If you’re reading this, chances are you have worked (or are working) in a hybrid working environment at some point in the past few years. While many agree their hybrid work lives offer them more freedoms than their office-locked coworkers, people are widely longing to return to their offices. How could this be, given all of the benefits an untethered work-life awards you? Two words: company culture. In this article, we discuss the importance of culture in a company, whether managing it is easy or not, and five tips for nurturing a great hybrid company culture:
How important is company culture?
Company culture can literally make or break your business. In a study on the importance of a positive company culture to organisation success, Kotter showed that when cultures are more effective, organisations see “payoffs in revenue growth, retention, stock price and net income.” A similar study done by Denison revealed strong correlations between company culture and achieving better return on investments and return on sales.
Is managing culture easy?
A 2021 study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, at the height of the global pandemic, revealed some staggeringly concerning trends. A full two-thirds of employers were “struggling to maintain employee morale,” with more than 33% of respondents facing challenges maintaining company culture. Today, the writing on the wall is clear: managing a positive company culture in the age of Work From Home (WFH) and hybrid working takes some clever thinking and a bit more effort.
5 tips for nurturing a great hybrid company culture
Ensuring that your company culture is positive, inclusive, and strong enough to keep distance workers engaged and productive takes fundamentally shifting how we live and promote our company culture.
- Make a big deal about your company’s vision, mission, values, and goals. Why only speak about these at your yearly staff function, or when you onboard a new staff member? Constantly remind your people why they are doing what they’re doing, and where you see all of this hard work taking you as an organisation.
- Make an effort to have nearby staff meet up occasionally. Finding out where your far-flung workers are located means you can plan special regional meet-up opportunities. For example, all staff in a specific city can meet up once a month and work from a single location, like a coffee shop or cafe with good internet.
- Stay aware of the company culture health using regular surveys. Another important aspect of maintaining a great hybrid company culture is keeping your finger on the pulse at all times. This could involve the use of regular employee engagement surveys, sent out to all staff, that gauge overall workforce satisfaction, motivation, and productivity.
- Invest in tools to make the hybrid work experience seamless. One major issue new WFH employees face is having to ‘figure it out’ themselves when there isn’t a manager or decision-maker close by to bug in person. It’s your job as the leader of an organisation to ensure all employees have to tools they need to do their jobs; to do them seamlessly and without having to guess or assume.
- Invest in ways to recognise staff for their good work and dedication. It might be last on this bulleted list, but this certainly isn’t any less important. Whether working at the office or at home, staff want to feel appreciated. They want to know that their hard work is being seen, and recognising them for great work is vital to keeping a positive company culture over distances.
The future is bright for those who see no better way to do their jobs well than with a hybrid setup. A 2021 study on the subject found that 87% of business leaders expected to offer staff more flexibility, with only 23% expecting the brick-and-mortar office to be the primary venue for work. 72%, on the other hand, planned on embracing the hybrid working model. If you’re concerned about the health of your company culture and the well-being of your hybrid working teams, contact us today to start a conversation.