In a previous article, we’ve covered how employees can be more productive and happy when you offer a certain set of benefits. The employment benefits you should be offering can change the way employees see the company. In fact, they can be the start of a particular company culture.
That said, benefits alone are not enough to build a strong company culture and boost employees’ morale. There are several things you need to do in order to make your startup an even more pleasant place to work in and we are going to cover them in this article.
Reward Creativity and Initiative
A good startup is one that rewards creativity and initiative. Employees must be encouraged to show their ideas and take action. In fact, larger companies such as Google and Facebook have been letting employees spend their time at the office to develop any ideas they may have; this move resulted in employees being far more creative and happier at work.
You don’t have to go to the extremes to make this work. Allowing employees to work on their personal projects for two hours on Fridays is a good start. You can also offer facilities and other incentives to reward creativity. For example, you can provide employees with a 3D printer for rapid prototyping, even when you’re a software company.
Encourage Growth
The company can benefit so much when employees continue to grow their skills and experience. Letting employees pursue an MBA online, for instance, can help boost their level of happiness and skills at the same time. It is even better if the company also provide incentives for employees who choose to pursue a higher degree, such as help with the tuition fees.
Online courses have made it possible for those working a full-time job to pursue a bachelor’s or master’s degree. These online courses, hosted by top names such as New Jersey Institute of Technology, can be completed in as little as 12 months. During the course, employees will learn new skills that can benefit the company as part of the MBA program online.
Group and Individual Incentives
Of course, good corporate culture can’t be built just by rewarding individual accomplishments. It is just as important to reward group achievements. In projects or through different departments, acknowledging group achievements will help the company keep everything together and running smoothly.
Rewarding individual achievements tend to lead to competition. On the other hand, rewarding group achievements will help introduce more collaborations between team members and employees from different departments.
Having an open workspace for all employees – including those in management – is a great way to start inducing more collaborations. It would be a lot easier to communicate with other team members in an open environment, allowing teams and groups to work more effectively and produce better results.
Keep in mind that these are just some of the ways to get started with building a corporate culture. Establishing a strong and positive culture takes time and a lot of effort, but the end result will help the company survive even the toughest challenges.
