Your company is only as good as its people. You rely on attracting and retaining top talent to not just keep your business afloat, but to actually grow it. That's why a positive culture is essential. It's contagious and spreads across your organization, motivating your people to work hard, feel appreciated, have a positive attitude, collaborate better, and not look elsewhere. It also helps to pull great talent away from your chief competitors.
So, how can you enhance your culture? Here are four tips with a laundry list of specific examples to emulate.
Assign Company Mentors and Offer Training for Professional Development
Assign seasoned and successful employees to more junior and mid-level ones to be mentors, helping them learn from their own mistakes and successes. The mentor can also assist mentees to build a succession plan for long-term career growth
Offer stipend toward continuing education, such as classes, certifications, or even whole degrees
Give free access to training software, such as Lynda
Invite a professional speaker to host a speaking session to educate and inspire your team
Company Outings and Team-Building Events
Company "happy hour" sessions
Rent out a zoo, park, movie theatre
Create a company softball or other sports league
Feature a private concert
Host a potluck
Get creative with a scavenger hunt
Have a game night
Plan a karaoke extravaganza
Sign up for an escape room event
Employee Perks
Rewards program, where you recognize achievements and offer benefits
Wellness programs and gym memberships
Options to work remotely and flexible work schedule
Free snacks
Create designated napping and meditation/relaxation rooms
Offer stipends to help pay down student loans
Have an office pet and host pet-friendly days, where employees can bring in their pets
Bereavement time off for not just human loved ones, but pets as well
Offer medical, life, and dental insurance
Issue additional paid time off with more vacation, personal, and sick days
Maternity and paternity care options and paid time off
Discretionary bonuses
Retirement plans, such as 401(k)s
Create partnerships with local businesses to offer employee discounts
Equity in company and stock options
Promote Social Responsibility
Offer paid time for employees to volunteer at charitable organizations
Make your office more "green," such as having plants decorate the office, having the printers default to double-sided printing, celebrating Earth Day, switching to more renewable energy lighting, and just encouraging going paper-less altogether
Have contests to craft innovative ways to make your office more socially responsible
Promote greater diversity within the organization, such as hiring, creating a diversity committee, issue diversity reports
Create a company mission statement or credo that expressly promotes social responsibility as a core value