Understanding and developing workplace culture

Understanding and developing workplace culture

Remember that Monday morning feeling? When over a third of your life is spent at work, you want to be able to enjoy your job. Having a good workplace culture is extremely important to ensure you have a sense of belonging, that you feel valued and part of a cohesive team. In this blog we look at what this means for those in HR, marketing and finance jobs.  

In Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends survey1, nearly 90% of executives and 80% of employees agreed that a positive workplace culture was important to the success and productivity of a business.  

Knowing the workplace culture can help ease the transition as staff move back into the office after working from home during the pandemic. Equally, staff looking for work with HR recruitment agencies and marketing recruitment agencies will benefit as they take on positions with different companies. 

What do we mean by workplace culture? 

Workplace culture can guide both employers and staff on making daily decisions, expressing opinions and ideas, and how best to deal with unexpected situations. Having a clear culture means people know how they are expected to act and react, making for more open, comfortable and friendly working relationships. 

From overall business values to valuing each employee, company culture can be a big incentive in choosing the next step in your career. Working for an employer where workplace culture is prioritised can have a big impact on your personal performance as well as the success of the business. Having spent a significant amount of time working from home during the pandemic, many Marketing, HR and Finance professionals may be giving higher priority to culture as they look to returning to the workplace.  

All businesses establish their own culture; some are clearly defined, others are not. We are all individuals and finding a company with a culture that fits our own ideas and values means we will encounter less stress and maintain more enthusiasm for our job. For employers, having happy staff means improved productivity and staff retainment. So good workplace culture is a win-win situation for all.  

What can workplace culture look like? 

Workplace culture means having a shared vision, bringing together people with a variety of personalities and backgrounds, different interests and experience, all working together. Having a shared purpose, values and morals means everyone can achieve their personal goals whilst working towards the company objective.  

As well as all the positive aspects of creating a good workplace culture, anything that could be deemed adverse needs to be addressed. Absenteeism, competition, personality conflicts can all create negative attitudes, affecting employee confidence and so undermining the hard work and commitment to a healthy culture. A company dealing with these situations in a proactive way is important for establishing good working relationships.  

Teamwork is a necessary part of good workplace culture. When people share common goals they work well together, producing better results. Being part of an organisation that encourages staff to be team players creates a feeling of loyalty and belonging which is reflected in their work. 

Typical teams and their contributions to workplace culture 

Most business structures involve teams. Working with like-minded people with the same aspirations means you can combine resources, skills and knowledge to achieve results together.  

Teams can be vertical, meaning different management levels; or horizontal, meaning different departments, such as accounting and marketing or sectors within a department, such as P.R. specialists and digital specialists. In addition to established departmental teams, there could be short term project teams, virtual teams working with colleagues in different locations, or cross-functional teams, combining people from different sectors to work together.  

Having a common set of values makes working together easier. Despite the different purposes and targets of the various teams, they all contribute to the overall company culture.  

Challenges and opportunities for those in Marketing, HR and Finance jobs

Establishing a good workplace culture can have an impact on your own job role and there are positive things which can be done within specific sectors of a business.  


Human Resources  

From an HR perspective it is important to consider how good workplace culture provides competitive advantages for businesses. It is essential to have a good leadership team in place to demonstrate the positive culture of the company. 

In the current world of employment, shared values and collaboration are all key factors in attracting staff. Not only should experience and skills be considered when recruiting, it is also important that employees share the company ethos, ensuring they are a good fit for the culture of the business. These shared goals mean employees will be happy in their work, encouraging staff retention and loyalty to the company. 

Marketing 

As we have learnt, workplace culture is important for employee morale and, consequently, productivity. From a marketing perspective this positive culture needs to be portrayed in business communications.  

The work environment will differ between companies as every business varies and has different values and goals, but likewise, so do employees. By utilising both internal and external communications to accurately promote the culture, values and vision of a business, the marketing team can help encourage a healthy work culture among the current staff, and prospective employees.   

Finance  

Having a good workplace culture can help the finance team communicate clearly across the business, creating clear financial goals.   
Working openly with each department means there is no uncertainty regarding budgets and staff remuneration, thus helping to retain skilled and talented staff members. A lower staff turnover can mean less being spent on recruiting and more on training and equipment. Being able to offer increased opportunities for staff training and development adds further to an improved workplace culture.  

Workplace culture in this new world of work  

As we move beyond the pandemic, we will likely see some people continuing to work remotely, others returning to the office and some people hybrid working. It is important that those in Marketing, HR and Finance jobs still have a sense of belonging, even if they are working from home. This creates a new set of challenges for workplace culture as businesses seek to find ways to handle collaborations, meetings and team events in this new world of work.  

6 tips for creating good workplace culture 

Inspiration - Creating an environment that inspires staff to continually strive to perform to the best of their ability, collaborate with others, share their expertise and establish good working relationships will help establish a work culture that encourages the right employees. 

Connection - Encouraging good relationships between staff across all levels and sectors is very important. It is key for establishing good communication within teams and between departments, ensuring everyone works well together and are comfortable to speak up if there are issues or concerns.   

Communication - Problems at work can leave employees feeling unmotivated and not working to the best of their ability. Enabling them to talk openly with management and colleagues, working together to solve issues and move forward, is far better for staff wellbeing and productivity.  

Challenge - Challenging employees to learn new things and try something different is great for esteem. It is also helpful for the company to have staff who are willing and able to cross-train and take on new roles where needed.  

Empowerment - Giving staff the opportunity to find and develop their own strengths creates a sense of achievement and control, enabling them to excel in their area of expertise.  

Fair treatment - Everyone wants to be treated fairly. Fair pay, equal rights and respect for a work-life balance all contribute to making happy employees.  

Where next? 

Keep a lookout for the latest opportunities by regularly searching the job vacancies on our website.  
 

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References: 

Deloitte Insights. 2021. Global Human Capital Trends 2016. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends/2016.html. [Accessed April 2021].