When you are planning for a job change or applying for a job for the first time, it is not just the paycheck that matters. More important are the people you will be working with, the ambiance, and of course the work culture.
A good place to work will also ensure that you can achieve not just your goals but also that of the organization, improve productivity, and be an asset for the company you are working for. Also to give your best, you need to be working in an office that offers a good workplace culture. It also helps in developing good team cultures across the organization for which you are working for. So, what exactly is work culture?
It is a set of behaviors, approaches, attitudes, values, and beliefs that constitute the atmosphere of a workplace. It has also been observed that if the atmosphere of your company is healthy, it helps employees and employers to align their policies, goals, and work in tandem at the workplace.
Know the finer elements of a successful work culture
In this write-up, let us find out more about the same under the following sub-topics, namely,
1. Working from home online
2. Remote work culture – 3 ways that can improve it
3. Google company culture- Why does it work
4. Building a positive work culture – How to go about it
So, we will discuss each sub-topic one by one in the paragraphs that follow.
Working from home online
These days and especially following the pandemic, you will find that almost every single soul is working for a virtual company or for a brick-and-mortar company that has asked all its employees to work remotely keeping up with the social distancing norms.
However, under this sub-topic, we will try to analyze and establish that if you are working from home that should in no way dilute the so-called corporate culture that we are used to seeing all our lives. So, learn more about this topic below.
You will come across corporate stalwarts that have even during the pandemic managed to stay connected with their employees, sometimes chartering flights for employees. Let us see a few such instances.
Infosys –
It is a well-known fact that Infosys culture is very much client-centric. However, it is also a community within that is closely knit and where employees are like family. In the initial days of the pandemic, the company chartered flights to fly employees and their families that were stranded away from their homes. There were no layoffs.
IBM-
The Chief Human Resources Officer at IBM, Nickle LaMoreaux, stated how the company’s prompted the implementation of “Work from Home Pledge”. It specified how an employee could work from home remotely but also balances their home and office commitments by staying connected virtually.
Remote work culture – 3 ways that can improve it
If you are working remotely, there are benefits that you enjoy, like avoiding the time to commute, flexible schedules, lower operating costs at the office, and getting to prove yourself as a future manager. Remember, successful remote work culture can boost productivity and can give rise to a situation that is beneficial for both the employer and the employees.
Let us find out 3 ways in which you can further improve remote work culture-
1. Embrace the change and adapt to the new working norms
Ask your employees how they are feeling about the change they had to embrace the following pandemic. Also, welcome suggestions and feedback about the same. Also, ask them to write in about how things must change on work set up when you are working from home. While you will come across many such views that will be similar, it will help you to know what’s going on in the minds of your employees. Accordingly, you can rework your assignments, projects, allotment, and so on.
2. Two-way communication is desirable
When you are working from home, it becomes even more important to communicate regularly. Employees will turn to their reporting heads for some solace. And it is their responsibility to offer assurance and help them to wriggle through the troubled times. Also, it is the responsibility of the employees to work in harmony with the managers and team leads and to work out solutions together. The Human Resource department also has a ley role to play in this regard to see the well-being of the employees.
3. Encourage and recognize efforts of employees
When you face a crisis, this is the time when you get to see the true leaders. Celebrate them, encourage them, and acknowledge their contributions.
Google company culture- Why does it work
People love to work with Google. And landing a job in this company is like dream coming true. Your career is made and every year you witness your career graph going higher up. What makes Google the best place to work? Find out-
- The company has an environment where employees enjoy working because of the fun work culture
- The company encourages creativity
- Communication policy is open
- Google conveys to you the core values with great clarity
- For them: “Happiness is a Science”.
- Priority is given to innovation
- Google offers financial support to the employees
- Individuals are hired based on skills and character
- Mobility within the company
Building a positive work culture – How to go about it
If you want your work culture to flourish and improve productivity among the workforce, there are few characteristics that you must follow-
- You must care for your colleagues, be concerned in their times of trouble, and maintain responsibility
- Do not get into the blame game, which is an absolutely bad way to present yourself in front of your seniors as well as your subordinates
- Handle adverse situations with reasoning and logic
- Encourage your team members to perform better
- Acknowledge the hard work of your team members
- Try to convey the meaningfulness of the assignment you have entrusted your colleague with
- There must be clarity in whatever you do and how you deal with your colleagues
- Last but not least, the most important aspect that can help your work culture to improve is to treat every other co-worker with respect, trust, integrity, and gratitude, regardless of their designation.
To wrap it up, it can be safely said that following the pandemic, Hybrid organizations are the future of employment and workplace trends. According to a Future Forum study related to workers across 6 nations, revealed that most of the employees preferred flexibility.
Among those who participated in the study, 16% supported working fully remotely. 12% expressed support to go back to the office working 5 days a week, and 72% preferred working within a hybrid model of work culture, mixing and matching work remotely as well as from an office.
