Culture is King: Creating a Positive Working Atmosphere for Your Employees

May 11, 2010

In the sports world, people often refer to it as “team chemistry,” a strange alchemy that occurs effortlessly in a clubhouse or locker room and somehow galvanizes a group of individuals around a common goal.  Players and coaches cannot explain it, but they all seem to recognize it as integral to the team’s success. Unfortunately, in the business world we can’t sit idly by, expecting this “chemistry” to infuse our cubicles and boardrooms.  Company culture (i.e. “chemistry”) is something managers and business owners must work intentionally to create, and it is by no means easy.  When done successfully, however, the effect is a satisfied and productive workforce that can turn a business from good to great.  Here are two suggestions to encourage culture creativity at your business.
 
 
1. Encourage Healthy Employees
 
Part of providing excellent company culture is realizing the workplace is about more than just work.  Yes, we want our employees to be as productive as possible, but more and more business owners are realizing that happy, healthy employees are ultimately more productive than their distressed, inactive counterparts.  Promoting physical fitness in the workplace is a great way to work towards this end.
 
Not every company can provide an on-site fitness center, but they can promote wellness by offering stipends for gym memberships or by sponsoring health initiatives within the company.  Smoking cessation classes, “Biggest Loser” style weight loss competitions, and cooking clubs are a few popular initiatives that seek this overall goal of “wellness.”  Ultimately, one of the best things you can do is convince your employees that it’s okay to take an hour during the day to focus on simply being healthy.  This assurance produces a sense of freedom that can be just as beneficial to employee wellbeing as any workout.
 
2. Reward High-Performers
 
Inside the workplace, a well-defined incentive and recognition program can do wonders for company culture.  These rewards need not be purely financial; in fact, the best of them often aren’t.  Quarterly trips for top performers to local attractions like sporting events or amusement parks might seem a bit hokey, but they get people out of the monotony of the office and foster cross-departmental relationships that make for a convivial working environment.  For a less costly option, consider catered lunches on-site where star performers can interact with upper management in a casual setting.  Whatever your reward program is, make sure your criteria for selecting “top performers” gives all employees a reasonable opportunity to be selected.  The more people that are able to enjoy these fun events as a result of hard work, the better their overall attitude toward work will be.
 
 
This brief sketch above is a glimpse of the way creative managers and business owners have made their workplaces a fun destination for their employees.  Hopefully, these suggestions provide the impetus for you to begin working intentionally toward promoting a positive company culture in which people truly enjoy their work.  When this is the case, you’ll come closer to discovering that elusive chemistry that is the precursor to great success.

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