Employers’ top tips on measuring culture and employee engagement
There’s no one method of measuring culture, but our recent webinar on Using employee experience to build great cultures provided some valuable insight that, when considered as a whole, could help piece together a clearer picture of the employee experience and behaviour within your organisation.
Read on for some top tips from our webinar panellists: Andreea Dinu, culture, recognition & rewards consultant, Europe at O.C. Tanner; Pamela Daley, head of culture & transformation, Northern Europe for Atos; and Experian’s Sally Camm, head of culture & engagement UK&I.
1. Delve into data
Conducting surveys is the most obvious method of gauging culture and satisfaction within your organisation, and not just for current staff – exit surveys also provide a wealth of valuable information. Ensure that this is a continuous process and that your findings are regularly updated and acted upon. External results such as Glassdoor reviews are also useful in this respect.
Other handy data at your fingertips includes: sickness and absence figures, and talent retention rates.
2. Promote your purpose
What is your organisation’s focus? And do individuals feel like they can personally contribute to their team’s or the company’s success? Do you see your company values reflected in the actions of your employees?
Those that feel engaged within the company’s culture are likely to find more job satisfaction and promote the organisation’s ethos and aspirations to the wider world. The more you can strengthen their relationship with your purpose, the more positive an effect you’re creating for that person, their team, and the workforce community as a whole.
3. Investigate inclusivity and recognition
An inclusive workplace will promote a sense of community that will allow employees to develop and thrive in that culture. This can lead to increased productivity and innovation, and when that happens, share the achievements! Don’t wait for an annual awards ceremony; practise an always-on approach to feedback and praise success as and when it happens, publically wherever possible.
That approach is contagious; when someone is seen being praised for their impact and their great work, it inspires others to achieve something, to be the next person to be recognised. This strong recognition framework is key to a successful company culture.
4. Watch worker wellbeing
There is a direct link between employee wellbeing and productivity. Ensure that your core values promote workforce wellbeing, and that this feeling is distributed throughout the organisation. Positive wellbeing can form the basis for strong working relationships that will contribute to a desirable company culture.
5. Look at your leadership
Leadership styles have a huge effect on company culture. Does yours create and maintain the culture you are looking to attain? Invest in your senior leadership team and develop them to be inclusive leaders; promote diversity of thought and experience. Share this approach throughout the organisation via your department heads and line managers.
6. Be transparent
Finally, with all of the above measures, it’s important to maintain transparency. However you decide to gauge your company culture, be sure that your colleagues know what you are monitoring and how you are measuring it.
