According to a recent study, an average UK worker will change employer every five years with just under a quarter of employees (23%) looking for a new job at least once a year.

People are no longer motivated by the same factors as previous generations. Instead, employees are placing greater emphasis on a good work-life balance and a sense of purpose beyond financial success.

Attracting the perfect candidate and retaining their services is one of the biggest challenges facing employers today. Salary is no longer the sole motivating factor driving the decisions of workers. Their wellbeing, personal progression and most importantly of all, their cultural fit with their prospective employer, all have an important part to play.

WHAT IS WORKPLACE CULTURE?

Workplace culture is the beating heart of your organisation. If you cut off its supply line, your business can’t survive. It’s the character and personality of your business that defines your identity; the values, ethics, and traditions which
you uphold.       

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Culture is vital to the success of any business. Get it right, you not only have a happy, engaged and motivated workforce, it increases the likelihood of attracting new talent when it’s time to recruit.  

The right cultural fit is now second only to salary as the motivating factor in determining a workers next career choice. In their ‘What Workers Want 2017 Report, Hays note that 97% of employees and employers say ‘cultural fit is very or quite important. Indeed, 62% say they would be prepared to take a pay cut to work for an organisation that offers a better cultural fit.

The benefits of a strong workplace culture go beyond helping to attract and retain a talented workforce.  Creating brand identity, helping to strengthen market position and advantage over competitors and improving productivity are all areas which benefit from a strong workplace culture.  

A potential client who visits yourself and two competitors during the pitching process not only makes a decision based on price. They are more likely to select a supply partner which has a successful workplace culture. During their visit, they pick up on the overall look and feel of the office and how engaged your workforce is. Their exposure to your workplace culture during this visit can be a major determining factor in who they select as their contract partner.

HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR COMPANY / OFFICE CULTURE?

• Educating Employees: Regardless of an employee’s position, providing training courses, workshops and seminars not only improves the professional development of the individual, it increases the productivity of the workforce. Most workers consider themselves to be ambitious and see training and development as a vital step to career progression. Companies who offer training and learning as part of the ir culture programmes are likely to be more successful in the recruitment process.
• Creating An Agile Office Environment: Office Design plays a key role in determining how a group of employees communicate and interact with one another. Workplace design has evolved, with ideas converging from higher education, global tech giants such as Google and Facebook, hotel and the retail sector. Agile working environments have taken the traditional open plan office model and evolved it. A tour round a well-designed, agile workplace will reveal sit-stand desks, meeting pods, quiet zones, collaboration hubs and social spaces all with full connectivity, allowing any person to work from anywhere.
• Recognition And Reward:  Recognising the achievements of employees and rewarding them for their efforts is a great way to motivate your workforce, whilst encouraging a degree of healthy competition.  This can be done on an individual or team basis and formulates part of the culture strategy for many successful businesses.