How to Create A Thriving Company Culture

One of the best possible ways to create a thriving, successful company culture is by fostering one in which feedback is asked for, implemented, and rewarded. In fact, 78% of employees who work in a feedback-based environment say they are significantly more motivated in their work. This is because feedback, combined with recognition, creates an environment where employees feel valued. By creating an open dialogue with your people and responding to their feedback you will ensure they feel valued and their input is being recognised – which was the top impactor for employee engagement, satisfaction and loyalty from our global Employee Net Promoter Score study.

In today’s competitive work environment, creating a thriving company culture not only makes the work environment happier and more productive… It also helps you retain your top talent.

Recognition and feedback go hand-in-hand when it comes to creating a successful and thriving work culture. Here are three behaviours you should adopt:

1. Ask For Feedback

The first step to creating a successful company culture is to ask for feedback. Asking for feedback from employees doesn’t need to be difficult or complicated. You can simply use Google forms or other survey tools to collect the feedback you need.

When you first begin, it’s best to start with feedback on events, decisions or communications. Especially if employees are not accustomed to providing it.

Ideally, the sooner you can ask for feedback from your employees on these topics the better. Asking for feedback soon after an event, decision or communication shows you care about your employees and creates a positive environment. Here are a couple of steps you can take:

Set A Regular Feedback Schedule:

Regularly asking for feedback shows employees that what they think matters to you. Feedback doesn’t need to be a daily event but it does need to be a regular occurrence and shouldn’t be an afterthought once a problem has already passed. You may consider scheduling feedback on a weekly or monthly basis.

Ensure Employees Feel Safe Providing Feedback:

Create an open and transparent environment that motivates employees to give their honest opinions. If employees don’t feel safe providing feedback they will simply tell you what they think you want to hear. This massively defeats the point! Create a natural environment where employees can give open and honest feedback. Ensure anonymity within employee surveys, especially where more sensitive issues may arise.

Once you’ve established a regular feedback schedule, you can begin to expand your efforts. Ask employees for feedback on co-workers, company culture and workplace issues. Asking for regular feedback ensures employees are engaged in the workplace and that you’re aware of any issues before they become a problem.

2. Implement Feedback

With a solid feedback strategy in place, you’re ready to implement the feedback you receive from your employees. Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly polls can help you get the feedback you need to create a successful company culture and create meaningful change.

Polls have the added benefit of allowing you to send anonymous feedback to employees so they can see how their input affects company decisions. Sending the results of a company poll in an email is an effective follow-up.

You should also consider how you provide employee feedback. You may consider asking employees:

• How they like to receive feedback

• What their best or worst feedback experience was

• How often they like to receive feedback

• How they feel when they receive feedback

This can help managers understand how to respond and provide feedback to each member of their teams so they can receive appropriate recognition in a way that makes them feel comfortable.

Managers should also note that feedback sessions should not be one-off, time-consuming or awkward for employees. Feedback sessions should be a natural part of your working day and therefore, company culture.

Remember… What works for one company may not work for yours. The important thing is to start implementing a feedback culture so employees can see the difference their opinions are making. This will motivate your people to continue to share feedback.

3. Reward Team Members

To create a successful company culture, employees should not only be acknowledged for the feedback they provide. They should also be rewarded for their feedback. Openly reward team members for their ideas and consider creating a rewards program to encourage feedback through gamification.

Gamification in the workplace uses psychology to motivate employees to be more productive and provide better outcomes. It allows employees to take action, provides them with a sense of completion and gives them more control over their work. If you decided to implement gamification, make sure you customise your approach for your team. A one-size-fits-all solution does not work when it comes to gamifying feedback and rewards processes.

Feedback Based Culture In Action

A great example of companies putting feedback culture into practice to create a successful company culture is U.S. Synthetic.

This company, located in the Silicon slopes area of Utah, has become a master of implementing employee feedback, addressing everything from the size of their door frames to improving their manufacturing processes. Listening to their employees and implementing over 96% of all the feedback ideas they receive, as well as providing employee bonuses for feedback, has led U.S. Synthetic to be a leader among companies in their location and industry.

They are an excellent example of how a successful company culture can effectively improve process efficiency and increase employee retention. Part of their success is because of the employees they have, and they understand that the key to creating a successful and thriving company culture is to ask for, implement, and reward employees for their feedback. They succeeded in creating a successful company culture that fosters a sense of ownership and innovation from their employees.

Creating A Successful Company Culture

Creating a successful company culture doesn’t need to be difficult. Your employees are on the ground floor of your business and know the ins-and-outs, ups and downs, pain points and pressures. They have plenty of ideas and innovations that can improve culture and business performance.

Creating a feedback-based company culture that values employee ideas allows employees to own their work and be innovative to solve problems. Your employees are the lifeline of your business, and you can learn a lot if you listen to what they have to say.