3 simple actions to create a great workplace culture

We’ve been talking about workplace change for the past several years. It’s borderline cliché now. But what employers — especially those in highly regulated fields like insurance and finance — are missing is that the new world of work has adversely impacted careers in finance. That’s an unflattering look in the current job market.

The economy may have the appearance of a recession, but the truth is there are still more open positions than there are people to fill them. It’s still a competitive job market. This is where transforming from the old school impressions and creating an engaging, empowering workplace can help the insurance industry win in retaining and recruiting talent.

Work doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it shouldn’t be. Employees crave environments where their work is challenging and interesting.

There are three areas employees care about when it comes to their workplace experience: their connection to their work, their connection to their team and their connection to their organization.

Being intentional about shaping your work culture can help you set yourself apart from your competitors and show employees you’re a great place to work.

Unite employees with mission, values and purpose

Your work culture is the day-to-day of how work gets done. Our organization found  54% of employees feel their company's culture the strongest through mission and values. Your mission and values are some of the most powerful tools in your toolbox. Rallying employees around a common cause helps them feel the culture you’re shaping and helps them understand their personal connection to it.

Driving home your mission and values creates a unique experience for employees that fulfills their purpose in their work and reinforces the team environment. Combine mission and values with the other top ways employees feel workplace culture (recognition or celebrations and your approach to employee performance) and you’re on the path to creating a unique culture where employees thrive.

Experiment with flexibility

Employees are looking for a flexible work culture. Although flexibility may seem impossible in regulated work environments, you still can incorporate some flexibility into your work culture.

Flexible doesn’t always mean hybrid or remote environments. Maybe it means allowing employees down time to avoid burnout or quiet quitting. Maybe it’s flexibility in their work schedule. Maybe it’s allowing employees to decide how work gets done.

The point is to find ways to incorporate flexibility into your workplace culture to check that box for employees. Ask your employees what flexibility might look like for them. Take their response and brainstorm ideas that might be effective. Listening to what your employees need is the first step.

Listen to your employees

The ideas to help shape your culture are endless. It may seem like a huge undertaking, or you may believe that you’re not ready to take the leap of upgrading your culture for the modern working world. But don’t let that feeling paralyze you — you must start somewhere. Here are three simple actions you can take to influence your culture now.

1. Want to know how your culture is faring? Ask your employees. Remember, your workplace culture exists regardless of whether you’re actively shaping it. You also can’t fix problems that you don’t know exist. By gathering employee perceptions, you’ll have a good understanding of where you can improve.
2. After you have the data, take a deep dive into how employees feel about their work, team, organization, leadership and other areas. Match the information to other metrics you’re already tracking, such as employee turnover or absenteeism. This will help you connect the dots to what is happening on a deeper level.
3. It’s not enough to ask employees their opinions. You must make meaningful improvements. Acting on employee perceptions helps you institute a culture of feedback where employees feel involved in making work a better place and make work better for everyone.

Changing your workplace culture isn’t an easy task. But getting started is relatively simple. By instituting an employee listening strategy, you will understand how to create an engaging work culture that employees enjoy, and recruits want to join.

Anne Maltese is the director of people insights at Quantum Workplace. Anne may be contacted at [email protected].

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