Most workplace experts define a good company culture as having a positive and productive work environment. This translates to a strong mission statement, open communication, a focus on well-being, team collaboration, and more. For employees, a great company culture is one where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to contribute their best work.
At a time when attracting and retaining talent is critical, I want to see HR managers and chief culture officers shouting about the impressive aspects of their company culture: robust wellness programs, modern workspaces, and a commitment to inclusion. I’m constantly observing what’s going on. However, according to Gallup’s 2024 Employee Engagement Survey, only 20% of employees are extremely satisfied with their jobs. Only 47% of people know what is expected of them at work. And only 34% reported being able to “do what they do best.”
My theory on this disconnect? Benefits are meaningless if your day-to-day work is “interrupted.” People are drowning in meetings, emails, and to-do lists that drain their energy and morale. There is no doubt that certain perks attract employees, but they are not enough to retain them. After all, Google’s retention rate would be 100% if great perks and Instagram-worthy workspaces kept employees happy and engaged…but that’s not the case.
Redefining culture as routine
Culture is the work we do every day. And after writing several books on the subject, I believe that if you do the job right, you will get the culture right. And employees are more likely to stay and stay engaged if your company culture emphasizes high-value work instead of non-stop meetings and emails. In fact, the same Gallup study also reported that employees are 87% less likely to leave if they are engaged and motivated at work.
Keep in mind that executives typically experience a different culture than employees. While leaders typically spend their time focused on broad strategic goals and high-level interactions, employees experience culture primarily through day-to-day work activities at the team level. If someone asks a team member how their day is going, what is the answer? If it’s “meetings and emails,” this defines company culture.
Improving culture through work habits
Conversely, if your team members describe a typical day as “working on innovative projects, collaborating with teams and colleagues, and interacting with clients,” that’s your culture. Focus on the employee’s day-to-day work and how that work is or isn’t done. Done — Get to the heart of what makes an organization’s work fun or miserable. Is an employee encouraged to use his ChatGPT to increase productivity?Does he have the power to decline a meeting if the decision maker does not attend?Saving other people’s time and frustration Suggest a workaround to save money. ?
Shifting attention to shortcuts and workflow improvements that help people use their time wisely reduces stress levels and improves morale. According to author Tiffany Bova, Experience concept“What you want from a better employee experience comes from doing a better job.”
Unsurprisingly, engaged employees are more productive than those who are disengaged. in fact, HBR We found that organizations with high employee engagement were 22% more productive than those with low employee engagement and satisfaction. Additionally, employees who feel like their skills and strengths are being utilized instead of being wasted on low-value tasks are more likely to trust their managers and stay engaged at work.
To increase engagement and create a culture that includes more than emails and meetings, try these powerful and simple strategies.
- Please remove stupid rules. Work with your team to identify frustrating rules, or policies that people should follow. perceive Being a rule no longer serves a purpose. When HBO implemented this initiative, more than 100 unnecessary tasks were removed, freeing up time and streamlining processes.
- Champion of work hacks. Introduce quarterly activities where teams suggest fixes to inefficient work processes and collaborate on solutions. Consider inviting people from other teams to diversify perspectives. Through this activity, you establish a safe space to challenge and improve the way you work.
- What tasks are wasting your time? When McGraw-Hill leaders posed that question to their employees, the unanimous answer was “Monthly Sales Report.” This took multiple employee days. It remained unread. It contained duplicate information from other reports. After a three-month trial of deletion, no one missed it, so the report was expunged.
- Ask smart questions. The next time you meet with an employee or team leader, ask them what tasks or projects they like working on. Also, which ones do they dislike? Based on your answers, pilot test at least one change to your workload. Not only will you be surprised by the amount of input your employees have, but you’ll also see a measurable boost in morale.
Don’t pursue a culture that’s Instagram-friendly but lacks meaning and business value for your employees. Start helping your team focus on the work that matters. Bringing satisfaction to the team and Drive engagement. This is how we move our culture from superficial perks to one that values our employees and allows them to apply the skills we hired them to get their day.
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