In the early days of manufacturing, we gave little thought to organizational culture. However, as workplace attitudes and our understanding of effective workplace policies have evolved, there have been many company culture examples where the right culture has contributed to easier recruitment, greater efficiency and a generally more positive work environment.
If you manage a manufacturing business, you may not have the first idea of how to create an effective company culture. Fortunately, there are some great companies that have paved the way for you. Here are three factors to consider to make your company culture stand out and appeal to your employees.
1. Engaged Employees
You want your company culture to be a product of your employees, not the other way around. While you control the overall structure, it’s important to make sure your corporate culture is defined by your employees’ needs, desires and hopes for the company. Studies show over and over again that greater engagement is the best correlator with greater worker satisfaction — even more than pay raises and benefits. When your employees are actively engaged in your company culture, it will show.
2. Defined Culture
Once you know what your company culture is, clearly define it so everyone understands it. Know how to describe your company culture in a short sentence or two to an outsider.
Have clear examples of how your day-to-day and season-to-season work environments reflect that culture. If “creating a greater sense of employee camaraderie” is part of your company culture, you should have fun team-building events. If “celebrating employees” is part of your culture, you should observe birthdays and give awards from time to time. If “giving back to the community” is your aim, you should have well-publicized service projects on the schedule.
3. Good Publicity
A great company culture can be a wonderful advertisement for your company, but only if people know about it. Your company culture should shine through in your job postings and in your interview process. One of the main benefits of a well-defined company culture is that it should make the right candidates want to work for you. You must take advantage of that fact.
It can be a good idea to get people who are well-versed in the company’s culture to write the ads or conduct interviews or at least review those who do. If people’s introduction to the company does not match the company culture you claim to be promoting, potential recruits may not be convinced that your culture is genuine and may not be as attracted to your business.
For those unfamiliar with the idea of company culture or who have never had a clearly defined company culture, it may seem like an unnecessary waste of resources. If you trust in the benefits of company culture and make efforts to implement one, however, it is likely you will soon reap great rewards with respect to worker satisfaction and productivity.