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Essentials of Workplace Culture Culture is vital to the authenticity of a workplace and is a window into the working of a company

By Surabhi Washishth

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Culture helps define what behaviours are core to the organization, adds a personality to the organization and will lead to the collective success of the individual and the company. A great company culture helps deliver a great employee experience!

While setting up and scaling a company, there a few factors that will continue to play a primary role in its success and the success of its people - Culture is one of them. Assuming your hiring practices are strong and you're hiring the right people into the company, the essentials for success are Culture, the strength of the Managerial Team and Career Growth of your employees. Ask yourself - what's had the biggest impact on your career and which company do you recall most dearly? Chances are, it's the one that emphasized one of these essentials.

Here is why Culture is one of the Most Important Aspects of Scaling Your Company and Delivering a Great Employee Experience:

  1. Attracts Great Talent. Top talent wants to work at a company with a great culture. Given that you spend more than 50per cent of your waking hours at the office, you want to ensure you're in a healthy environment where a strong sense of community exists, you feel valued, you're able to see the impact of your work and you feel a sense of accomplishment (both individual & collective).

  2. A Great Culture Leads to Loyal, More Fulfilled Employees. Retention rates are healthy, and attrition rates see a dip or stay linear. This is because in places with great company culture, the employees feel a sense of purpose, often attain gratification from their work, which results in higher employee morale.

  3. Leads to an Increase in Productivity & Better Performance by Employees. When an employee is in the mind space where they're happier, they perform better. Better performance by employees naturally leads to better performance by the company. It also leads to a reduction in stress levels and the impact of stress on individuals. A sense of togetherness helps individuals overcome obstacles easily!

  4. People Enjoy Working in a Place Where They're Trusted & Empowered. You're hiring top-notch talent so they can tell you what to do, so build the culture which gives them more authority and ownership to do their work. Trust your employees such that it leaves you feeling slightly uncomfortable as a manager (for that's when you know you're giving them enough freedom).

  5. Builds a Strong Employer Brand. Good culture makes your employees proud of where they're working, gives them a reason to boast within their circle of friends and family, and earns your company good publicity. These are all signs of a good workplace, which turns into a virtuous cycle of attracting better talent and making your current talent stick on!

Remember, your company's culture is its foundation. Culture will (and must) evolve, but it's important to set it right from Day 1. Having a healthy company culture fulfills one of the few essentials you must set right as an organization. It must be tied to the values of the organization to ensure the core of the organization doesn't change. The right set of Managers, Career Growth for your employees and designing your Company Culture are a few essentials of ensuring a healthy workplace.

Surabhi Washishth

HR Director, WeWork India

Surabhi Washishth, a young dynamic HR leader, and has made it a mission to revamp the perception of Human Resources from being seen as a function which is reactive, by proactively making employee first decisions.

She holds a B.Com Hons (Finance & Investment) from Christ University, Bangalore and is a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum. She joined WeWork India's founding team in 2017 and was promoted to the post of Director of HR. A natural problem-solver, her aim is to constantly remove redundancies and question the status-quo & conventional culturescape. Previously, she was the HR Manager at Headout & worked in the Finance Team at Target India. When out of work, she loves to read, rhyme, swim and travel!

 
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