The culture of your company is a big deal. It represents your personality as an organization – the values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of your workplace.
Employee perception of company culture is paramount after a work-related injury. How will I be treated by my employer? Will I lose my job if I don’t work through pain, or if I report my injury? What does my future now hold, and do I need an attorney as maybe I don’t have trust in my employer to keep my best interests in mind?
We as owners want the perception of “us against them” (as in our company against our competitors), not management versus its own employees. Obtaining an accurate assessment of your culture involves a neutral third party obtaining detailed and candid input from all of your “stakeholders” without fear of retribution – including your C-suite executives, middle management, employees at all levels, and even Union representatives if applicable. While owners and top managers often believe all stakeholders share the same opinions of company culture, reality is often far different than assumed.
When I practiced law at Brown & Carlson, PA for over 25 years, senior shareholders took firm culture as serious as we did our profit & loss statement. Culture actually does have a direct impact on the health of your P&L. Replacing employees is always very expensive, but beyond that, we always felt attrition was tantamount to the loss of a family member. Satisfied employees treat your clients in a more positive and productive manner, which results in a strong relationship of continued work and the healthy corresponding cash flow. Employees and management who are fully engaged in the culture of the company feel positive about what they do and with whom they work. As I stated in an article for Minnesota Insurance magazine, “A pleasant, enjoyable employee culture is paramount to us. At some places work is a four-letter word, but hopefully not here. We all work very hard, but allowing for regular celebration and team fun makes the office a place where our people want to come.” Culture is also often the key differentiator from your competitors. At B&C we had an epic beer fridge, regular pot luck lunches, parties to celebrate “wins,” yearly bowling event and trophy for high game. We encouraged all employees (regardless of their role in the company) to contribute to marketing ideas, new client opportunities, office efficiencies, and participation in charitable events. This authentic activity really engaged our whole organization – owners and employees alike. I consistently stated to my team “You don’t work for me, but with me,” and I sincerely meant it. I chaired our “Culture Committee” at B&C, which met monthly to brainstorm on relevant issues and implement new strategies to maximize workforce satisfaction. In both 2017 and 2018 Brown & Carlson, PA was honored as a Top 150 Workplace in Minnesota, by the Star Tribune – a designation bestowed upon very few law firms.
Optimal culture takes work. It all starts with a desire for improvement – the base reason for the development of Employer Consult, LLC. Culture does not just organically happen without measuring, monitoring, developing specific process, and plan implementation. This valuable exercise pays key dividends. Strong employee satisfaction and perception of company culture translated into less attrition, increased work performance, less days away from work, and increased overall revenue production, and many more nontangible benefits beyond profitability.
A subscriber call to action – Please do us the favor of comment contribution to this important topic, including:
- What aspects of culture may your company be lacking?
- What practices has your company implemented to address employee concerns and enhance culture?
- What other benefits are resultant from having a strong company culture?
- What other input on this topic of culture do you want to ask of fellow subscribers, to contribute to the learning process for all?
Thanks in advance for your comments on this inaugural blog!
By Jeffrey Carlson, Employer Consult, LLC
That was a well thought-out post Jeff, and the topic is one I believe is of significant importance to any company regardless of its size. One point that can’t be over emphasized is the value in properly screening and selecting new hires that are brought into the fold. Just like the old saying about One Bad Apple, every new employee has the potential to add value to the team or drive a wedge through the center of it. In a hot job market such as the one we’re currently in, many employers forget the true value in carefully selecting each new hire. “Are you physically able to do this job” and “Can you pass a drug test” should not be the standard for screening your next hire. Bad employees don’t become that way overnight; the tell tale signs are generally there if proper care is taken to uncover them. Don’t let somebody else’s bad former employee become your next problem. The end result will most certainly affect the culture of your work force in a negative manner.
Last week I was told of a new hire working his first day for a very large company on its 3rd shift. After his first day of training, the new employee felt an obligation to tell the warehouse manager about the extent of the “training” he’d received. It amounted to a step-by-step summary of how to hide from security cameras, how to steal from the employer, and who to buy drugs from. In a scenario like this, it’s not difficult to identify the employee who will bring the culture of the workplace down and who’s likely to improve it. The difficult part now is how to get rid of the problem.
Great blog on company culture Jeff.
Many companies tout great culture, but I’m not sure how many really have the kind of culture you’re talking about. I know for us, it took a long time to get it right (at least I think it’s right). When I first started hiring, it was more about getting someone that could “do the job” and less about what type of person he or she was. Of course they were not bad people, but I didn’t spend the time to see if their values lined up with mine. We were just trying to survive. Honestly, I was very frustrated with some of the people on the team.
As we grew I started looking past the skills part of the job and a lot closer at our values. Humble, integrity, competitive, work ethic, team player… Once I shifted my focus to looking for people that shared our values, it was easier to to make great hires. When we interview now, we’re always looking at the prospect to see if they can be a cultural ambassador for the Company.
I feel so fortunate now to be working with such a great group of people. We have organized sports teams, a community outreach leader, pot lucks, in-office friendly competitions, and yes, we’re getting a beer fridge. We now make culture a priory for all the reasons in your blog. We hope to continue this trajectory, and what’s really exciting is that we’ve created a work family here at Airborne.