When an employee asked about “culture,” the CEO stiffened. The visceral reaction communicated what staff knew all along—workplace culture was suffering at the expense of growth, and leadership hoped we wouldn’t notice. An opportunity for transparency missed, employees slumped back in their chairs, disappointed. A decision lay ahead of us: stay or leave.
Do you have a similar tale of employers-past? If so, you understand implicitly how our work environments, and the values upheld within them, affect our happiness. They also impact our health, productivity, and profitability. This week, we’ve gathered insights, stories and inspiration that can help you positively influence workplace culture, from attracting new hires to encouraging them to quit. Yes, you read that right.
6 Overlooked Ways Small Companies Can Compete For Big Talent
Small, large or somewhere in between, all companies can benefit from the advice of career and workplace expert, Heather Huhman. Her tips, gathered from successful hiring managers across a variety of industries, center on collaboration and humanity. Hosting recruitment activities with like-minded companies, prioritizing referred candidates, and emphasizing brand values in your pitch are a few suggested practices that can help you seal the deal with your next superstar hire.
How To Build A Culture Of Entrepreneurship In Your Business
So you’ve landed your dream employee… Now what? Unlocking outstanding, innovative ideas starts with workplace culture. Three easy-to-implement practices with roots in entrepreneurship can be universally applied to all businesses, leadership willing: encourage risk taking, connect employees to customers, and optimize individuality.
The Puzzle Of Motivation
Career analyst Dan Pink further emphasizes the importance of individuality and ownership in one of the most popular TED Talks of all time. In 18 minutes, he effectively dispels a long-held notion about employee motivation—that monetary incentives unlock productivity. Laugh along and let science shift your perspective as both an employee and a manager.
Why These Founders Train Their Employees To Quit
Craig Handley and Tony Ricciardi own and operate ListenTrust. The bilingual English-Spanish sales and customer service company employs more than 1,000 agents and outperforms its competition by 650%. How? By training their employees to quit.
The self-described goofball co-founders created DreamTrust, a program that targets six pillars of personal development from health to wealth. DreamTrust encourages employees to define where they want to go in life and determine how to get there, offering support from management along the way.
By emphasizing the importance of life beyond the office, productivity, performance and stability improve within. Since starting the program, turnover has dropped from 24 to 4 percent, and ListenTrust is expected to see revenue rise almost 60 percent over the next two years.
The Unique Cultures Of 10 Hugely Successful Companies
Seeking more inspiration on corporate culture? Here are 10 companies changing what it means to work. Sure, you’ll find paid organic lunches and in-office ping pong tables as common perks, but also cost-cutting during an economic downturn to help every employee keep their job and titling staff with 20 years of tenure as “The Wise.”
What aspects of your workplace culture do you find particularly positive? Tell us on Facebook.
