Three Company Culture Hacks To Keep Your Company Thriving This Year

While your company’s business strategies and profits have been tested by the pandemic, your company’s culture has been tested by employees working remotely and?working longer hours. Even companies that have managed to stay afloat despite the last 18 months are facing employee retention problems as people are quitting at?record rates?this year.

Individuals are leaving their workplaces in search of more money, happiness, and flexibility. A company that works with?its employees’ newfound values instead of against them may be able to retain its top talent.?

Company culture sets the tone of your company. Beyond a paycheck, it’s what makes employees return to their workspaces each day. In order for your company to continue to thrive, keeping your company culture up to par is vital. Before the year is out, consider implementing these three company culture hacks that your team will appreciate.?

1. Encourage Employee Contributions

First, you should build a culture that your employees can contribute to. Giving your employees the opportunity to put their stamp on the company’s culture provides a sense of belonging.

Many companies have found culture clubs — employee-led groups designed to generate creative culture-building ideas — to be beneficial. These clubs are flexible in nature and allow employees to interact with colleagues outside their individual teams.

While there are innumerable ways a culture club can work to foster a welcoming environment and instill pride in working for your organization, a few common threads emerge. Many culture clubs will facilitate community volunteer opportunities, arrange in-office and after-hours social events and provide opportunities for in-depth discussion. During the pandemic, many company culture clubs were the trailblazers in making everyone feel connected despite not seeing each other face-to-face. These clubs were often the ones sponsoring Zoom happy hours or lunchtime trivia games.

To start a culture club in your company, ask members of your senior leadership to nominate employees who might be interested in spearheading it. With a core group of dedicated leaders in place, you can open the club to all employees. Hold regular meetings and encourage participation by senior leaders. Their active involvement will underscore the club’s importance and keep its members accountable for showing up and continuing to offer their creative ideas.

2. Create A Recognition Program?

It’s no secret: Employees like to feel recognized. They want to know their work matters and their contributions to the team are significant. They like to know their managers and senior leaders understand and appreciate what they are doing.

Showing employees your appreciation doesn’t need to be complicated. A Deloitte study found that?85% of employees?want to hear “thank you” in workplace interactions. Whether you say it in a handwritten thank-you note or in person, expressing gratitude can really pay off in the long term. Recognition can help increase employee engagement, morale, performance, and retention.

Note that there is no one-size-fits-all company recognition program. These programs will look different in every company depending on how the team operates. For instance, if your company is completely remote, you might use an employee engagement tool like 15Five to encourage public shout-outs from managers and peers. Or you might create a company-wide Slack channel where employees can individually thank others for their work on certain projects.

A more top-down tactic could entail employees being nominated by managers and recognized publicly during an all-hands meeting. Whatever approach you take, just remember that a simple thank you?can make a big difference.

3. Invest In Employee's Health And Well-Being

Telling your employees they matter is one thing, but providing the resources for them to live healthfully confirms it. Once seen as an optional perk, company health and wellness programs are now considered a necessity. Employees expect to be well cared for, even when they aren’t at their desks.

The pandemic has accelerated the need for health and wellness programs, and?53% of employers?in a recent survey reported they’ve begun offering more mental health programming because of Covid-19. Providing online therapy sessions, paying for meditation apps, and hosting mental health panel discussions are some ways companies have stepped up to promote their employees’ well-being.

Nor should business leaders see wellness programs merely as a cost. Incorporating these programs into a company culture can boost team members’ health overall, reducing the number of employees' sick days. Such programs can also reduce healthcare costs and improve productivity.

If you’re unsure what kinds of wellness programming to offer, ask your employees. A simple survey asking for feedback can — once again — allow your employees to contribute to their own company culture. Moreover, offering some companywide activities such as yoga classes does double duty as a wellness practice and a social opportunity. Such opportunities can cultivate a positive company culture and may even aid with recruiting efforts.??

The Takeaway

More than ever, company culture is critical for your company’s success. Prior to the pandemic, it was the norm for employees to show up at their office desks Monday through Friday for eight hours a day. The shift to hybrid and fully remote work has likewise shifted the culture of your company — for better or worse.

If you’re looking to ramp up your company culture, start by asking your employees for their help. Set up a recognition program to show appreciation for their hard work and establish wellness programming to prioritize their physical and mental well-being. These three simple hacks can keep your company thriving this year and for years to come.

John Rampton?is an entrepreneur, investor, and startup enthusiast. He is a founder of the calendar productivity tool?Calendar. You can sign up for early access to Calendar?here!

This article originally appeared on Forbes via YEC. ??