Enterprises across the board want to figure out how to build a better internal culture. But this isn’t as easy as simply flipping a switch, or throwing money at the issue. More holistic approaches are required for creating a stronger and more inclusive culture at your organization.
Collect Data to Improve Employee Experience
Few things can help discover the truth like data. While hard numbers might not sound like something that has anything to do with creating a more inclusive culture, they can and should play an integral role in this process.
There are many opportunities for enterprises to collect and leverage data to improve employee experiences. Expanding the reach of– and enabling ongoing communication between employees and policymakers can lead to more useful insights into the communal mindset.
Take Employees’ Satisfaction Pulse Through Surveys
One of the most intuitive and straightforward ways for organizations to collect data and gauge employee satisfaction is a culture survey. Too often, enterprises treat surveys as something formal to only be done on rare occasions, and only for clearly capital-minded efficiencies.
But there are a few issues with this approach:
- It doesn’t show progress over time in enough detail
- Questions often need to be refined in order to maximize effectiveness
- People might be mistrusting (and give biased answers) if they’re not sure of anonymity status
- This leaves a massive amount of potential learning and improvement on the table
In order to effectively strengthen a corporate culture, taking the time to build in-depth, authentic, and useful surveys can create better lines of communication. Ultimately, everyone’s success is interconnected at an enterprise. Building a stronger culture through the practice of continual listening is a great path forward.
Take Feedback Seriously
When it comes to enhancing the employee experience, one thing matters above all else: results. Platitudes and empty promises won’t keep people satisfied for long. There are two aspects of taking feedback seriously—to acknowledge first and then find an adequate resolution.
This is where hiring an outside agency can be helpful in realizing a stronger and more inclusive culture. Most enterprises—even the largest ones—don’t have the specialized human resources personnel to do a comprehensive, targeted listening and action program. To do this most effectively, bring in experts from an organization that specializes in this type of culture consulting and plan deployment.
One easy-to-understand benefit of taking this route is you’ll gain access to better tools, such as survey platforms designed specifically to drive engagement. Look for options that offer a large library of pre-built questions, an intuitive and rewarding user experience and strong analytics capabilities.
Measure Recognition and Bonus Metrics
For many organizations, there’s not a clear enough relationship between effort and performance with recognition and bonuses. This is something that can be changed by implementing the right tools and taking proactive steps to eliminate bias as much as possible.
Employers can start making more objective decisions when it comes to determining promotions, raises, and other essential pieces of employment. But beyond that, they can identify their current and historical deficiencies in this regard as well. Having this knowledge can help avoid future discrepancies between employees’ performance and appreciation.
Make Rewards Democratic
While this might not seem intuitive to some at first, making reward systems more democratic is one of the best ways to boost the culture and corporate morale of an organization. The idea is to remove the pyramidal design of reviewing and rewarding employees, and instead take a horizontal approach.
When employees are giving feedback to each other, it can often lead to more accurate portrayals of what people are experiencing in their own position. Not only can having that power give people a sense of belonging, it lets people know how their co-workers think of their performance, and whether they themselves should make changes.
Building a stronger corporate culture should be a goal at every organization, regardless of prior successes. There are always things to improve that will boost employee satisfaction while also aiding productivity. Deploying some of these strategies can help create a stronger and more inclusive culture.