It’s been said time and time again that a positive work culture matters, and it does especially in our current hiring climate. Included within that positive work culture fabric are many no-brainers, such as valuable benefits, ample job resources and opportunities to celebrate success. It’s a function of doing business that simply must be in place. Otherwise, expect high turnover and low productivity. But focus on improving these areas and always dedicating time and resources toward them, and you’ll see your business reach its fullest potential. It’s easier than you might think! Let’s look at three specific tips you can implement to establish an excellent work culture.  

1. Ask a few questions. 

If you are diving into this for the first time, the first step is to just ask. Survey your employees about what matters to them and what they need to be able to do their jobs better! While you may not be able to implement everything, you can discover trends and pinpoint areas of your business that may need extra attention. 

2. Create a guide.

You need to set expectations among your team and providing a culture guide is a solid way to do so. 

It will set the tone for positivity to remain in place, and it should explain the principles your culture stands on and how employees are expected to support it. For example, here at Obsidian, part of our culture guide explains that we are collaborative and never competitive. That is an attitude we all take on and exude. It is also emphasized continuously through different channels. 

3. Execute the plan. 

Beyond your company’s cultural ideology are the tangible things you can do to celebrate and recognize your employees for their dedication and success. Celebrate birthdays or anniversaries. Surprise your team with a lunch out to help them decompress one afternoon. Send out a quick email recognizing an amazing achievement to show you see and appreciate your team’s commitment to doing good work for your company. This also includes paid job benefits. If you’ve been on the verge of providing employees with health care coverage options for the first time and have the revenue to do so, take that plunge! When it comes to actual physical tools and technology, investing in what matters and what will make a big difference in daily work is always a great spend and will ultimately lead to better overall success. 

When you are ready to begin building up your culture, baby steps are just fine! Small, but important, changes are valuable and can make all the difference for your team. If you have the time and resources to dive head first and go all in, that works too. Keep your employees’ unique needs in mind and make it a goal to discover and implement things that will improve your culture or jumpstart positivity within your organization this year.