How to Improve Company Culture and Boost Productivity: 5 Tips for Leaders

By Suzy McCoy 

Company culture and productivity tend to go hand-in-hand. The more conducive your company culture is to your employees’ overall wellbeing, the higher your productivity tends to be. As a business owner or corporate executive, enforcing a more performance-driven, cut-throat company culture could present a higher chance for your employees to become discouraged or unhappy in their positions.

Alternatively, a more informal and collaborative culture presents an opportunity for encouraging innovation and employee satisfaction. If you’re thinking about refocusing your company culture, here are five tips on how you can improve the culture at your firm and boost productivity.

Tip #1: Listen To Your Employees

Simply being there for your employees and ensuring that their voices are heard can go a long way. You want your employees to know that their opinions are just as important as the opinion of the CEO. Encourage your employees to share their viewpoints and, moreover, implement them if you can. In addition, you want to make sure your employees know that you are here for them. You need to let them know that they can come to you whenever they have a concern. 

Tip #2: Be Transparent 

One of the most bothersome experiences we can have is not knowing what’s happening or being kept out of the loop - it’s simply human nature to want to know what’s going on. We are information seekers. This characteristic can often become even more prevalent in the workplace, and it makes sense why. Employees want to know if their job is safe and secure. As a manager, this can mean that the more transparent you are, the more your employees will trust you. 

From the corporate level to functional team changes, let your employees know what’s happening. In fact, according to Hubspot, 50 percent of employees say bosses sharing information and data has a significantly positive impact on productivity and motivation.¹ A great way to facilitate this transparency is to hold biweekly or monthly meetings to keep your employees informed.

Tip #3: Give Rewards 

We all like gifts, and giving rewards to your employees can have a positive effect on your company culture. Incentives drive us to work harder. Your employees will see that their work is seen and recognized, which will increase motivation and productivity. The rewards can be anything - from gift cards to homemade treats.

Tip #4: Go Out Of Your Way To Help 

As a leader, one of the most impactful things you can do to improve company culture is going out of your way to help your employees. By doing this, you are letting your employees know that they are not on their own, which will significantly boost productivity. This will lend its way to a corporate culture that values collaboration and teamwork. Furthermore, by helping your employees, you will be viewed as more caring, empathetic and charismatic. You may even start a self-directed cycle where your help encourages your employees to help others. 

Tip #5: Encourage Collaboration 

While there are pros and cons of having a collaborative working environment, in general, working together boosts productivity and creates a better company culture. A study conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity found that companies with a collaborative culture are 5.5 times more likely to be high-performing than companies that don’t have one.² One easy way to encourage collaboration is by offering team assignments rather than individual assignments. 

Your firm’s company culture may be the reason your employees are staying, or perhaps the reason they are leaving. Creating a positive company culture is a must, and can even be the source of competitive advantage. There are many strategies you can use to build a company culture that’s right for both the company itself and your employees.

1. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/management-mistake?__hstc=21231844.528bbeb7b2a064058fde0a2cfd7c60bd.1580262619716.1580262619716.1580262619716.1&__hssc=21231844.1.1580262619717&__hsfp=645916085
2. https://www.i4cp.com/productivity-blog/top-employers-are-5-5x-more-likely-to-reward-collaboration

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