Creating a Ridiculously Nice Culture

Culture has always been an important topic when it comes to business. Strong cultures do more than just make employees happy; it impacts your bottom line. With the dramatic shift we’re seeing in the workforce today – from more people working from home and the demand for a better work-life balance – it is more important than ever to create a positive culture, not only for recruiting new teammates, but also keeping your retention rate high.

What is company culture? It is a broad term that describes how a company interacts with its teammates and how those teammates interact with the company. It reflects a company’s attitude and behavior; values they exhibit and their decision making.

At Americollect, we’ve built our culture on three main ideas: People, Places and Praise. The right combination of people, places and praise have helped us grow our Ridiculously Nice culture.

People

Everything starts with people, both teammates and leadership. When teammates feel valued, they are more engaged and more productive. The Department of Economics at the University of Warwick found that happy workers are 12-percent more productive than the average worker, and unhappy workers are 10-percent less productive.

So how do you ensure your employees are happy, moving them closer to the 12-percent? A good starting point is your company values. Do your employees know your company’s values? A positive culture instills values that are so deeply intertwined with every aspect of the business that it is impossible for teammates not to know the values.

Another important part of people is teammate relationships. When teammates feel like they belong, job satisfaction increases. So how do you curate this unity and friendship? We have found that company events, employee apparel, clubs and even an employee Facebook page makes a job seem more meaningful than just punching a clock.

Leadership also plays a role in team happiness. When leaders are disengaged from their teammates, there is no way to develop the connection that teammates need. Getting to know each other on a personal level allows teammates to see their leaders as one of them; instead of someone above them.

Transparency and communication from leaders to teammates, and a free flow of communication backwards, is a win-win for everyone.

Places

In today’s world, places includes both the physical and digital workplace. In fact, Global Workplace Analytics forecasts that 25-30% of the U.S. workforce will be working from home one or more days a week after the pandemic, which means now is the time to gain an appropriate understanding of how we can interact and engage with both our physical and virtual teammates.

How is the physical world changing? One of the main improvements is more casual attire. In fact, 36% of companies allow casual dress every day, a sharp increase from 14% in 2014. Additional workplace perks that can add value include amenities like food marts and special services from leadership (ie. desk-side candy delivery and popcorn for events) along with random treats or gifts to show appreciation for teammates hard work.

What about your work from home teammates? Working from home is a perk many people find valuable, but it is important to find ways to keep your teammates engaged. An article on Forbes.com finds that while there are many benefits to working from home, around 20% said that loneliness was the biggest detractor.

So how do you keep them from feeling disengaged? Utilizing peer-to-peer recognition, video communications, virtual water coolers, small gifts and teammate groups on social media sites like Facebook can keep everyone informed and engaged.

Praise

The last, and possibly most important aspect of culture is praise. As humans, we have a desire to be needed and recognized for what we do; especially when it comes to work performance. Being viewed as just a number doesn’t create engaged, happy teammates. Many times, it is the small things that can make a significant difference.

When your teammates clock in, the next thought is hopefully excitement about the day ahead and not how long until they are able to clock out. Keeping teammates engaged with events, activities, clubs and more keeps them from watching the clock every day and allows them to be present and engaged at work.

Your teammates also want to grow within their roles, and when you help them do that, they want to stay at your company. At Americollect, we have Americollect University, a learning management system (LMS) designed to help our teammates improve in their careers and personal lives. Even if your company does not have an LMS, there are other ways to help your teammates continue to grow, such as mentoring, cross-training and real-time feedback.

And last – but certainly not least in the realm of praise – is validation. Validation is a major key to successful teammates. People need to feel like their work is appreciated and that they are valued as a member of the team. Kudos (recognition) for the work they do is great, but it’s just as important to recognize them for things such as volunteer work, going above and beyond to help fellow teammates and other moments in emails, employee newsletters and similar communications. It’s amazing how much validation a teammate receives from something as simple as a thank you or birthday card.

A strong culture can be the difference between a happy teammate and a disinterested one, as well as the positive and negative impact on your bottom line. With the dramatic shift we’re seeing in the workforce today, it is more important than ever to create a positive culture, not only for recruiting new teammates, but also keeping your retention rate high.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Americollect has built a Ridiculously Nice culture, watch our recorded webinar, Creating a Ridiculously Nice Culture, to learn how People, Places and Praise come together successfully to make Americollect a place our teammates enjoy working at so much that they recruit friends and family to join our team.