Work culture is the invisible glue that holds a business together – you can’t see it, but you can certainly feel it. It influences how people show up every day, how they interact with one another, and how committed they are to the company’s goals.
Work culture can make or break a business, and positive culture has a huge impact on performance and retention, saving money and helping you achieve long-term goals.
The current state: what is your workplace culture?
Before you can change or improve your work culture, you need to understand it. Businesses should regularly assess their culture to make sure the workplace is somewhere the team can feel happy and confident. Keep in mind, what leaders and managers may think is a good culture might not feel the same for the rest of the team.
Tools like anonymous surveys, pulse checks and exit interviews are all really useful for gaining real information about the culture. In some scenarios, employees may feel shy or unsure about sharing their thoughts, but setting up communication channels where they can speak openly and anonymously is a great way of getting to the issues.
As well as being important for employee happiness, a study by Gallup reveals the behaviours of highly engaged business units result in a 23% increase in profitability.
Why you might want to change work culture
The culture of work is certainly changing. Employers are becoming a lot more focused on the wellbeing of staff – both professionally and mentally. There is more regulation in place to help people, and health and safety in the workplace has never been better.
However, it’s important to understand that culture isn’t stagnant – it evolves as different changes happen at a company. Some of the most common causes for change include:
- Leadership changes – a new leader is often cause for a change in direction.
- Retention issues – if staff are leaving faster than you can replace them, culture is usually a core factor. While not a direct change to culture in itself, it serves as a warning flag that changes may need to be made.
- Rapid growth – scaling quickly and having an overload of work can stretch employees thin, changing how they feel about work.
- Toxic behaviours – Bullying in the workplace can affect entire teams.
A 2022 study conducted by the MIT Sloan identifies toxic work cultures as being the top driver of employee attrition and are 10.4x more important than compensation in predicting turnover. If your people are leaving despite competitive pay, the culture is likely the real issue.
How to improve work culture: actionable strategies
Understanding work culture is one thing, but finding solutions to potential issues is another. We’ve put together an actionable guide so you can start seeing results in your team.
1. Be clear about the change you want to see
Be clear about not only what you stand for, but what the company’s core values are – then make sure they’re communicated confidently. If employees have already been involved in the change that the business is going to undergo, fantastic; if not, it’s time to have that conversation.
And no, it’s not enough to simply put your new green values in a mission statement, an email or even a big get-together. You need to demonstrate it, and start living and breathing it, every day.
2. Secure leadership commitment & role modelling
Leaders set the tone. If senior managers don’t live the values, no amount of posters or slogans will work. Culture change requires visible buy-in from the top that is demonstrated daily. Regular face-to-face communication is one of the most effective ways of making staff feel valued – and that feeling can only enhance your company culture.
3. Get buy-in from all levels
Culture is shaped by everyone. Invite employees at every level to contribute to discussions and share their perspective so you’re getting a company wide view of what needs to change.
4. Communicate clearly & consistently
You can’t tell employees how to espouse the company values and vision – until, that is, you do it yourself. So be an example. Always.
If you clearly show passion for and demonstrate excitement for your goals, it becomes infectious – and guess what: your people become walking, talking examples of your company culture.
5. Identify and amplify positive deviants
Use those people in your team who are already doing a great job as real-life case studies. Not only will this show others your culture goals, but it will boost overall mood and help to give people extra motivation.
6. Leverage opinion leaders and culture champions
Identify respected employees who shape how others think, and bring them into the change process. Simply using leaders and managers will mean the change is one sided, and you need input from across the business.
7. Hold people accountable and align systems
Culture isn’t just words and emails. Make sure performance reviews, promotions and rewards line up with cultural expectations. Accountability makes change stick!
8. Measure progress and track key metrics
Use those initial anonymous surveys as your starting point and make sure you’re getting feedback every quarter so you can check your progress. Demonstrate to your team that this isn’t just a tick box exercise but that their suggestions are really taken into account. Consider using at least one team suggestion every quarter and showcase how this has been used and its benefits.
9. Stay consistent over time
Changing company culture can take time, and if you don’t see changes straight away, don’t be disheartened. Allow the company a chance to try and fail at things and continue pushing for that amazing culture that you know can be achieved.
Additional ways to improve work culture
Foster wellbeing, purpose and motivation
From time-off for personal commitments to flexible working, nutrition to gym membership and mental wellbeing, you can do so much to improve your team’s wellbeing.
Empower employees with autonomy & recognition
Being happy carrying out just the job description doesn’t cut it these days. Employees want to know you’re willing to not only challenge them, but also let them stretch themselves in other areas or roles. So let them multi-task, give them free rein to upskill and learn other areas of your business.
Use technology and real-time feedback systems
Gaining feedback should be an ongoing process, not just confined to formal reviews, so it’s important to make use of real-time feedback systems.
Managing obstacles when changing work culture
It’s natural for some employees to resist these initiatives as some may see it as “just another HR project.” Other obstacles include unclear goals or a lack of commitment from the leadership team.
Always try to be realistic and, most importantly, persistent. This means acknowledging the challenges and celebrating the small wins, showing how much cultural change benefits employees as much as the business.
How to change work culture effectively
You can’t see culture – not unless you count some of the physical embodiments like printed visions, company manifestos and the increasing penchant for big, bold vinyl quotes on walls.
And that is why the definition of culture is made up of many different takes. Our take is that a company’s culture is constantly evolving, and is possible with a clear vison, leadership and consistency.
Get started with Asda e gift cards
Flexible incentives are an ideal option to support a great work culture. Rewarding staff with reloadable gift cards is a brilliant way of recognising employees’ achievements. But it also allows you to incentivise your workforce in a flexible way that suits you.
It’s quick and easy to set up an account. Simply complete our registration form and we’ll be in touch within 48 hours. Choose from our wide range of designs, card types and prices, which can be spent on everything from groceries to clothing and electronics both in Asda stores and online. This makes them ideal for employees of all ages and backgrounds. Need a hand? Our friendly team is available to offer advice wherever needed.