What is workplace culture?

Workplace culture can be described as the personality of your workplace. It combines your company values, beliefs, behaviours and attitudes of your employees.

Developing a good workplace culture requires work. To provide a baseline, expectations can be set out in company policies that everyone has to comply with.

Additionally, workplace culture stems from the attitude of your team, workplace processes, management style and day-to-day activities.

What are the benefits of having a positive workplace culture?

When it comes to work, everyone is searching for a role and workplace they love going to every day. They look forward to the work they are doing, the contribution the organisation is making to society and the people they’re surrounded by.

When your team enjoys all of these things, they’re more likely to be more engaged and innovative in their roles, which can do wonders for your workplace culture.

But the benefits go beyond that. Having a positive workplace culture can improve the profitability of your business.

Did you know that having a good company culture increases revenue 4x?

With returns like these, it’s time to get started with strategies to improve your workplace culture.

Our handpicked favourites on improving workplace culture

We have the full list of the 30 ways to improve workplace culture in our free guide, but here is a taste of our favourites to get you started.

Our top tips on improving workplace culture in your organisation include:

1. Send out a happiness survey

Do you know how happy your employees really are? A simple survey can help you understand employee satisfaction and identify areas for improvement in your organisation so you can start introducing company culture activities from day dot.

Check out our guide on boosting employee mental wellbeing for additional insights into fostering a supportive work environment.

Hint: We’ve included a happiness survey in the bundle to help get you started.

2. Introduce 1:1’s in your organisation

1:1’s are a weekly or fortnightly meeting an employee has with their direct manager. This is time dedicated to the employee to talk through how their past week or fortnight has gone, as well as commit to tasks for the future.

1:1’s are a great way to improve communication amongst managers and their direct reports. Not only will everyone benefit from better communication, it will increase trust, transparency and overall employee engagement in your company.

To further engage your team without breaking the bank, explore our eBook on low-cost ways to boost employee engagement.

3. Bring your pet to work day

Everyone loves a furry friend and it can do wonders for your company culture. If you’re a pet friendly office, it also improves your employee value proposition greatly on those job ads!

For a broader perspective on improving company culture, refer to our leader’s guide to company culture.

4. Organise bi-weekly all hands meetings

An all hands meeting is a company wide meeting that provides a general overview of how the company is going. It’s a time for teams to share their wins and updates moving forward. It provides transparency and will help improve workplace culture as the entire team can celebrate wins together.

Communication is key to a strong company culture, so introducing a company all hands is a great way to learn more about general company updates.

5. Consider days off for birthdays

While celebrating your birthday at work can be fun, why not investigate providing an extra day of annual leave for your employees special day?

Giving 21 days of annual leave is also a great way to improve your employee value proposition and attract top talent!

We know that it may not be convenient for all employees to take off the exact day of their birthday, why not allow them to take a day off in their birthday week?

6. Recognise top team players

Employee recognition is an integral part of creating a positive workplace culture, not to mention all of the benefits that come attached to it. Hello increased employee engagement and better business results!

Did you know companies that effectively recognise their employees are 20% more profitable than those who don’t?

Learn how to create a recognition rich culture with our guide to reward and recognition here.

7. Encourage work/life balance

We know that everyone values work/life balance, so why not encourage your team to act on it? Whether it’s juggling children, family, hobbies or a social life, we know that it can be difficult to stay on top of it all.

By allowing your team to take time out for themselves, whether that’s watching your child’s assembly performance or taking time out for an afternoon yoga class — this should be encouraged across every level of the business.

But will I know they make up their hours, I hear you say?

This is where trust comes into play — and it’s about trusting your team to do the right thing.

8. Set up a culture calendar

It’s no secret that these days, we’re busier than ever. Jam packed calendars and lives also mean that special events or days can often be forgotten or go unnoticed. By setting up a culture calendar, you can stay on top of upcoming events that will help improve the culture of your team.

Need some inspiration?

Look into treating your team on Donut Day, organising the Biggest Morning Tea or an EOFY celebration!

9. Company wide update from the CEO

Sometimes it’s the small gestures that can make the biggest impact. Asking your CEO to record a quick 2 minute video to thank the team for their hard work and address any

company updates can make your team feel appreciated — and we all know that when your team feels appreciated, culture improves tenfold!

10. Organise a team lunch

Team lunches are a great way to get your immediate team together and socialise outside of a work setting. It’s often in social situations where your workplace culture improves, so try not to talk about work at these lunches.

Team lunches are also a great way to welcome new starters into your organisation or a way to celebrate achievements for the month or quarter.

Improve your workplace culture.

Get the complete list of 30 ways to improve workplace culture with our guide.

Improve your corporate culture and build a team of engaged employees in 30 days.

Download our workplace culture bundle now.

Looking for more resources?

Here are some helpful resources to help your company improve workplace culture:

• What does employee engagement mean?
• Does employee experience matter?
• What are the different types of employee surveys?
• Building your employee value proposition
• EVP strategy worksheet
• Streamlining HR processes