10 Ways to Become One of the Best Companies to Work For

HOW TO CREATE A CULTURE THAT YOUR EMPLOYEES LOVE

What is company culture andwhy does it matter?

Company culture has become a popular buzzword in the last few years. But what is it exactly? On a basic level, your company culture reflects the beliefs, values and behaviors of everyone in your workforce. We like to think of culture as the guidelines that your employee handbook leaves out, or the environment that you create to keep your employees happy.

Your unique culture is built into your business’ DNA from day one. It begins with your founders -- what they believed in, what they valued and how they worked. A new company has the opportunity to try new approaches to

culture, taking things that were learned from previous workplace experiences and emulate or embellish them to make their own unique environment.

After you’ve been in business for a few years and begin to lose your start-up mentality, it can begin to feel like company culture is already set in stone, not something you can adapt and improve. This couldn’t be any further from the truth. So if you’re feeling like your office is stuck in a culture rut, fret not. Your workplace environment can certainly be developed and molded over time, especially with a lot of thoughtful planning.

How can you make your company a great place to work?

Company culture has a significant impact on the success of a business. You don’t want your workplace to be something people dread every day. Your people deserve to have a fun and productive working environment — especially because employee happiness means lower turnover and better company performance.

A great company culture sustains employee enthusiasm, and can be an excellent recruiting tool to hire top talent.

If you’re looking for a few ways to improve morale and ensure that your team has the best work environment to drive great results, we’ve put together some research about the qualities of businesses that have been recognized as some of the best companies to work for. Examining the cultures of other companies can help you create a list of desired values and behaviors you will ultimately try to emulate into your own culture.

11Focus on hiring excellent people.

When people hear the words “company culture,” they often think about beer taps, espresso, grand parties and ping pong tables. While these sorts of perks can have value, they don’t really matter unless you’ve created the right work environment to appropriately embrace them.

The purpose of job perks and benefits should always be to attract and retain the most excellent employees in the industry, because the more talent you have, the more you can accomplish. Creating a fun work environment,

and the providing means to do that, should only be a way to make employees happier and more productive.

To create a culture that employees are excited about, you first have to focus on hiring people who have the behaviors and skills that your company values. Invest in a winning team with passionate people and leaders who will grow with the company. Focus on bringing in top talent and then use perks to reward and keep them.

Reward hard work, not hours

on the clock.

It can be easy to forget that your employees have busy lives outside of work. Great employers today don’t measure team success by how many hours are spent in the office. All they care about is that their people are accomplishing great work.

In fact, most companies that have been recognized on “best companies to work for” lists don’t have 9-5 workday or vacation policies. They let their employees use their discretion when allocating their time, because they only hire self-disciplined, hard-working people. The most important thing should always be the final product -- not how it gets done.

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Be as transparent as possible.

Great companies believe that power is gained by sharing knowledge, not hoarding it. Don’t make all of your business decisions in secret meetings behind closed doors.

Your employees have a vested interest in the future of your company too.

Give your team the opportunity to join in on meetings and feel like they’re playing an important, trusted role in determining the direction of the company. Often times, including your team will give them a voice to suggest better ways of accomplishing objectives. And they’ll feel more ownership in each decision that’s made, so they’ll work harder to make sure initiatives succeed.

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14Treat your employees like adults.

Which would you prefer: A company culture defined by strict process and procedure adherence? Or a culture of freedom and responsibility? The answer may seem obvious, but the majority of companies curtail freedom and become more bureaucratic as they grow. If your goal is to attract and nourish innovative, creative people, running informally can be the best way to do this. Try to minimize as much procedure and complexity as possible.

It can be easy to forget that your employees are doing a lot to juggle their work and personal lives. If they need to work from home on occasion, let them. If they need to move some hours around to make their child’s school play or catch a flight out of town, be accommodating. Assume that the people you’ve hired are responsible enough to manage their own time. Treating your employees like adults will make them more loyal because they know that you respect their time.

15Invest in employee wellness.

Over the past few years, having an employee wellness program has become the new standard for top companies. From free smoking cessation programs to cash rewards for tracking exercise, great employers are doing more than ever to help their employees make healthy lifestyle changes.

Even if you don’t have the budget to implement some of the more costly wellness initiatives, crafting a healthy work environment is an extremely important investment for your business. Your team needs to be performing at its best, and giving your employees ways to

relieve some stress, get a little exercise and feel great during the workday will make them happier and more productive -- not to mention that they’ll appreciate you looking out for their wellbeing.

Try to organize activities that everyone can participate in like a nutrition or exercise challenge, and encourage employees to participate in community activities together. Whether it’s rock climbing, kayaking or running a 5k, there are always ways to get employees on their feet, doing the things they love together.

Foster employees’

professional development.

Most of the best companies to work for say they give preference to promoting from within and design programs to support this objective. Regular training, development programs and education reimbursement can be great ways for employees to continue their professional growth.

By investing in the future of your team, you’re not only cultivating new skills that are beneficial to the company. You also create a loyal workforce that recognizes your commitment to their success, and your people will be more likely to stay with the company, greatly reducing turnover rates.

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17Prioritize technology and mobility.

Technology continues to change how people work and communicate, and the need to adjust to current and ever-changing business climates exists.

As the global workforce expands, businesses need to make technology work for their people.

Providing employees with mobile technology that can help them thrive in today’s “on the go” work environment is more important than ever. Successful companies are those that

have outlined their communications needs, set clear strategic objectives and have realistic expectations of what new technology solutions will help them achieve.

As more companies get a grasp on how and where they can leverage technology to enhance communication practices, build operational efficiencies and meet employees where they are, the more likely they are to have employees that thrive and succeed in this changing work climate.

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Recognize and celebrate accomplishments

Your employees are the heart of your business, and happy, motivated employees are going to be more passionate about their jobs, be more productive and better serve your customers.

Schedule regular, highly-structured reviews with your employees to let them know how they’re doing. This level of transparency and communication will hold them accountable for their work throughout the year and will also

keep them motivated to continually improve. And when your team does something great, celebrate it! Whether it’s a completed project or product launch, take time to recognize group and individual success.

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Support community involvement – and not just as a PR move.

The best companies to work for encourage their employees to be good citizens of their communities and of the world -- and not just according to their public relations campaigns, but for real. They think about their carbon footprint, they come up with creative ways to support local projects or small businesses, they actively promote volunteerism among their team.

Emphasize the importance of workplace sustainability, and encourage your employees to dedicate their time to a local mission. Whether it’s a helping clean up a park, manning a soup kitchen or a raising funds for a cause that you care about, there are plenty of ways to give your company something to support together.

Give your employees a

mission.

The new workers entering the jobforce do not care about keeping the same steady job for their whole career like their parents did. Employees today need to have a purpose and want their work to be meaningful and fulfilling.

Companies truly succeed at creating a company culture that employees love when they believe that their work is a noble cause, and commit to their mission in everything they do. They have a purpose that everyone understands. And even better, every employee can tell you the role he or she plays in achieving that purpose.

Clearly define what is at the heart of your business.

How are your products or services changing the lives of your customers? Then find a way to rally your team passionately around that mission.

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So you want this culture thing. Now what?

The best companies to work for are exceptionally good at an extraordinary number of things. But their success does not happen by chance or by blindly following trends. It comes from attention to employee feedback and developing programs that build upon the company’s culture and values.

While much inspiration can be taken from other companies’ accomplishments, building your own great workplace has to start by determining which values and behaviors are most important to your employees and relevant

to your own unique culture. Then you need to document and share what you think your most valuable attributes should be with your team. And as you bring new employees on board, you need to remember to reinforce your company’s cultural attributes. As your company grows and changes, be mindful of the things that should remain import as a culture tenant and the things that need to change.

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