in a Structural Engineering Company

The Problem

A key question for modern business owners is, how do I build a company culture? When we were approached by a structural engineering company based in the northwest of England with the issues of staff retention, we realised that it might all come down to their company culture.

The Strategy

It is essential to understand that creating a positive work environment goes beyond just providing employees with comfortable seating and adequate lighting. A strong company culture can significantly impact employee satisfaction, motivation, and productivity, ultimately leading to increased success for the business. Workplace culture is the company’s shared goals and values. The culture includes how employees work together, policies, procedures, and decision-making within the company.

First, we wanted to implement a company mission statement. We set out the core purpose and values of the company. These would become the guidelines that would guide us towards a stronger company culture.

We sat down with the business owner and planned out what an ideal company culture looks like to him. The employers’ expectations and definitions of what a healthy company culture looks like is and essential phase when setting out company goals.

The values, goals and expectations need to align with that of your employees. or example, a candidate who cares very deeply about corporate responsibility around environmental issues may have a difficult time being happy working for a company that does not make sustainability a priority.

This candidate would have a better employee experience working for a company that matches their values.

We then compared the ideal company culture to the existing one. This helped us see what needed to change and what was working already. Our own assessment and input from employees meant that we could focus our efforts on the right areas of the business.

The Result

After our assessment of the company culture we were able to determine the key contributing factors to why both employer and employee were not satisfied with the current company culture.

• Work-life balance. It is impossible to eliminate stress in the modern workplace, however there are ways to reduce stress levels and make sure that work is not impacting the overall health of employees. An employee with strong physical and mental health will be more effective in the workplace. We wanted to encourage the company to offer access to mental health care services, have an open-door policy with supervisors and managers and schedule simple breaks throughout the day.
• Hiring with company values. When recruiting new staff, we implemented a strategy that was mindful of hiring candidates whose values aligned with the company. When considering a candidate, we wanted the employers to think not only of qualification but also general attitudes surrounding company values. You can train a candidate with new skills but encouraging company culture when it does not match the values of a new employee can be really challenging.
• Digital workplace tools. When reviewing the feedback from employees they felt that they were not informed on company culture or the values of the company. So, we implemented an intranet platform which helped when onboarding new employees. We were able to upload documents for new hires as well as outline expectations of the employees. This included sections on work hours, company policy for sick time etc. The tool was a way for employees to understand the existing culture and expectations without barrier of viewing them.
• Recognising employee achievements. To boost morale throughout the company, we encouraged the employers to share successes with their employees. A simple shout-out and thank you to an employee can go a long way in making that person feel valued within the business.

Overall, the strategy that we put in place created a positive company culture, increasing staff satisfaction and retention. It is easy to overlook in the rat race of owning a company, but company culture contributes to a business’s success. Employers should strive to evaluate their workplace culture or hire a HR service, so that it can be kept up-to-date and beneficial for both employee and employer.