10 tips to avoid creating a bad company culture

staffbay t the jobs market set free Bad Company Culture Bad company culture can bring the emotional connection and ambience at a company to an all-time low. It can seem almost impossible to restore, with so many competing emotions and politics. There are many reasons why office politics turn bad but what are office politics, and can they be avoided? What are Office Politics? Invariably, every company or business has a 'feeling' about it. Some places are welcoming, positive happy places to work, whilst others seem to carry an unfortunate reputation for having a working culture that is nasty, backbiting and unpleasant. So, what are the factors that contribute to this unpleasantness? When people are treated differently not as a result of the work that they do, but from their perceived popularity - in other words, people getting away with being late/getting the best jobs, etc. over and above people who are seen as talented and so on... People feeling insecure in their job or position People being allocated work that they are not suited to in terms of their skills and abilities Big projects where some leading people get the glory, but those doing the background work remain anonymous; this can lead to people feeling undervalued and not appreciated Heavy emphasis placed on hierarchy and jobs titles... These are just some of the more toxic elements that can combine to create an atmosphere that is competitive and unpleasant. Stress levels can increase and this bad company culture can also mean a high absenteeism rate, as well as high staff turnover as people go on to seek roles with other companies. Top 10 tips on avoiding this negative culture... Underpinning all of this is a lack of trust, from management to orker and vice versa. It is time to make a change and if you feel that your business is sliding in this direction, stop it now with these hints and tips: Open allocation In a nutshell, this is allowing people to work on what they want, as long as it 1? benefits the company. This can seem like a massive step but some of the most successful companies do this! Give employees parameters within which they work, for example, if there is a financial or budget implication, they need to seek clarification from line management, etc. This way people work on things that interest them and it removes some of the politics of work allocation. Profit sharing Many companies have introduced this as a way of helping to maintain profitability but have not applied the scheme in a uniform way. Finding out that your colleague who does the same job as you gets more in the profit-sharing scheme is going to do employee morale no favours at all. Reasonableness and fairness are two important factors, as are achievement, NOT position. Take continuing professional development seriously il Many people sit in the same job day after day and are happy to do so. But when a company wishes to grow and thrive, then its people must also be growing and thriving in their skills and abilities. This takes commitment and investment in people. Asking Marjorie in accounts, who has been doing the books the same way for 10 years, to change overnight to another system will simply cause chaos...and Marjorie may feel slightly swamped and criticised. Grow slowly, hire selectively and honestly It can be tempting, when orders are flying in and you don't have enough time, space or hours in the day to meet it all, to simply grab the first person who walks through the door for interview. It pays to have a plan and to stick to it. Take time and think over the whole process, but act swiftly. More haste, less speed, as the saying goes. Money, money, money When money is tight (and when isn't it?!), some employees can feel that they take the brunt of cutbacks, etc. with reduced hours, less pay and so on. Management, when they take responsibility, are showing the way and will often be appreciated more. Smaller projects Lumping many projects on one person can make them feel overloaded and under strain; smaller projects make for a more manageable workload but people also feel a sense of ownership when they work on something for longer. They become closer to it and are able to focus on a set of tighter outcomes. Encourage friendships Some companies don't like the idea of their employees 'fraternising', assuming that should things turn sour the company or business will have to handle the fallout. A company that works and plays together can have a great atmosphere so why not take a trip out together? Something as simple as a trip to the cinema can be a great way to start. Avoid 'managerial mystique' If you make a decision and decide something needs changing, then tell the employees why. Don't just throw a major curve ball in their direction and assume they will just get on with it. Some people can see the darkest rumours in the most innocuous of decisions.