Over the next few months, we will be summarizing some of the most important topics that Insperity CEO, Paul Sarvadi, covers in his new book, Take Care of Your People. We’re beginning the series by talking about culture, which should be top of mind, whether you are a manager responsible for day-to-day operational decisions or the founder of a start-up business trying to define and maintain your ideal working environment.
Most business leaders grasp the concept of corporate culture, and they understand why it’s valuable, but actually creating it and implementing it into your employees’ daily work life is another story. It can involve a lot of trial and error. You may want to think about the steps outlined below as you try to define your corporate culture.
- Lay a foundation
“Creating a company culture doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process – one that starts with establishing a mission, vision and values. You and your executive team need to devote time and effort to determine these company’s cornerstones.”
Paul Sarvadi, Take Care of Your People
To do so, think about the following values, because they are where a company culture lives.
- What do you hold dear?
- What drives you?
- What are you passionate about?
- Take the temperature
“Culture depends on employee engagement(and vice versa). Disengaged employees can be a drain on money, productivity and morale. A culture survey (also known as a climate survey) is a great way of learning what employees think and feel about their job, workplace, colleagues and managers.
“Trust is key in company culture – if your people don’t trust you, they’re not going to follow you. An employee survey is a method of building that trust, because it communicates that you care about their feelings, needs and wants.”
Paul Sarvadi, Take Care of Your People
- Are you
interested in conducting a culture survey of your employees? If so, ask
yourself the following questions:
- Is a climate survey right for my organization? Climate surveys work best with organization’s whose leadership teams are open to receiving true and honest feedback and are willing to take action on survey results. The lack of actionable follow up to survey results can actually reduce employee trust and morale, as employees will not believe their responses are being used to improve the organization. This can also lead to reduce response rates for future survey efforts, as people will be less inclined to share their feedback. Finally, an organization should consider its size before deciding to use a survey, as surveys work best with organizations large enough for employee’s to feel that their responses can be anonymous.
- What does the survey offered by Insperity entail? It’s a 50-question survey that measures employees’ perception of communication, commitment, trust, employee engagement within an organization.
- What if a climate survey isn’t the best option for my organization today? Insperity offers other resources to help you work towards culture goals. For example, the Pulse Survey helps provide management insight into how an employee is balancing work and the goals of the organization. See the Pulse Survey that can found in the HR Resource Center.
The quickest and easiest way to access these tools and resources is through the Quick Links on your Client Landing page in iSolved®, as seen below. You also may contact your dedicated HR specialist for assistance.
