From Monday to Friday every week, your full-time workers spend half of their waking lives within the four walls of your business.
Your people are your most important asset. So the question that every employer should be asking themselves is simple: is our workplace somewhere that our employees actually want to be?
If the answer to that question is no, you'll find that quality workers are difficult to retain.
But if you work hard to create a strong and supportive workplace culture, you won't just keep your best employees, you'll attract the best too: the type that are capable of taking your business to the next level.
In this guide we'll share five tips and tricks to strengthen your culture in a way that keeps top talent working for you.
Why workplace culture matters for retention
Workplace culture can be difficult to define. It isn't something that can be seen and touched - it's more of a feeling, a vibe, an atmosphere that you can sense.
Nevertheless, there are ways to measure it. Your ability to retain employees is one of the strongest indicators of the quality of your culture. According to a report from SHRM, employees that enjoy a positive workplace culture are 4x more likely to stay in their role. On the flipside, 57% of workers who rate their workplace culture as poor are (or will soon be) actively looking for another job.
What exactly does a positive work environment look like? These are workplaces where employees feel heard and supported, where they enjoy a sense of purpose and belonging, where they see a future, and where they're recognised for good work.
Businesses don't set out to build toxic workplaces. More often a bad culture is simply the result of a lack of attention or neglect. Creating a positive work environment demands effort, but this investment is handsomely rewarded.
The next question: how?
1. Prioritise open and honest communication
When leaders fail to keep workers in the loop, rumours are given free rein, and staff are never sure what to believe, which leads to a level of suspicion and mistrust.
The benefits of open and honest communication, meanwhile, are incredible. Studies have found that transparent workplaces enjoy a 51% decrease in staff turnover. Not only that, they also see a 17% increase in productivity, and a 23% increase in profitability.
How do you build such an inclusive, transparent and trustworthy workplace culture? Strategies include:
Weekly team check-ins: Have managers speak to team members as a group every Monday, to ensure everyone's on the same page, and individually on a Friday, to get a sense of how the most recent week played out.
Anonymous feedback tools: Anonymous surveys can give you a far more accurate assessment of levels of job satisfaction and morale within your team, as it allows staff to speak without fear or favour. Send out a monthly survey to test the waters, and act on the feedback you're given.
Decision participation: When your workers feel as though they have a say in the strategic direction of your organisation, they'll be more invested in its success. Actively consult your staff, asking for their thoughts and ideas on where the company is headed.
2. Recognise and celebrate contributions
Everyone wants to be congratulated on good work. When effort is expended and results are achieved, recognition and reward should follow. The allure of being recognised for a job well done can significantly increase levels of employee engagement.
How do you effectively recognise and reward good work? Clear and consistent communication is once again key. Managers and leaders should aim for a monthly, or even weekly meeting or email that highlights excellent efforts within the organisation.
In terms of rewards, these can range from symbolic, like an 'employee of the month' trophy, to the tangible, like the exclusive employee perks that we help you offer at 1Team: a variety of discounts for some of New Zealand's leading retailers, all made available through an app customised with your branding.
3. Support work-life balance and flexibility
In a post-COVID world, workers expect more work flexibility than ever before, because employers have proven they can provide it. Many jobs can be completed remotely or outside of the traditional 9-to-5.
If your business is in a position to offer flexibility on where, when and how an employee works, you should. Hybrid work options are an enticing carrot, particularly for those with busy personal lives, such as young parents.
You can also show you care by setting up support systems for your workers. Establish an employee assistance program (EAP) that offers your workers the help they need, when they need it: confidential counselling, mental health days, extended parental leave and more.
4. Encourage growth and development
Top talent is generally ambitious - it makes sense that the best workers want to grow and go places. Can they imagine their future with you? The best workplaces offer internal mobility, whether up the corporate ladder or sideways to a position that better suits a worker's skills or interests.
You want to give your top employees clear career pathways, and provide the support they need to get there. This could be in the form of internal mentoring and training, or helping them upskill with NZ-based providers.
5. Hire for cultural fit (and evolve it as you grow)
5. Hire for cultural fit (and evolve it as you grow)
The skills and experience listed on a candidate's CV will only ever tell half of the story. The best workers pair these hard skills with soft skills: emotional intelligence, values, ambition, the ability to collaborate. As such you should hire based on not just skills alignment, but culture fit too.
Hiring for culture fit can be a tricky skill to master. You need to avoid creating a homogeneous team where all workers are alike, because diversity drives success, as it grants you valuable access to different ideas and perspectives.
But you should ensure that your team is on the same page and will work well together. Tips for effective hiring include:
Define values, not personalities: Focus on shared values - collaboration, integrity - rather than backgrounds or interests.
Structure your interviews: Avoid unconscious bias by using a consistent set of behaviour-focused questions.
Don't maintain your culture - add to it: Look for candidates who align with your values but bring fresh perspectives and ideas.
Use diverse hiring panels: Involve a mix of different people and perspectives in the recruitment process.
Widen your reach: Advertise roles across a broad range of platforms, networks and job boards.
Check your language: Use inclusive, jargon-free job ads to attract a broader pool of talent.
Standardise your scoring: Use metrics that evaluate all candidates objectively against key criteria.
Keep evolving your processes: Reassess your definition of 'cultural fit' over time, and optimise your hiring process to secure the best possible candidates.
Final thoughts: culture is the foundation of retention
Employees spend eight hours a day immersed in your workplace culture. If you want to keep the best workers around, you need to ensure that culture is a good one.
Open and honest communication. A focus on work-life balance. Professional growth opportunities. A team that brings the best out of each other. These are all critical elements of a happy, healthy and high retention workplace.
Recognition and rewards are also vital. At 1Team we specialise in helping New Zealand businesses to offer exactly that, increasing retention rates and reducing employee turnover costs in the process.
We grant your high performing team members access to a range of perks, such as savings from New Zealand's leading retailers (Torpedo7, Dulux, Pita Pit, Hirepool, Repco, Warehouse Stationery), all delivered through an app with your branding.
Ready to keep more of your best workers, while reducing the time and money spent on employee churn? Get started with 1Team today.
