Identifying Top Business Practices in Strong Work Cultures
I am a firm believer that an organization’s work culture will determine employee longevity and overall success or shortcomings for a company. While the Keurig coffee machines and donuts are appreciated when supplied, culture goes beyond these types of perks and instead centers on professionalism, understanding and respect across an entire department. I also believe most working employees strive to perform their jobs efficiently with favorable behavioral patterns. It is the primary responsibility of leadership to guide and maintain positive working cultures, which includes the below: Engaging management style Encourages staff on a consistent basis, promotes an open line of positive communication, provides constructive feedback and also at the same time looks for feedback Diversity Provides equal opportunities to different backgrounds, relies on a team with differing experiences to provide forward thinking solutions Involvement, support, growth Recommends growth and development, offers training resources and encourages higher education and/or certification, involves team members with new projects to enhance skills, promotes group activities Work-life-balance Respects staff and time away from work and establishes boundaries, designates tasks to the appropriate team members, considering flexible scheduling, leading by example Compensation For management positions with routine scheduling demands outside and in addition to normal business hours, matching salaries to reflect the nature of the position and work performed Our work environments continue to evolve, and staffing challenges continue to impact all service industries. Companies coming out on top with talent and high retention rates are those promoting strong work cultures while demonstrating modern work practices, and these organizations are the leading industry innovators. Zach Pearce is an Associate Director of Operations at Old Dominion University. Zach can be reached at zpearce@odu.edu.