The 4 TOWER Rs of Rebuilding Company Culture, Post Covid

So Covid came — knocked us, rocked us, had us masking up, biting down, Zooming in, and working entirely from home. Now, in its endemic wake and what we're referring to as "The Great Return", the world and the workforce are back to business. At Tower, we are gearing up in our commitment to recover and build back better. Are you?

With hybrid work now the norm and many leaving for WFH pastures, companies worldwide have to make a call and ask: Who are we as a business? What is our culture? Are we going to go hybrid? Or are we going to push forward and remain true to our traditional corporate roots?

As a 42-year-old company, there is a way we (Tower) have always done it – but that's not to say our old way is the only way. This is something we needed to get honest about this year. And we did.

For us, we know our sales force is stronger together; we know our people feed off one another on the hard days and the easy days; we know that our energy matters in the room and that part of our company culture is comradery, connection, goal-planning and support. This is part of who we are, and, let me tell you - it wasn't built overnight: Traditional, together, and at the office. That's us.

The question for most CEOs and HR Executives now is: how do we re-integrate as a team when most of us have forgotten what it feels like to 'be a team'; to drive to work and still be on time, to dress beyond denim, to collab in an open space and to rebuild our team spirit and camaraderie?

The truth is, there is no "one size fits all", and the workforce's needs differ from industry to industry. Since we're all trying to reshape ourselves in this Post-Covid economy, I'd like to share our 4-step approach to rebuilding your company culture - for your team solidarity – and maybe, for your sanity.

OUR 4 TOWER Rs of Rebuilding Company Culture, Post-Covid

1. Rewind

Identify the 'why' of the business: Who was 'the business' pre-Covid, and who is the business post-Covid? Once you've done that, you need to own your decision and work to rebuild your culture in a way that is true to your core ethos.

2. Return (on Investment)

All decisions need to lift the business up, not drive the business down. It's why we're here, and if the business thrives, we all thrive. If the 'old way' doesn't fit anymore, a company needs to find a middle ground that works, but that doesn't compromise cost to company, whereby you're able to introduce a little more flexibility while maintaining traditionalism – and value (Like 3 pm Fridays!)

3. Review

Small changes with some clear timelines for frequent reviews allows you to check-in with your team and open up space for collaboration, buy-in and respect. Does this work, or doesn't this work? How did this small change work for everyone involved? By reviewing, everyone gets a say in ultimately deciding if it should form part of company culture.

4. Rebuild

Re-inducting your entire workforce, like we're doing at Tower Group, is a sure-fire way to remind everybody on the team why we've all signed up to be a part of our company culture in the first place. Recapping on everything you once knew will ensure that everyone is aligned, engaged, accountable, committed and feels a sense of ownership.

Restarting your culture climb from the ground up is not easy, but I believe it will be worth it in the medium term. We may have lost many things over the last two years, but we sure as heck should never lose our company culture. This is an "us" thing. And we are in this together, brick by brick.