employee-first culture should look for opportunities to help employees socialize both during and outside of regular work hours. Things like game nights, team outings, or even a catered lunch for the whole team can make a big difference.
10. Keep Listening
Finally, it’s essential that employers continue listening and soliciting feedback from their employees.
It’s not enough just to implement some new programs and call it a day. Employers should find out how their workers are liking the programs and look for ways that they can improve to make them more inclusive or beneficial.
Improve Your Workplace Culture Today
As you can see, there are lots of strategies you can implement that will help you build a winning employee-first culture at your workplace. Keep these tips in mind as you work to improve your office and make it a better place for all of your employees.
