Pizza doesn't fix culture.

What is Workplace Culture and Why Does it Matter?

Loaded question, huh. Loaded statement. Loaded pizza. Mmm... pizza.

Understanding workplace culture can transform your business. Whether you're a micropreneur or leading a team, knowing how to create a positive environment can lead to improved productivity and in my own humble opinion, happiness in the workplace. Organizational culture has long been a pain point in many of my roles over the years, so is it any wonder I ended up working in a space that celebrates a healthy and collaborative culture in conjunction with community and technology? Anyway, here's why it matters and what you can do about it.

What is Workplace Culture?

Workplace culture is the character and personality of your organization. It's what makes your business unique! The sum of your company's values, traditions, beliefs, interactions, behaviors, and attitudes. If you imagine the space you work in as a living and breathing entity, like a human, or a golden retriever - then the culture is its heartbeat, guiding how everyone interacts and works together.

Why Does it Matter?

Because a good workplace culture can make your business thrive. And a bad one can make it crash, and by crash I mean all the bad things we have to deal with at work. Toxic behavior, secret shady memes about the boss, HR complaints, mountains of sick leave requests and the of course a common pain point amongst many of us: attrition percentages.

Let me take you on a journey of some great pop culture examples to see this in action.

Good Workplace Culture:

1. Dunder Mifflin (The Office) Do we all want Michael Scott as our Team Leader, no - not necessarily. But despite the chaos and quirks, Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch has a strong sense of camaraderie and humor. Employees feel valued and understood. Michael, for all his faults and believe me there are a lot of them, genuinely cares about his team. This creates a positive atmosphere where people enjoy coming to work.

2. The Parks Department (Parks and Recreation) Leslie Knope leads with passion and positivity. She creates an environment where employees are encouraged to grow and support each other. This inspires loyalty, creativity, and a willingness to go the extra mile. Ron Swanson might be well, Ron Swanson but he's a whole other basket of... meat. Speaking for myself, if I don't believe and care about my leader or my team, I don't bother doing the extra miles. It's just not worth it.

Bad Workplace Culture:

1. NYPD Precinct (The Other Guys) In The Other Guys, the NYPD precinct is depicted as a place where the culture is chaotic and disorganized. There is a lack of respect and support among officers - those who aren't "in the spotlight" feel undervalued and ignored. What does that man? Well, a whole lot of demotivation and a toxic work environment where cooperation and morale are low. Also makes for some great comedy, if that's your thing.

2. Sterling Cooper (Mad Men) Sterling Cooper as a workplace has a culture that is cutthroat and ruthless. There's a clear lack of respect and empathy, breeding distrust and unhealthy competition. Employees are often seen as disposable, leading to a toxic environment that affects both morale and performance. Don't even get me started on Pete Campbell - IYKYK.

All this and so what?

How do we start to build Good Workplace Culture?

1. Define Your Values Start by defining what your business stands for. What are your core values? Make sure everyone knows and lives by them. If you don't believe in your own values, redefine them - or better yet, work with your team to collectively construct them.

2. Communicate Openly Encourage open communication. Let your team know they can speak up without fear of retribution. This builds trust and a sense of belonging. If your team are doing the work and can't talk to you, how will you know when something goes wrong? We all know they're going to spot it on the floor before it becomes large enough to make it up the chain.

3. Recognize and Reward Appreciate your team's efforts. Recognize achievements and reward hard work. This can be as simple as a thank-you note or as significant as a bonus. Pizza won't work. It's delicious - we'll accept the cold slice, but it's such a meme today that nobody takes it seriously anymore. Understand your team and understand how they want to be recognized, its slower - yes, but will take you a lot further as a leader than cramming a box of crusty Dominos pizza onto their desk.

4. Lead by Example Your actions set the tone. Lead with integrity, respect, and positivity. Your team will follow suit. If you're in a leadership position and that work drains you (or you hate it) please consider moving into a Product/Project Management role or similar - you and your team will be happier for it. I said what I said.

5. Foster Collaboration Encourage teamwork and collaboration. Create opportunities for your team to work together and support each other. This builds strong relationships and a sense of community. I often told my old team that I was the least important person in the team, I was there to make sure their needs are met - in line with the business of course. How can we achieve outcomes if the people there to execute the work feel like a number and not a human being?

Conclusion

Workplace culture is more than just a buzzword. It's the foundation of your business's success. By understanding what it is and why it matters, you can create an environment where everyone thrives. Remember, a positive culture leads to happy, productive employees, and ultimately, a successful business. It's a soft and fluffy necessity, yes, but the point it that is necessary to sustain great outcomes. Think about that.

I'm going to be writing about workplace culture quite a bit in the coming weeks in the lead up to some significant work we've been conducting at Faiā . If you'd like to learn more - hit me up, we can chat.