How to Easily Improve Company Culture (Without Needing a Miracle)

Improving company culture can feel like trying to untangle headphones after they’ve been in your pocket all day—frustrating, confusing, and just a little bit rage-inducing. But trust me, it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, creating a positive and productive work environment is much simpler than you'd think. A strong company culture not only keeps employees happy but also works wonders for your business. So, if you're ready to make some game-changing moves, start with two key areas: leadership and figuring out where your company culture currently stands.

1 -> Leadership: Because It’s Always Their Fault (Sort Of)

Let’s face it—if your company’s culture is going south, leadership’s got a little reflecting to do. No, this doesn’t mean sitting in a dimly lit room while contemplating life choices (although, if that helps, go for it). Instead, leaders need to do some good ol’ fashioned self-awareness work. Yes, folks, we’re talking about being honest with themselves. Scary, right?

How leaders act, speak, and decide sets the vibe for the entire company. If they're transparent, inclusive, and not running around like they’re starring in an episode of Survivor: Corporate Edition, chances are their teams will follow suit. On the other hand, if leadership thrives on fear and confusion, well… let’s just say, no one’s joining your team-building retreat voluntarily.

This self-assessment process helps leaders identify areas where they can actually improve. Reflecting on their management style (and maybe that one time they sent an email at 3 a.m. with the subject line “URGENT!!!”) can go a long way. Seeking feedback from others? Even better! Because nothing says, “I’m ready to improve” like realizing everyone was just too scared to tell you your jokes at meetings aren’t funny.

TL;DR -> Leaders, get a therapist, and maybe find a coach, too. We promise it’ll be worth it.

2 -> Know Your Culture (Before You Try to Fix It Blindfolded)

So, you’re ready to improve your company’s culture, but do you even know what it is right now? Spoiler: No, it’s not just free coffee and a ping-pong table. To get to the bottom of it, you need to go straight to the source—your employees. At be the change HR, we take the “get real” approach to workplace culture by combining anonymous surveys with one-on-one interviews. Why? Because people are way more honest when they know their name won’t end up in the company Slack.

First, we launch an engagement and job satisfaction survey that anonymously captures how employees really feel about their work environment, communication, and leadership. The kind of stuff they might not say at the company happy hour.

Next, we sit down for confidential, one-on-one interviews with employees. We ask two simple but telling questions: “What do you love about working here?” and “What can be improved?” Sometimes, the answers surprise us—like discovering someone’s been hoarding the office snacks.

Once we’ve gathered all that juicy info, we create a word cloud (it’s exactly as fun as it sounds), so leadership can see the key themes that define the company’s current culture. From there, we craft a roadmap that takes you from "okay, I guess" to "wow, we love it here!".

This is where the fun begins—because now you get to plan out the changes, initiatives, and programs that will actually make your workplace better. No need for panic attacks, it’s more “easy peasy” than “pull-your-hair-out.”

TL;DR -> Hire us to help you figure out where your culture’s at and how to roadmap it to where you want it to be. Bonus: You don’t even have to pretend to enjoy trust falls.

Wrapping It Up

By focusing on leadership and getting an accurate, unfiltered picture of your company’s culture, you lay the foundation for real change. With these two strategies, you’ll create a work environment where employees thrive, and your business totally crushes it. Now, if only fixing the office Wi-Fi were this easy.

-L

LeiLani E. Quiray is the Founder and CEO of be the change HR , Inc., certified Minority and Woman owned, a conscious company and social enterprise, providing HR support for small-to-medium sized businesses in any facet of HR from pre-hire to post-term and everything else that happens in between. She and her team also teach free job readiness courses and provide free coaching to trafficking survivors.? Her team is not only HR Pros, they are Life Changers.?

?If you’d like to chat with someone on our Squad for a free consult or are interested in our services book timehere .