Americans work more than any other nation according to a CNNMoney study last year stating that Americans spend an average of 47 hours a week at work for full time workers, and spend many more hours a week thinking about work and responding to emails after work hours. That being said, it's obvious that employees need to feel fulfilled while they're at work. Company culture determines the attitude of employees by setting the tone for management styles, business values, communication, goals and employee satisfaction.
A culture needs to be introduced to employees their first day on the job as the behavior that results when a group arrives at a set of generally unspoken and unwritten rules for working together. It is solely up to the business owner to set the pace for creating, defining and refining the company culture.
Employee satisfaction and production is a reflection of the management of the team. If there is a strong relationship and communication between a manager and employee, the employee's production and happiness in the workplace will reflect that. Similarly, if there is a lack of communication and understanding between a manager and an employee, their production and attitude will lag. People who work for bad bosses are likely to lack in their efficiency and not care about their work performance. A high employee turnover rate is also the main indicator of poor management.
When a manager creates a company culture that is motivating, goal oriented, rewarding, and appreciative toward employees, the atmosphere of the company is energized and hardworking.
Communication is a key component in company culture. Employees need to feel cohesively on the same page with their management and be able to feel heard when speaking out on their concerns. "Employees cannot read employers' minds. Managers who are poor communicators confuse their workers," Steve Tobak, a management consultant, points out on BNET. Confusion can lead to stress among employees which causes low job performance, less energy, and health issues all caused from poor management, found by a study done by D. Santiago from Eastern Michigan University about how stress impacts employees.
Things like recognizing employees for reaching milestones, completing a big project or achieving customer service goals helps to create a positive workplace culture. The culture in your workplace, or lack thereof, could make or break your business.
