How important is company culture in 2021?

Whether it’s realized or not, company culture is always one of the driving factors that either “makes” or “breaks” an employee’s experience with your organization.

There have been countless testimonials from employees worldwide stating that they would rather take a (sometimes substantial) pay cut and enjoy a great company culture than earn more at a company that doesn’t prioritize a good culture. This speaks volumes and is a strong indicator that all companies should focus on their culture this year.

Company culture in 2021

This year especially, by emphasizing your company culture you could attract more talented candidates and ultimately, spend less on hiring and reduce turnover by creating a positive experience for existing employees.

Especially when employees may be limited on how/when they interact with one another, placing an emphasis on company culture when in-person events are extremely limited is paramount to your success.

Why is company culture important?

Company culture helps define and embody the core culture of your organization. It is not explicitly stated, rather, experienced by members of your workplace in how they interact with one another. Company culture directly impacts the productivity, creativity, and overall profitability of your business.

In 2021 especially, focusing on company culture can help your organization engage with high quality employees that may be suffering due to new remote work requirements.

Zappos is famous for having a fantastic company culture that trickles down to their customers. By treating their co-workers and employees with the highest respect, this positive reinforcement is passed on to their customers, creating a positive environment for everyone that interacts with the company.

How to improve your company culture in 2021

If one of your goals this year is to focus on improving your company culture, you probably already have a pretty good idea and action plan regarding exactly how to go about your mission.

No worries if you don’t, though! There are a few simple tactics you can implement right away to start fostering improved company culture this year.

1. Reward employees for doing good work ─ this can be as simple as calling out a “win” in your team channels, or acknowledging when someone does something good on a call. It doesn’t even have to be work-related! If an employee runs a marathon, call them out and tell them “great job” so they know you’re paying attention and care about their well-being!
   ‍
2. Make it easy to collaborate on projects - one of the biggest frustrations for workers in 2020 was that their companies were ill-equipped for remote working, or didn’t even have a policy in place, to begin with. By investing in remote working project management software (AND training tools so everyone knows how to use it) you can make your employees’ remote working experiences much better.
   ‍
3. Enjoy time outside of work - even if you can’t meet up in-person due to restrictions, you can organize team game-nights or happy hours via zoom. You can also implement a “coffee break” program where you have a designated coffee break and chat with a coworker you normally wouldn’t get any face time with. These programs can help cross-functional teams and also help you get some social interaction throughout the day that you would normally be able to enjoy in an office.

It’s clear that company culture is important for employees across your organization to enjoy their time at work. This year, make it a priority to fix or improve your company culture, and your entire organization will thank you for it.

No one suffers when a company has a good culture - you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by implementing some of these tactics this year!

‍