How Do You Foster a Strong Company Culture?
In the quest to cultivate a robust company culture, we've gathered insights from HR professionals, including HR managers and directors of human resources. From organizing team-building days to implementing peer recognition programs, discover the four distinct strategies these experts employ to strengthen the fabric of their organizations.
- Organize Team Building Days
- Emphasize Core Values
- Reinforce Open Communication
- Implement Peer Recognition Programs
Organize Team Building Days
One specific tactic we've used to foster a strong company culture is organizing regular Team Building Days that focus on both professional development and personal connections.
Here’s our approach:
- Workshops and Activities – We start with interactive workshops on soft skills like communication and teamwork. These are followed by fun, team-building activities such as escape rooms or outdoor adventures.
- Cross-Department Interaction – We mix teams from different departments to encourage collaboration and understanding across the organization.
- Open Feedback Sessions – At the end of the day, we hold open feedback sessions where employees can share their thoughts and suggestions for future events.
These Team Building Days have significantly boosted morale and fostered a sense of camaraderie. Employees feel more connected to each other and to the company, leading to a more cohesive and positive workplace culture. Seeing the team bond and work together more effectively has been a clear sign of the success of these events.
Emphasize Core Values
When our company culture comes to mind, it all rolls up into our Core Values: Support, Proactivity, Impact, Curiosity, and Engagement. Those are the foundation of who we are, what we do, and how we work together. Having frequent (at minimum, quarterly) discussions around embodying our values has created a strong and collaborative team at all levels. Creating an environment where people can excel in those values has been the primary contributor to our positive culture over recent years, and recruiting candidates that match those values is what will maintain a strong culture going forward.
Reinforce Open Communication
One of the most important things an HR professional can do to foster a strong company culture is to help establish and constantly reinforce open lines of communication throughout the organization. At our company, we require a minimum of two supervisions per month (formal one-on-one meetings) that supervisors have with their direct reports. Most supervisors, especially with newer employees, choose to have supervision at least once a week, if not more.
We also have monthly team meetings, bi-monthly all-staff meetings, monthly morale committee meetings, monthly open forums with our CEO, monthly activity clubs derived from our morale committee, and an open-door policy applicable to all employees (including our C-suite officers). In addition, we utilize our intranet site, Microsoft Teams platform, and HRIS Community module for various announcements, celebrations, etc.
All these different communication mechanisms help our employees build professional relationships with others at the organization, across different departments and positions. It also makes employees feel heard with any suggestions, concerns, or questions they may have throughout their time with our company. Finally, it gives our organization the chance to provide consistent feedback directly to our employees. This helps employees see that the company is doing its best to operate with a high level of transparency, which results in the further strengthening of trust.
Implement Peer Recognition Programs
Personally, I have generated a thriving culture through peer recognition. A company I used to run implemented an HR software called Kudos within the system that has employees rewarding other individuals for their efforts and contributions. Each month, rewards are approved by the team members based on accomplishments and approval from leadership.
The Kudos being awarded turns every team member into a LinkedIn all-star, since employee engagement stems from this kind of phenomenon. It is important to build a culture where organizational behavior is observed and appreciated. Our recognition program has ensured that every member of the team felt valued and respected, making the Kudos system a key parameter in building our evolving company culture.
