CREATING A CULTURE FOCUSED ON PEOPLE

Engaging a people-centric approach for your organisation?

A recent trend towards establishing work-life boundaries to reduce stress has been all the rage on social media, clocking in millions of views and finding mention in reputed media outlets around the world. This has sparked the conversation around if a people-centric approach works in organisations and more importantly, what are its benefits??

The answer to the above question is not all black and white. Managing employees depends on the kind of company you’re running and its culture – and, more importantly, on how your employees interpret their role in that culture.?

Here are a few key steps to take to start and maintain a culture that focuses on your people:?

1. Communicate to deliver?

Communication is key to understanding your employees. This means giving them opportunities to talk about everything from the pay checks to their work environment. It also means listening intently when they speak and making sure that their needs are being addressed when possible. At Acorn Strategy, during our weekly agency meeting, we make it a point to listen to our teammates and even start with a ‘thought provoker’ where each week a different Acorner presents a presentation on a topic they find interesting and would like to share with the rest of the team. This empowers them to speak in front of larger groups and helps form connections across the Agency.?

2. Accommodate flexibility?

Every individual is unique in their own terms, and companies should do their best to accommodate all personality types and work styles. For example, at Acorn Strategy, the self-proclaimed introverts in our team prefer working from home whereas the extroverts prefer face-to-face office time. We addressed this by introducing the hybrid working model, which allows our employees to combine their location of work between the office and any other location other than the office – catering for all personality types!?

3. Set goals and boundaries?

The remote working culture has evolved workplace etiquettes and performance. Finding a balance for every single employee is crucial. At Acorn Strategy, we encourage our team to set boundaries and expectations for the output of work. We also continue to set clear objectives to help employees to the next level in their career. This allows our team to feel empowered and supported – and be more likely to be engaged to strive for something more.?

4. Liberate leadership?

A team is only as good as their leader. Leadership can also be demonstrated by the promotion of good values as part of company culture. Values such as honesty, empathy and accountability will strengthen the company’s image as well as set a positive example for employees to follow. At Acorn Strategy, we lead from the top down. For example, our CEO Kate Midttun is a great role model. She’s an entrepreneur, a wife, and a mother, who regularly interacts with her fellow peers, addresses challenges and engages feedback. Her open door policy makes it a safe place for the team to turn to and thus filters down the management ladder. She also encourages a healthy lifestyle outside of work, competing in swimming events in and outside of the UAE; which inspires other Acorners to have passion outside of work.?

5. Invest in people?

The more you aim to see your employees develop in their respective fields, the more your company will be successful. This particular tip brings a couple of benefits. Firstly, the skills learned by your employees will greatly benefit your company. Secondly, there’s a lower turnover rate as employees are happy when their companies are interested in their career development.? At Acorn Strategy, we are focused on our learning and development. We have industry experts in the team who are building training content around marketing and communications. This knowledge sharing is either presented in a “lunch and learn” format which consists of a presentation or an “on demand” format which is bitesize video content accessed through our learning library on the intranet.?