Business Buzz - Making You Famous

As we’ve said before, company culture does matter. When people enjoy their work environment, they are more likely to put in their best effort – which produces the best outcome for the bottom line. If your company culture got away from you and isn’t what you want it to be, or (even better) if you are just getting started and trying to figure out what kind of company culture you want, now is the perfect time to change and set up the company culture you really want to have.

Here are five easy tips to help you get started. It’s easier than you think. At each step, just ask yourself, “would I want to work here?”

1. Have Fun- “It’s not supposed to be fun – that’s why they call it work” right? WRONG! The mentality that work is work and shouldn’t be fun is outdated. It’s important to make time for fun every now and then. If someone is going to spend the majority of their waking hours at a job with their boss and coworkers, creating a pleasant environment is one of the keys to encouraging the creative process and great teamwork. In the highly competitive business world, you can bet if you aren’t making your culture appealing to your employees, the top talent in your field will seek employment elsewhere. Try to roll the fun into principles you want your employees to learn. Have a prize for the winning idea at a brainstorming meeting or allow lower level employees to sit in on client meetings. These things might not seem like “fun” at first glance, but they help your employees feel valued, and that will give them great satisfaction.

2. Encourage Good Health –A company that encourages its employees to take care of themselves in all ways, and even has benefits associated with healthy habits/lifestyles, will have happier employees who are able to work for them longer and produce better results. It’s easy to incorporate this into your company culture. Try encouraging better health through a benefits program, paying for a gym membership or offering in house facilities for quick breaks during the work day. Sometimes something physical – a quick walk outside or swimming a couple laps – is a good way to break up the day and give your employees a mental break that will actually increase productivity.

3. Get Out (As an office) – Taking your employees out of the office can be a great way to boost morale. It can be anything that gives a break from work. Run in a sponsored race, have lunch out at a local favorite spot, attend a sports game, volunteer for a good cause – the possibilities are nearly endless. You’re just looking to give your employees a break and get them motivated about work again.  Sometimes to most meaningful exercises in teamwork and dedication have nothing to do with the business you’re in. And participating in the community will help your employees respect you and feel good about the work they are doing instant weight loss.

4. Celebrate Special Occasions- Celebrate both work and non-work related special occasions. When your team reaches a big goal/milestone that is definitely something that calls for a celebration of some sort. Let your team know they are appreciated by recognizing their time spent at the company, big deals they help to land, certification they complete and so on. And don’t forget to celebrate non-work related stuff like birthdays, holiday seasons, etc. There’s nothing a like a good Leap Day or Talk Like a Pirate Day celebration at lunch to build memories and get creative juices flowing. Celebrating is a way to show people you notice and appreciate their hard work.

5. Make the Boring Stuff Fun – Some things we have to do for work no matter what, such as meetings, but that doesn’t mean they have to be the bane of everyone’s work life. Providing food might help make meetings more enjoyable. It could be grabbing something before or after or even providing some light snacks during. Try making your meetings places where people feel free to express their honest opinions and ideas. Not something they dread going to or are afraid to speak up. Allow different people to run the meetings and suggest topics occasionally. And show your employees that you value their time as much as your own – be prompt, and don’t go overtime if it can be helped (they have schedules too). Try mixing up other tasks by letting your staff work with new people, expand their own roles and take on more responsibility if they want to. It’s also a good idea to offer training or tuition reimbursement programs so that your employees can learn new skills and bring those to the workplace table.

Creating a company culture for your business that you enjoy yourself doesn’t have to be hard or really expensive, but is something that can have big rewards. Did you take advantage of Fun at Work Day yesterday? What are your favorite aspects of your job’s company culture? What would you change?

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