The term “company culture” gets thrown around like small children in a bouncy house. But despite overuse, this 21st-century buzzword carries a lot of weight. The reality is that every company has a culture whether they know it or not.
As a disclaimer, we’re a marketing company, not an HR company or some sort of culture consultants. However, we do place a high premium on continuously creating and cultivating company culture (we’ll stop using so many words that start with c).
Even though we may not be experts, here’s why we think culture is important.
It’s like steroids (but legal)– Remember Barry Bonds circa 2002? He hit a staggering 46 home runs in one season, all thanks to one thing. Steroids. Obviously, this didn’t exactly pan out for Mr. Bonds, but he did have a great season.
Believe it or not, culture can be your company’s performance enhancing drugs (without the unfortunate legal side effects or RAGE). When employees work in an environment they enjoy and feel they can thrive in, the quality of their work will be unmatched. To put it simply, employers who give back to their employees will have employees who want to give back to their employers.
Retain and maintain– Hopefully this is obvious, but when employees are happy and performing well, they tend to stick around. You don’t have to be an expert to know that when you have well seasoned, happy, employees who kick butt, your business will grow faster than Shaquille O’Neal during puberty.
The tricky part here is maintaining good culture during times of growth. Make sure you bring on new employees who have a similar vision and who fit in seamlessly.
Give them what they want– Like it or not, millennials will, or soon will, make up a good percentage of your employees. These young guns love culture almost more than they love cat videos and pizza combined.
Maybe they weren’t hugged enough, maybe they all need therapy. Whatever the reason is, it’s clear that Millennials want to work somewhere they feel they make a difference and matter in the grand scheme of things. Companies devoid of culture won’t attract Millennials and will eventually miss out on top talent.
It was never your company anyways– Despite what you may think, the C-suite doesn’t run a company, it’s a combination of every employee. From the lowly intern to the mid-level manager and everyone in between. That’s the glue of your company. They are the ones in the trenches solving problems.
Don’t ignore them, give them a voice. The chain of command exists for a reason, but when the collective body employees has at least a little input in how they spend 40 hours of their week, you’ll see power you’ve never seen before.
