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Fast Company Executive Board members discuss how companies can use their culture as a key differentiator from their competition. With these strategies in mind, you can cultivate a work environment that attracts the top candidates in your industry.
1. DEDICATE FUNDS TO EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT.
Culture is about building community. What creates a workplace community is shared experiences that foster in-person connection. At our company, we dedicate over two percent of top-line revenue towards 250-plus yearly touchpoints of employee engagement. Leadership could wave the flag and re-route that spending elsewhere, but we don’t. These experiences are how employees grow as individuals, leaders, and professionals. – Timothy Wenhold, Power Home Remodeling
2. SEEK TO FILL ANY CULTURE GAPS.
There needs to be more connection between the culture envisioned by leadership and the reality lived by the workforce. Taking a 360-degree view into talent pools, supported by culture gap analysis, can help companies uncover what’s happening and improve recruitment marketing and employer brand efforts in a way that’s authentic to the organization. – Caitlin MacGregor, Plum
3. OFFER PERSONALIZED PROGRAMS AND FLEXIBLE POLICIES.
In the aftermath of COVID-19, employers who address the increasing demands of employees through personalized programs and more flexible policies—including flexible scheduling, a wider range of benefit options, professional development, and more modern communications capabilities—will reap the business rewards of a more engaged workforce and ability to attract top talent. – Jeff Moses, WorkForce Software
4. CREATE A TRUE PARTNERSHIP.
Wealth management companies can elevate culture when they view their firm as a true partnership. It’s crucial for the partners to come together several times a year to connect and brainstorm new ideas. This family dynamic is a value add for business, and incoming talent will view this power of partnership as an attractive asset to a company. – Stan Gregor, Summit Financial
5. CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE YOUR CORE VALUES.
Companies can elevate their culture by clearly modeling their core values. Organizations that consistently practice what they preach create an authentic and inspiring work environment. This attracts individuals who resonate with your mission, fostering a strong social and collective identity where potential employees feel a genuine desire to be part of your team and engage in meaningful work. – Kris Cravey, Fahrenheit Advisors
6. BE PEOPLE-CENTERED.
Put people first. It doesn’t matter if you have “buzzworthy” initiatives or messaging around culture if it is not a true reflection of your company’s key priorities. Putting the people at the very heart of your company first will ensure the organization’s culture is genuine and authentic. Authenticity will always stand out as a differentiator among the noise. – Jonathan Groves, Logicalis US
7. GET EMPLOYEE INPUT.
Ask your employees what a healthy workplace culture looks like to them. When culture is created from the bottom up instead of the top down, it becomes part of a company’s DNA versus something the company aspires to. – Liz O’Donnell, Working Daughter
8. PUT INCLUSIVITY FIRST.
When teams put inclusivity at the forefront of their company culture, it can become a strong differentiator in a candidate’s eyes. A signal that dynamic, determined employees with different points of view are welcome in your company. With culture, however, you have to actually walk the walk and make sure that you are, in fact, creating an engaging and supportive workplace as opposed to just talking. – Daria Gonzalez, Wunderdogs
9. PLAN COMPANY EVENTS AND ‘GIVE BACK’ INITIATIVES.
Through strategic HR initiatives, company events, and corporate social responsibility campaigns, companies attract employees who align with their values, resulting in a passionate and committed workplace. Efforts like community cleanups and DE&I programs foster a purpose-driven, socially responsible ethos and celebrate the importance of team members’ diverse backgrounds and contributions. – Kenneth Svendsen, Oasis Marinas
10. COMMIT TO OPERATING UNDER YOUR MISSION.
Your culture can stand out with a brilliant and compelling mission and purpose. To forge a powerhouse company culture in a startup and lure top-tier talent, it’s imperative to unite the team under the banner of the company’s values, vision, and mission. These are not just words; they are the bedrock of a thriving, competitive business. When everyone is fiercely committed, a startup is a living, breathing, powerful entity. – Caroline Winnett, Berkeley SkyDeck
11. ENSURE LEADERS ARE CULTURE ROLE MODELS.
Culture is truly a differentiator when leaders role-model the behaviors that their company espouses. It’s critical to translate high-level attributes, such as “high trust,” into specific behaviors, such as “consistently giving one another the benefit of the doubt,” and then hold one another accountable for acting accordingly. – Shani Harmon, Stop Meeting Like This
12. ALLOW EMPLOYEES TO REDEFINE THEIR JOB DESCRIPTIONS.
Culture is a powerful differentiator only when it is deeply internalized. For this, a compelling exercise is to have each employee “redefine” their job description in response to the question: “How will YOU embody, convey, and strengthen the company’s culture?” When culture drives the very purpose of your work, it becomes a competitive advantage that attracts, inspires, and motivates top talent. – Padmini Sharma, Jester&Genius
13. PRIORITIZE THE WELL-BEING OF YOUR STAFF.
By prioritizing employee well-being, encouraging open communication, and empowering employees, companies can create a magnet for top talent. Celebrating achievements, embracing diversity, and infusing fun can further solidify a positive work environment. Highlighting this unique culture through storytelling and advocacy positions a company as a place for those seeking a job and to thrive. – Kristin Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
14. PRACTICE AUTHENTICITY.
Be authentic. If your core values are words on a wall, you’re like everyone else. As business leaders, decide who you are, really. Then, inject that into every part of your business until it becomes your culture. You will feel the team click together and move forward as one when this shift happens. Then you can use your culture as a differentiator. – Dawn Sizer, 3rd Element Consulting Inc
15. CREATE AN EMPLOYEE VALUE PROPOSITION.
Have people at the heart of all of your business strategies. Create an employee value proposition through the wisdom of your internal team and embed it into your company. Celebrate the big and small wins of the collective team, post and tag the people who were a part of the initiatives, walk the talk of your core values, and have fun while inspiring your team to make a positive impact. – Jo Ann Herold, Herold Growth Consulting
16. OFFER PURPOSE-DRIVEN OPPORTUNITIES.
Offer more than a paycheck; offer a purpose. Today, people are increasingly drawn to careers with meaning, not only within a company’s mission but also in their lives. Reassess your company’s philanthropic strategies, from large-scale outreach to community services. Ensure you have ample hands-on outlets for your team to participate in, like apprenticeships, charitable initiatives, and events. – Larry Brinker Jr., BRINKER
17. OFFER TRAINING TO SUPPORT HUMAN-CENTERED MINDSETS AND BEHAVIORS.
Embed human-centered mindsets and behaviors into daily expectations, with accountability. For example, offer training on empathy, listening, emotional intelligence, communication, collaboration, and healthy habits. Assess cultural aspects that help and hinder these priorities from being real. Determine cultural shifts that need to take place, with rewards and consequences, and success stories. – Bonnie Davis, HuWork
18. DEFINE AN INTENTIONAL CULTURE.
Culture infuses every decision made in a company, from hiring to priorities. Defining an intentional culture is key. Leaders set the tone for an intentional culture by identifying unique and durable qualities and ideals of how teams operate, how customers are treated, and how achievements are recognized and rewarded. In this way, companies differentiate themselves and attract employees that fit. – Jon Forst, Trademark
19. DEDICATE AN EMPLOYEE TO COMPANY CULTURE.
Make company culture and experience someone’s real job. At our company, we have a chief experience officer (me) who oversees this area, and we have deliberate processes, resources, and KPIs for our brand experience, product experience, and company culture experience. – Sascha Mayer, Mamava
The Top 15 Entry-Level Remote Jobs in 2024 | Andrea Miller, Msn.com
Career data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) can help you to identify positions. You can discover roles that will help you jump-start your career remotely. Here’s a look at some.
Customer Service Agent
Companies need work-from-home employees to handle customer questions (and complaints). You only need a high school diploma to become a customer service rep. Most businesses train for this role once you’re on the job.
Computer and Information Research Scientist
Although you’ll need a master’s degree in computer science or a related area for this job, you can typically enter the field with limited work experience once you complete your education.
Financial Analyst
This entry-level job requires a bachelor’s degree in finance or a related field. As a financial analyst, you’ll help your employer make decisions to maximize revenue and reduce costs.
Accounting Clerk
If you’re interested in bookkeeping and auditing, consider an entry-level remote job as an accounting clerk. You can earn about $23 per hour with a two-year degree, and many employers offer on-the-job training for this role.
Personal Financial Advisor
In this role, you’ll help individuals manage their money and plan for their financial goals. Personal financial advisors provide investment advice and other strategies.
Administrative Assistant
Organized, motivated individuals can earn more than $46,000 annually as administrative assistants. These professionals perform clerical and organizational tasks to support departments and executives.
Medical Transcriptionist
Transcriptionists work from home to create formal reports from voice recordings made by physicians and other healthcare providers.
Travel Agent
If you’re famous for planning your next vacation while you’re on vacation, consider becoming a travel agent. You can work from home in this entry-level role, which does not require a college degree.
Insurance Sales Agent
You will help your clients protect their homes and other assets as an insurance sales agent. You can work remotely in this role, which usually requires a bachelor’s degree.
Real Estate Broker
You can earn a real estate license with a high school diploma by passing the test in your state. Most real estate brokers work from home and meet with clients to help them buy and sell residential and commercial properties.
Medical Records Technician
This remote entry-level role involves processing, updating, and entering patient records and other medical data. A medical records technician earns an average annual salary of nearly $49,000.
Teacher
If you’re graduating with an education degree (or willing to get your bachelor’s), consider teaching at an online school rather than in a traditional classroom setting.
Auditor
An entry-level job as an auditor pays about $80,000 per year, and many employers hire new grads for this role.
Database Administrator
With a bachelor’s degree in computer science, you can earn more than $117,000 in this remote role. Database administrators create, manage, and maintain systems to store digital data securely and accessibly.
Paralegal
These professionals assist attorneys with their cases by performing legal research, organizing client files, and related tasks.
How to keep employees happy for good business performance | Tshehla Cornelius Koteli, Citizen.co.za
Employees’ well-being can affect the number of sick days they take, how they approach their tasks, their willingness to go the extra mile and the quality of work they produce, according to Nomi Nxumalo, head of transformation, people and culture at MiWay Insurance.
Financial loss of the business
She quotes a study by global analytics and advisory firm, Gallup, which says the financial loss associated with decreased rates of productivity and staff turnover amounts to $322 billion globally. The study also says 75% of the medical costs incurred by organisations annually can be attributed to preventable conditions such as burnout.
Common elements people need to thrive
According to a study by Gallup, well-being encompasses everything that is important to an individual. The five common elements people need to thrive in their lives, according to Gallup, are career well-being, if you like the work you do every day; social well-being, if you like your social life and have meaningful friendships; financial well-being, if you manage your money well; physical wellbeing, you have the energy to get things done; community wellbeing, you like where you live.
Giving employees something to work towards
Employers should consider providing ongoing education and training as part of employee wellness because it gives them something to work towards. When an employer offers employees a learning experience, those who take the offer are usually provided with a sense of purpose. Nxumalo describes it as ‘nothing more powerful and meaningful than having a sense of purpose’.
Money matters
It is advisable for employers to bring financial literacy education and training into employee wellness, to give access to resources and tools that can help them manage their money better.
“These programmes may include financial literacy workshops, retirement planning assistance, access to financial advisors, and benefits such as student loan repayment assistance or emergency savings accounts.”
Workplaces that help employees to de-stress
Nxumalo believes having workplaces that help employees de-stress and engage in some activities that are associated with optimal health will go a long way.
She has seen an increase in the number of companies incorporating fitness facilities into the office, providing employees with an easily accessible space where they can exercise. “Ultimately, these kinds of facilities make working out cheaper, more convenient and more accessible.”
Top 7 Strategies to Boost Employee Engagement | Stephanie Ross, Marketbusinessnews.com
Employee engagement significantly impacts the company’s productivity. Improving this index ensures that everyone is interested in the business’s long-term achievement and motivated to achieve higher performance. Let’s explore the top 7 strategies your company can use to enhance your staff’s commitment today.
The Best 7 Strategies to Boost Employee Engagement
You might have seen an unsatisfactory shift in your team’s engagement or are new to improving staff motivation. Don’t worry; you can improve the situation and create a positive environment in your office. To increase personal engagement, your whole leadership team must commit and prepare carefully. Here are the top approaches to promote employee satisfaction and commitment to your company’s goals.
1. Introduce the Company’s Mission
To define the company’s objective, it’s critical to integrate it firmly with the corporate culture. This makes workforce members feel more linked with the company’s aims and driven to contribute to their success. When workers grasp the organization’s overall aims and principles, they may comprehend how their specific jobs contribute to greater goals.
To successfully convey the company’s goal, management should include it into all aspects of the workplace, from new employee orientation and training programs to regular team meetings and corporate communications.
Leaders should continually reinforce and reference the purpose in day-to-day interactions and decision-making processes, allowing workers to connect their duties to the company’s larger goals. Furthermore, allowing workers to engage in mission-related projects or community efforts helps increase their dedication.
2. Make Feedback a Priority
Employees often rank giving constructive input as one of the most crucial managerial skills. Team members appreciate feedback, and it drastically impacts their engagement levels. Begin by scheduling individual check-ins between teams and their supervisors.
Encourage middle management to establish regular review sessions with their teams as an ongoing effort to boost staff’s eagerness to work. While there might be a temptation to enforce a universal feedback schedule across the company, it’s important to recognize that each team is unique. Some may find these constant inputs unnatural and might prefer punctual feedback
3. Make Work Less Stressful and More Enjoyable
Offer flexibility for staff members to explore new tasks and discover their interests. Remember, what engages one employee intrinsically may not engage another. To give team members a chance to find what truly interests them, consider implementing a job rotation program where they can move through different roles quickly.
It’s also important to boost employees’ confidence. People tend to avoid tasks they feel uncertain about. Therefore, building self-assurance is crucial to encouraging workforce members to tackle tasks they find intrinsically rewarding.
Consider a mentorship program to enhance employees’ confidence. For example, at Google, managers receive timely reminders to pair new hires with peer mentors, supported by research showing the positive impact of peer mentorship on a staff member’s success. This has made Google’s onboarding process 25% better than others.
4. Recognize and Reward Workers
If you’re looking for the most critical aspect of increasing employee satisfaction, go beyond appreciation. According to an expert from Max Nepal, one of the best laptops selling company in Nepal, Employees want to be valued and rewarded for their efforts, whether finishing a major project or covering for a colleague. Companies should strive to simplify and combine social recognition and tailored awards. So every team member feels appreciated.
5. Support Work-Life Balance
Employees have a personal life, too. When they are feeling overwhelmed by their task, it’s critical to be sympathetic and provide them with adequate breaks. Avoid providing highly demanding chores that might affect their mental health and interfere with their personal time. Consider outsourcing some of these duties to reduce stress and keep a healthy balance.
6. Promote and Offer Training Opportunities
Providing chances for employees, especially for the engagement management department, to improve their abilities, learn from coworkers, and participate in formal training programs is crucial. This will increase their efficiency and motivation and prevent them from looking for new jobs elsewhere.
Establishing a systematic training course may include organizing sessions where senior team members assist newly hired workers in building skills essential to their career advancement. Designing an effective training process that caters to the specific needs of each department and role is crucial for ensuring that employees acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in their positions and contribute to the company’s success. Furthermore, using platforms like OneStream Live for live streaming of these sessions can broaden the reach and accessibility of such training. For those in digital marketing roles, incorporating tools like an on page SEO checker into the training can be particularly valuable, helping team members optimize content effectively.
Moreover, bringing external experts to lead workshops or give new insights may provide a favorable impact on whole teams. Additionally, encouraging employees to attend networking events, such as those hosted by communities like Link Building Community or The Awesome Marketers in Helsinki, can provide valuable opportunities for learning and professional growth.
7. Send Regular Staff Engagement Surveys
Conducting employee satisfaction surveys on a regular basis not only helps you determine what works best in your firm but also proves that you respect your staff. Encouraging everyone to offer their ideas promotes honest and open conversation.
Employee input is critical to properly engaging your team. While successful organizations can serve as inspiration, remember that your team is unique. Therefore, the most effective motivation techniques will be adapted to their personal needs and preferences. So, exploring what method suits each of them is important.
Conclusion
Active employees not only show up to work on time and do their duties but are also psychologically and emotionally invested in the company’s growth. This index heavily impacts the organization’s overall success. Therefore, business owners must ensure a high level of workforce engagement, which may be challenging due to different factors.
Worksnaps 