Creating a Positive Company Culture: Tips for HR Managers

The average person spends about a third of their life at work. It doesn’t take a human resources degree to know that, that’s a huge chunk of someone’s life. As an HR manager, it is your job to ensure the experience your employees have at work is a positive one. Otherwise, your company’s employee retention, work quality, and production will suffer.

With the help of open communication, incentive programs, DEI policies, and more, you can create an atmosphere that is not only efficient but enjoyable to be in.

Let’s jump right in!

Encourage Open Communication

Encouraging open communication is essential to creating a positive company culture. It builds trust through transparency and respect.

Employees who know their suggestions and concerns are heard, they feel more comfortable in the workplace and more committed to their work.

You can encourage open communication in many ways. Consider implementing the following practices:

• Use active listening with your employees and respond constructively to feedback.
• Hold team meetings and morning team huddles.
• Offer the ability to provide anonymous suggestions through surveys
• Provide team leaders with communication skill training.

When feedback is not only acknowledged but celebrated, your team feels valued and motivated to contribute openly without the fear of retaliation or judgment. This inherently creates a more positive work environment.

Provide Incentives

Sometimes, an hourly wage (or salary) is not quite enough to keep an employee feeling enthused about their work. If HR or team leaders do not “mix things up” every once in a while, each day begins to blend into the next, and before you know it, you have a team of individuals who spend way too much time looking at the clock.

You can counter the “another day, another dollar” mindset by offering your team incentive opportunities. Incentives can be offered to individuals or teams that show outstanding performance or win competitions.

A few ideas include:

• Employee of the Month awards
• Extra paid time off
• Monetary bonuses such as cash or gift cards
• Flexible working hours
• Paid team lunches
• Casual dress
• Small gifts

Not only does offering incentives boost morale, but it boosts production and quality as well.

Recognize Achievements

Everyone likes to feel seen and appreciated when they accomplish something great.

Recognizing and acknowledging your employee’s achievements (both big and small) regularly is a great way to keep positivity flowing around the workplace.

Point out when an employee overcomes an obstacle that has been in their way, learns a new skill, impresses you, or simply stays consistent. Let your employees know that you see their efforts pay off and appreciate the value they bring to the team.

A simple “good job” or “congratulations” goes a long way. It creates a culture of recognition and gratitude that builds confidence and motivation.

Promote a Healthy Work-Life Balance

One of the most detrimental mistakes a company can make is failing to promote a healthy work-life balance for their employees.

Work isn’t typically easy and relaxing so when it carries over into your free time or the time you’re supposed to be using for other responsibilities, you begin to dislike your job and feel resentful toward the company.

Promoting a healthy work-life balance means:

• Not emailing or calling employees outside of work hours unless necessary.
• Not asking them to come in early, stay late, or on their days off unless necessary.
• Creating a stress-free environment that allows employees the ability to remove work from their minds when clocking out.
• Offering an appropriate amount of paid time off.
• Encouraging breaks.

Of course, not all companies and employee positions are the same, making it hard to follow every suggestion listed. In those cases, it is essential to check in on your employees frequently to ensure they are comfortable with their workload and work-life balance. If they are not comfortable, it’s time to start delegating tasks to others.

Foster an Inclusive and Diverse Environment

DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) refers to the practices and procedures an organization puts in place to promote the fair treatment of individuals of varying backgrounds and demographics.

DEI policies ensure that factors such as race, religion, age, gender, and sexual orientation, do not interfere with an individual’s likelihood of being hired, advancing within the company, or receiving fair treatment in other ways.

This inclusive framework is important because It creates a sense of comfort and acceptance that many employees may not have felt at former jobs.  On the contrary, having the fear of discrimination hanging over your head can severely impact your productivity and state of mind. Here, you can learn more about the importance of DEI.

HR can implement this framework by recruiting diverse talent, offering DEI training,  addressing biases, and making accommodations for diverse needs. Examples include prayer and breastfeeding spaces, alternative dietary options, and flexible hours for religious observances.