Over half – 62%! – of workers left positions last year due to toxic work environments. In 2024, employees are seeking a healthy work culture, but what does this mean? It means that integral changes must be implemented in the workplace from the top down.
You have an opportunity to think differently about culture change.
If you’ve never had to make key changes to your organization on this level before, it sounds a lot more intimidating than it is. You can start with our first step and work your way down, tweaking each step to better fit your business’s unique needs.
1. Clarify Roles
What is each worker’s role? What are the roles of your leaders? How about the owner? How can your employees feel confident if you don’t clarify each role? You want to make roles abundantly clear, focusing on:
- What does success look like for the organization?
- What is each team member’s role in the company?
- How does each position help the business hit its goals?
- How do we meld personal goals with the needs of the business?
- What behavior is expected?
Personal goals are essential in the workplace in 2024. Over 75% of employees want to expand their careers, and that’s something you need to consider when you provide role clarity.
Current and future employees will require clarity in their roles, so make sure that you’re continually solidifying roles by:
- Explaining what you expect from each person
- Praising workers who excel in their positions
- Redirecting them when needed
Once everyone is working towards a common goal, you can dive a bit deeper into individual growth and development.
2. Prioritize Individual Growth and Development
Individual growth is crucial in the modern workforce. Workers are willing to search out other opportunities if they don’t feel like they’re:
- Growing
- Developing
You want to create a development plan for your employees, which includes:
- Actionable steps to reach the person’s growth goals
- Short-term goals
- Long-term goals
- Training and support to help them
Employees want to see that they’re moving forward and hitting goals that aren’t just business-related. Creating a system to track progress is also recommended, and it’s a good opportunity to go beyond just sales and KPIs.
Feedback loops will go a long way when prioritizing individual growth and development.
If you allow employees to be left to their own devices, some may thrive, but others will let things slide because there’s no accountability. You want to maintain a feedback loop that gives employees someone to report progress to and check in with.
3. Trust Your Team
Trusting your team can be challenging, especially if you’re an owner who is used to doing everything on their own. You have worn many hats for the business, but now it’s time to “pass the torch” to allow your team to thrive.
You want to be:
- Honest and open with your team
- Confident that everyone can work together
- Encouraging and allowing conversations about new ideas or ways of doing things
- Supportive and okay with team members making occasional mistakes as they grow
Everyone – even you – makes mistakes. If you scold employees for everything they do wrong, they will never be able to grow in their careers. You want to support your workers when mistakes are made, within reason.
A personal story that shows how leaders handle mistakes is:
- There was a lawyer who, in court, realized he didn’t have a document he needed within one hour.
- He contacted the law firm, and a Managing Partner jumped into action.
- The Partner brought the document to the lawyer and said that it happens to everyone.
- The Partner also wanted to see if there was anything else they could do to support the lawyer.
Everyone makes mistakes. In this case, the Partner recognized that this was a great time to be a leader. He told the lawyer that this very mistake could happen to everyone and supported them in their time of need.
Trusting your team at this level can create a culture in your business that allows employees to grow and not always walk on eggshells.
4. Hold Employees Accountable
Building a healthy work culture is not just about encouraging growth and trusting your team. It’s also about holding employees accountable. Everyone should feel like they’re all working towards the same goal and each person is doing their part.
Every employee – from leadership to new hires – should be accountable for their actions.
But accountability shouldn’t just fall on the shoulders of managers or leaders. Empower your team to also hold each other accountable. Doing so will help strengthen:
- Morale
- Your team’s collaboration
- Individual growth
Embracing accountability cultivates a culture of continuous growth and development. When mistakes occur, accountable employees focus on solving the problem and learning from the experience. They take responsibility for their actions and view setbacks as opportunities to grow.
When everyone has to play by the same rules and consequences apply to everyone, employees feel valued.
But to adopt this approach, you must also be willing to hold yourself accountable. That means taking responsibility and owning up to it if you make a mistake.
5. Be a Leader Worth Following
If you’re going to talk the talk, then you must be willing to walk the walk. You can’t expect employees to put in extra effort and be committed to the organization’s success if you aren’t.
Be what you expect. It’s important that you as a leader model the behaviors you expect from your team. I’ve seen first-hand the devastating effects it has on the team when the leader pushes the team to do certain things but then they do the opposite, conveying they’re above the rules and better than everyone else.
Hypocrisy kills culture, but integrity builds it.
As a leader, it’s important to evaluate fairness and ensure that all leaders – including yourself – are treating others fairly and not putting unrealistic expectations on others.
6. Optimize Your Communication Strategy
Communication plays a fundamental role in maintaining a healthy work culture. But, as businesses grow, communication strategies become less effective.
It’s your job as a leader to revisit your communication strategy regularly to ensure:
- Communication is still open and clear
- You’re addressing problems rather than attacking people
- Difficult conversations are being had, even if they’re uncomfortable
Healthy dialogue within the organization is essential to cultivating and maintaining a healthy work culture. Some conversations are difficult and uncomfortable, but they must be had nonetheless.
Open and clear communication will ensure that everyone is on the same page and, ultimately, will help you make better business decisions.
Conclusion
Every business should make it a priority to cultivate a healthy work culture that values the hard work of its employees and encourages growth and development. These six strategies are a great place to start, but it’s important to maintain these policies and procedures as you grow.
To learn more about building a healthy work culture or to schedule an appointment, click here.