10 ways to improve company culture - university of georgia ...€¦ · 10 ways to improve company...

Daniel McCoy, SHRM Certified ProfessionalDaniel McCoy, SHRM Certified Professional

10 Ways to Improve Company Culture

Daniel McCoy

Business Consultant

MBA, SHRM-CP

[email protected]


My employees are already happy…umm

• Average 25 year old has already worked 6.3 jobs! That is almost a job per year since the age of 18.

• Happy Employees are usually smiling, show up to work early, establish friends at work.

• Customize their positions, keep their work area clean and tidy, conserve company assets

• Participate in after-hours work events, they are energized, optimistic and offer suggestions or solutions

*https://www.allbusiness.com/10-signs-employees-happy-15179-1.html


I pay them to do the job; what does it matter if they are unhappy?


10 Ways to Improve Company Culture.

• Transparency/Openness

• Rewards and Recognition

• Foster Employee autonym

• Encourage team/coworkers Atmosphere

• Use Flexibility to win/win advantage

• Communicate the Vision, Mission and strategy

• Stay true to the company’s core values

• Solicit and offer Feedback

• Have awareness about the Company Culture


Rules for Stellar Company Culture

•Rule #1: Transparency

•Rule #2: A House Divided Will Not Stand

•Rule #3: Create Incentives for Desired Behaviors

•Rule #4: Empower Employees to Resolve Disputes at the Lowest Level Possible

•Rule #5: Devise, Evaluate, & Revise Systems


Rule 1: Transparency

• Trust is a core value of all great companies and relationships

• Use current communication tools and systems to facilitate transparency

• Share strategies, plans and goals

• Share success

• Share Challenges


Rule 2: A House Divided Will Not Stand

• Happy employees = Foundational

• Kindness begets kindness. Create a culture where employees at all levels feel valued, they buy-in to the organizational mission, and they treat each other and customers with respect and appreciation.

• Reward those who strive to give great customer service .

• Unhappy employees= absenteeism, embezzlement, sabotage, apathy, formal complaints and litigation.

10-80-10 rule

• Cost of employee turnover = 75%-150% of the employee’s annual salary (recruitment, training, getting up to speed).


Cost of Turnover• The top 20 percent of companies with a recognition-rich

culture have a 31 percent lower turnover.

• How much would 31% reduction in Turnover save you?


Employee Satisfaction: How to1. Company culture= biggest predictor of employee AND customer satisfaction.

2. Millennials rate ‘meaningful work’ as important as salary.

3. Career advancement/Professional development

Only 25% of employees are satisfied with this.

4. Make them feel valued for their contributions

75% do NOT feel valued.

5.Communicate changes in a timely manner.

6. Have clearly defined job duties and role.

7. Ensure the fairest workload distribution possible. (consider peer evals or other tools)

70% of employees feel they have too much work or unfair distribution.

8. Relationships with coworkers and supervisors

9. Ask for their ideas for improvement--- Look for themes

10. Predict turnover

Sample Survey Questions


Feedback Skills• Receiving Feedback/Criticism

• AAAA Model

• Anticipate a learning experience

• Agree with something

• Ask for specifics

• Analyze for key information

• Giving Feedback/Criticism

• EPM Model

• Empathize

• Pin-point Problems

• Move forward


Rule 3: Create Incentives for Desired Employee Behaviors• People respond to incentives.

• Incentives can include merit raises, promotions, public recognition (such as “Employee of the Month”), preferred parking, preferred job duties or other benefits. 5 Love languages = 4 at work

• Set Challenging, yet attainable goals.

• Are our goals too high? If deadlines or goals are repeatedly missed, regardless of the personnel tasked with meeting them, then they are clearly too high.

• Unrealistically high goals lead to cynicism and apathy on the part of employees.

• Solicit great ideas: Offer financial incentives, recognition and rewards for employees who come up with improvements to products, processes or services.

• Front-line employees are likely to know both the products and customers

better than those at higher levels.


Rites and Ceremonies

• Employee of the month

• Company Picnic

• Casual Friday

• Executive Bathroom

• Reserved Parking

• Administrative Support Day

• Birthdays and personal events


Rule 4: Empower Employees to Resolve Disputes at the Lowest Level Possible

• Some settlement authority for front-line employees.

• Eliminate complaints where possible. Create systems to manage the rest.

• Which complaints NEED managerial attention, which can be resolved at the front lines?

• Don’t forget to track/monitor complaints.

• Avoid negative incentives to escalate conflict (McEwen)

• Employees need to be trained to handle complaints efficiently, fairly, and in a way that makes the customer more, rather than less, likely to return.


Rule 4: Empower Employees to Resolve Disputes at the Lowest Level Possible (cont)

• If your leaders decide none of the recurring complaints can be handled by employees, it may be the case that:

• Need to work on delegation as a managerial skill

• Need to hire, train, and acculturated your employees so you can entrust

them with these tasks

• Your organization has so few complaints that each one needs to be handled as a unique event by mid-to-upper management.

• This is rare among organizations

• those organizations may wish to reconsider A and B as possible options.


Rule 4: But how do I empower them?

• Training in listening, framing, and problem-solving skills.

• Helps them convey empathy to the customer, deeply listen in order to understand the needs of the customer, and work with the customer to find a solution that meets their needs.

• Build in feedback up and down: What complaints exist, what is working?

• Create Steps for resolution: 1) Speak with front line employee who can do XYZ. If that fails, Speak with manager who has more settlement authority; 2) If that fails, offer mediation or other dispute resolution.

• Avoid School House Discipline, reactionary policies for customers and employees.

• Tap the collective wisdom of your employees, as well as asking for feedback from complaining customers.


Rule 5: Devise, Evaluate, & Revise Systems

Systematically gather data on employee satisfaction.

• Seek constant improvement

• Innovate, pilot changes.

• There are costs to automating service functions, especially complaints.

• Always be evaluating, revising and reevaluating to see what works


Organizational Structure

• Formal Organizational Chart

• Performance Reviews

• Policy & Procedures


Organizational Chart for Nordstrom


Culture Strength and Organizational Subcultures

•Culture strength is the degree of agreement among members of an organization about specific values

•Subcultures reflect the common problems, goals, and experiences of a team or department

•Different departments may have their own norms


Organizational Culture, Learning, and Performance• Culture is important to learning and innovation during

challenging times

• Strong adaptive cultures often incorporate the following values:

1. The whole is more important than the parts

2. Equality and trust are primary values

3. The culture encourages risk taking, change, and improvement

Daniel McCoy, SHRM Certified Professional

Culture

Eats

Strategy

For

Breakfast


3 Places to Find Your Culture

•Dress Code


Where to find Organizational Culture

•Company Restrooms


Where to find Organization Culture

• Shared Spaces (Kitchens, Break areas)


Trends Affecting Culture

• Entre’ of Gen Z into YOUR workforce



• Growth in Sandwich Generation



•Employees Want Education Opportunities



•Phone is Primary Source of All Information



• The Internet of Things (IoT)

• Technology in the Form of Wearables



Entre’ of Gen Z into YOUR workforce

Growth in Sandwich Generation

Employees Want Education Opportunities

Phone is Primary Source of All Information

The Internet of Things (IoT)Technology in the Form of Wearables

The AnswerHire 25 Year Olds

That live at Home with

Parents

Send them Training Videos

To View on their Smart

Watch


•Questions???


Thank You


UGA Small Business

Development Center at KSU

470-578-6450

[email protected]

10 ways to improve company culture - university of georgia ...€¦ · 10 ways to improve company...

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