In 2020, it isn’t just the role, a high salary, or a nice location that will retain top talent. Of course, including these in a job offer can help, but there are other aspects that can really improve your retention rates; like having a healthy company culture.
Having a positive company culture can work wonders for every aspect of your business. From attracting top talent to maximizing the potential of your team. It can really make a difference.
But how can you create a company culture that employees and candidates want to be a part of? Maybe you’re a novice HR professional looking for some helpful tips in your first job, or you’re just looking for new ways to keep your company’s culture healthy. These tips are universally helpful, so be sure to take note!
Improve Your Candidate Experience
If you want to improve your company culture, it all starts from the very first moment that your interviewers meet an applicant. In an increasingly candidate-driven market, job seekers hold all the cards. So, if you’re not putting effort into providing a great candidate experience, this will translate into their opinion of your company.
If you don’t communicate well or aren’t clear in your instructions, when it comes to their first day, they’re not going to hold a high opinion of you or the company. However, if you make the individual feel valued from the start, this will be a positive first step.
After all, if they’ve had a good experience throughout the hiring process, they’re more likely to join their team full of enthusiasm and determination to succeed. And, filling your company with positive individuals is an awesome place to start for building a great company culture.
What’s Your Onboarding Process Like?
You may have given a new employee an incredible experience during the interview and offer stage, but what about their first day on the job? Or their first month?
If you haven’t got an agenda or even a desk for a new employee, they won’t feel welcomed into your team. Ultimately, you don’t want anyone to feel like another cog in the machine.
Thankfully, there are a few ways to improve your onboarding process. For example, you might want to organise a buddy system; ask their manager to set an agenda for their first two weeks; or plan in a company lunch to meet the team. All of these are great options for building a bond with new staff immediately.
As a HR professional, it’s also a good idea to schedule in catch-ups with your new employee within their first two, four, six or eight weeks.
This will ensure your new employee automatically feels as if they’re part of the team. Not only that, but you’ll have promoted a healthy company culture that values new starters as well.
Prioritize Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is super important for employees. If they’re taking work home in the evening, working long hours, and have no social life; they won’t stick around.
As such, it’s vital to encourage all employees to approach their manager or a HR representative if their work begins to pile up. This way, their manager can delegate tasks evenly and ensure that no one is under too much stress.
After all, a happy team is a helpful one. This will promote a collaborative working environment for your employees, which is a great culture to have.
As well as this, you might want to offer flexible working. It’s become a hugely desirable perk; so if you can offer this, you’ll engender loyalty and trust in the workplace. Everyone wants to be allowed some freedom at work. If you can meet your employees’ needs, you’ll create a flexible and productive culture.
Keep Communication Open
Indeed, if staff don’t know where to go with their problems; and don’t feel like you trust them, how can you expect them to stay at your company?
By encouraging managers to hold regular catch ups with their teams, you’ll help to create an open and honest culture. This will also ensure that managers keep an eye on their team’s productivity and intervene when their workload is getting a bit too much.
If you’re constantly communicating with your staff, this will build a healthy company culture. People want to work for an organization where their voice is heard and their opinions matter.
Value Your Employees to Promote a Good Company Culture
The best way for you to create and build a strong culture is by valuing your staff and showing you care. As a HR professional, you’ll be in constant contact with employees across the business, and if you aren’t following these tips, it’s unlikely that your company’s culture will improve.
However, it’s important to remember that these changes won’t happen overnight. It will take a while for the results to show, but it’s definitely worth it.
Your candidate experience and onboarding process can definitely give you a solid foundation to work with. Then, you can improve the culture further by putting your employees’ needs in mind and making them feel truly valued. It’s all about thinking empathetically and understanding what your employees want from the company culture.