02nd November 2022
Guest Blog: How To Foster a People-first Company Culture To Increase Employee Engagement
This is a guest post by Freelance Technical Writer, Indiana Lee.
All companies can benefit from creating a people-first company culture. Putting your employees at the center of your decision-making increases engagement and productivity. Let’s look at what a people-first workplace environment can do for your business.
What a People-first Company Culture Does for Your Business
Too many businesses put profits over people. As a result, their employees and company culture suffer. Unhappy employees mean weak customer relationships, low conversions, and fewer profits.
When you do the opposite and put your people before profit, employee engagement increases. Your employees are much happier and more motivated to do their best work. When staff is treated well, they’re also more inclined to treat your customers well.
Furthermore, a people-first company culture breeds trust. When there’s trust between you and your employees, relationships deepen. And stronger relationships inspire a more productive, tight-knit workflow. Fostering a people-first company culture ensures your employees are happy and satisfied, inspiring their best work and loyalty to your company.
How To Foster a People-first Company Culture
Building a people-centered culture requires putting your employees’ needs at the forefront of everything you do in your company. If you want to fill your workplace with happy, engaged employees, you must be strategic in your approach.
Get to know everyone in your company
The only way to build a culture centered on the people in your company is to understand who they are, what they need, and how to fulfill those needs adequately.
Take the time to grow personal relationships with each person in your company. Build a trust-filled team with expressive conversations. Seek to understand employees’ core values along with the challenges they’re facing. Also, you can simply ask for their input on how to build the best company culture. Informal surveys with small incentives work well for this purpose, and you may find that anonymous responses are the most honest and helpful.
Focus on diversity and inclusion
Honoring the differences of people in your workplace is vital to creating a people-first culture. Everyone has unique backgrounds, experiences, and talents to bring to the table that drive your business forward.
Express your appreciation for your diverse and inclusive workforce by encouraging every employee’s individualism. Protect your team from workplace microaggressions and discrimination by offering clear, strict guidelines against this sort of behaviour. Manage conscious and unconscious biases in the workplace. Make it clear that racism, sexism, ableism, or any derogatory behavior will not be tolerated. This way, you can highlight employees of all backgrounds, putting everyone’s talents to good use.
Be intentional about your office layout
When employees have to come into an office full of cubicles that isolate them from their coworkers, it will most likely negatively affect how they work and how they feel. On the other hand, an office layout that inspires collaboration and creativity improves productivity.
If you require your employees to come into a physical space, design an office with them in mind. Consider an open floor plan or one inspired by coworking spaces. Use ergonomic furniture, unique accessories, and versatile organizational tools to fill the space.
Concentrate on work-life balance
Your team is made up of people first and employees second. They all live differently and need different things to flourish in their lives. Therefore, a considerable part of building a people-centered company culture is providing the resources they need to create a suitable work-life balance.
Offer resources, benefits, and perks that encourage your employees to live a balanced life. For example, you could offer flexible schedules. You could give your employees free gym memberships. You could also offer discounted therapy sessions. Remind your team to log off at the end of work hours, even if they are remote and set their own schedules. Prioritize their mental, emotional, and physical health to see a positive change in their productivity on the job.
Prioritize conflict resolution
Conflicts in the workplace are inevitable. The best thing you can do as the leader of a company is to resolve and learn from them to strengthen team bonds.
Document a plan for resolving conflicts in your company. Ensure employees know whom to go to and with what kind of conflicts. Be sure to resolve each dispute completely and that none get overlooked.
Also, if problems persist with particular employees, be ready to let them go. Never let someone continuously disrupt and disrespect the workplace and your employees. Protect your workforce by knowing when it’s time to fire and rehire.
Ensure you’ve got a plan for resolving conflicts and that you’re ready to make tough decisions when necessary. Your company culture depends on it.
In Summary
Putting your people first isn’t the only option, but it’s the right option. A people-first company culture inspires your employees’ engagement, happiness, and quality work. Happy, productive employees lead to better business.