How Workhound Helps You Build A Positive Company Culture

Work culture is more than just the sum of its parts. It’s the cornerstone of a functioning workplace and a critical component to maintaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Culture is how companies drive good employee retention rates, keep turnover costs low, and foster employee happiness. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Employee retention can be a thorny issue, complicated by challenges like freight cycles and low demand. And employee happiness hinges on a multitude of factors, many of which can seem beyond the control of employers.

So, how can you build a high-functioning company culture, even in tough industries and market conditions? WorkHound is a good place to start.

8 Elements of Great Company Culture

Company culture encompasses the values, beliefs, and behaviors that shape the daily experience within an organization. It influences everything from leadership decisions to employee interactions.

At WorkHound, we see all kinds of companies and workforces every day. Our feedback platform captures anonymous feedback from frontline employees like truck drivers and warehouse workers, and we help companies distill their feedback into actionable data for improving things at work. While every company is unique, there are some common threads we see in organizations that get noticeably positive feedback. And conversely, we see different themes in those that have more consistently negative feedback.

When it comes to creating a strong company culture, these are the pillars we see come up over and over again.

1. Trust and Transparency

When there is trust between employees and management, the workforce has faith that their employer is thinking about them and considering their experience. On the other hand, in the absence of trust there is doubt, which often leads to feelings of victimization, frustration, and even outrage.

Transparency in communication, decision-making processes, and company policies helps create an environment where employees feel secure, valued, and respected. This openness encourages honesty, reduces rumors and anxiety, builds confidence in leadership, and ultimately helps build healthy company culture.

2. Inclusivity and Diversity

An inclusive corporate culture supports creativity and innovation and makes employees feel like they are part of the whole. It also ensures that all employees feel they belong and are valued for their unique perspectives and contributions. All of these factors support both recruiting and employee retention.

The idea of diversity should also extend to the diversity of thought and talent. A healthy culture allows a range of voices to be heard and respected, and ensures there are equitable opportunities for growth at all levels of the organization.

3. Shared Company Values, Vision and Goals

When employees understand and connect with the company’s vision and goals, it creates a powerful sense of unity. This alignment does more than just guide day-to-day tasks; it infuses work with purpose and inspiration. This alignment and shared journey does wonders for building positive culture. It binds the workforce in an effort toward something bigger than the task at hand, reinforcing everyone’s sense of belonging and fortifying corporate culture from the inside out.

4. Recognition and Development

In a positive corporate culture, employees are regularly recognized for their hard work. This can range from proper awards and reward systems to performance bonuses to small gestures of gratitude.

Recognition goes a long way in maintaining high morale and motivation. In addition to recognition, a healthy company culture will also provide clear paths for employee growth and development. These companies recognize that investing in employees not only benefits the individual but also contributes to the company’s success by building a happier, skilled, and more committed workforce.

5. Employee Well-Being

In rock-solid company culture, employee well-being is non-negotiable. Mental health, work-life balance, and employee happiness are bedrock features of your culture. By rolling out supportive policies and programs that genuinely address the well-being of your team, you’re sending a powerful message: “We value you.” When employees know they’re a central part of company values, it uplifts individual employees but also weaves a stronger, more connected culture throughout the organization.

6. Open Communication

Open communication is healthy culture at work. In strong company culture, honesty is celebrated and feedback is valued. Work becomes a place where every single person, regardless of their role, knows their voice is important and that their ideas can make a difference. Open communication not only makes people feel better about work, but it can actually improve how work gets done. By creating safe spaces for dialogue, actively seeking out input, and, most importantly, acting on what you hear, communications can help you transform workplace culture from a place of employment to a thriving community-like business ecosystem where each person feels deeply valued and genuinely connected.

7. Adaptability

It can get rough out there. And when the going gets tough, those who can adapt survive. The ability of a company to adapt to changes and challenges demonstrates resilience and supports a strong company culture by being continually responsive to the needs of both its employees and the market — being careful not to disregard one for the other.

8. Leadership Integrity

Leaders who practice what they preach and uphold the company values play a crucial role in cultivating a positive and healthy company culture. Their integrity sets the tone for the entire organization, whether it’s good or bad. When leaders are attuned to the needs of others, do what they say, and support those they lead, it’s an example that’s modeled by the workforce. Likewise, if leaders treat others poorly, break promises, and otherwise do not support their employees, it often creates a sour mindset that poisons the well.

Why Does Good Company Culture Matter?

Company culture matters because it’s the heartbeat of an organization, setting the tone for how employees interact, collaborate, and find fulfillment in their work. By positively shaping company culture, we also positively shape other aspects of business operations, from employee retention and workforce relationships to engagement at work and even business profitability.

• Company culture has a direct impact on employee retention. When employees are happy and report high levels of job satisfaction, they stay with the company. When they’re unhappy and feel unsupported in their work environments, they tend to seek opportunities elsewhere.
• Culture also supports recruiting goals. When companies are known in the labor market for their positive workplace culture, it makes the process of recruiting much easier, helping them attract top talent in their industry.
• Strong company culture increases employee engagement. Companies with engaged workforces have higher productivity, better customer satisfaction, improved sense of employee accomplishment, less absenteeism, and more.
• Positive cultures with engaged workforces are more profitable. According to Gallup, companies with cultures that have highly engaged workforces are up to 21% more profitable than those with less engaged employees.

How WorkHound Supports Positive Culture

WorkHound’s anonymous feedback platform supports all three pillars of company culture, creating a bridge between employees and management. Anonymity encourages honest feedback, helping to build trust and transparency across all levels of the organization. Unlike annual surveys, WorkHound works in real-time, giving leaders a chance to address questions and solve problems while they’re relevant and prove to workers that every voice in the company is valued.

This continuous feedback loop allows for a broader range of perspectives to be heard and acknowledged, ensuring that all employees, regardless of their role or background, feel they are an integral part of the company.
With WorkHound, companies are equipped to create a more engaging, supportive, and productive workplace. In today’s competitive landscape, culture can be a significant differentiator. WorkHound insights help cultivate a culture that attracts top talent and develops it into a thriving long-tenured workforce.