Early in November, we sat down with Laura Martin, CEO of The Glinda Group on Futureworks, our fresh-off-the-press podcast. With over 25 years of experience in the HR sector, Laura had more than a few insightful things to say about the evolving landscape of work culture and how organizations can make changes to keep employees happy, which in turn makes companies successful.
But what exactly is organizational culture and why does it matter so much? Let’s talk about it.
“I think about culture more as the experience—what it feels like for people in a particular work context. That can vary significantly, location by location, team by team. When I think of ‘Culture with a capital C’, I think about what it feels like to be a colleague or an employee in a specific work environment.” - Laura Martin
Like Laura said, culture is an experience in the workplace that will vary depending on the organization. Think of culture as a melting pot of what a company values and how those values are embodied within interactions across an organization. This starts at the top with leadership, trickles down to employees, and that translates into your customer experience. So, organizational culture not only impacts the employee experience, it can impact the customer experience as well. Culture includes how your employees interact with customers and how much they value the experience that each customer has. A positive work culture with invested employees is more likely to promote better customer experiences.
According to a 2023 report by SHRM Research, only about 61% of employees would consider their work culture “good or excellent”, with these employees being 790% more likely to feel satisfied at work and 83% less likely to be actively looking for a new job than employees with “poor or terrible” work culture.¹ This same SHRM report attributed positive work experiences with the following cultural factors:
- Equitable leadership practices
- Career fulfillment
- Good communication with managers
- Work-life balance
- Respectful workplace interactions
Employees are up to 19 times more likely to rate that their work culture is “good or excellent” when the organization embodies these values. Businesses that actively develop positive work cultures are more likely to have happy teams and retain those employees.
Let’s explore a few ways that organizations can build a stronger culture and a better team. With some tips from Laura Martin, of course.
Give your employees freedom and flexibility
“Can you design a team culture where there's freedom to experiment, where there's freedom to collaborate in ways you hadn't thought of before? The best ideas aren't going to come from your senior leaders in any given organization. The best ideas are going to come from the experts doing the work. Create the space for them to share those ideas.” - Laura Martin
One of the quickest ways to stifle growth and innovation in the workplace is by developing a culture with rigid rules. “Well, this is how we do things” isn’t an encouraging perspective. The world of work isn’t one size fits all for every organization and surely not for every employee. Give your employees the opportunity to explore different approaches that help them meet their goals.
"We hire smart, amazing people, and then, in too many contexts, we just hand them a list that says "Here’s what you do," and expect everyone to do it the same way—just shut your brain off. We’re leaving so much potential on the table.” - Laura Martin
Develop a culture that actively encourages employees to find what works best for them. Not only is your team more likely to find career fulfillment this way—they’re more likely to provide new, creative ways to solve problems in your organization. When your teams find processes that work best for them, you’ll see higher levels of employee engagement and better business outcomes in the long run.
Create a culture that values coaching and communication
“The traditional survey is fine, but a better way is ensuring that leaders are regularly talking to their people—weekly check-ins, asking the right questions. This is where I’m a huge believer in coaching. It’s the way to unlock human performance and potential.” - Laura Martin
As found in the SHRM report, equitable leadership practices, fair communication, and respectful interactions are foundations for a positive work culture. Organizations must create safe spaces for employees to feel seen and heard. This starts with stated values actually aligning with organizational practices. “Our culture is built on open communication” won’t land well if your employees provide feedback that rarely sees the light of day. Listen, learn, and respond accordingly yet respectfully.
Workforce management tools can provide simplified options for collecting employee feedback through surveys. However, as our expert Laura Martin let us know, these shouldn’t replace regular talks with your team. Gauging employee satisfaction and implementing changes is best done through frequent, transparent conversations. This goes for leaders regularly connecting with a workforce and managers speaking with direct reports.
Develop a culture that promotes employee development
The Great Resignation that started in 2021 left attrition rates abysmal across most industries. As of 2024, attrition has stabilized across several fields, according to HFS Research, and businesses have the opportunity to focus on ways to attract and retain talented employees.² Building a solid organizational culture that values employee development is a key to keeping high-performing people.
Build a culture that is committed to your employees growing their skillsets, which benefits their career development and satisfaction, but also equips them to bring even higher levels of service to your organization. Consider developing organizational programs that focus on:
- Up-skilling through ongoing training. We never stop learning and ensuring your team has the tools the need to develop skills can contribute to a happier workplace. Ongoing training can be supported through customized learning paths, practical experience, and certification or credential building.
- Employee recognition. When employees reach higher goals or achieve new career opportunities, celebrate that. A culture that values employee skill development isn’t just about reaching said skill. It’s about empowering employees to be proud of this by acknowledging them, rewarding them, and encouraging them to continue aiming higher.
Make sure empathy takes a front seat
Whether we want to admit it or not, life happens. People get sick. People feel tired. People have emergencies. People have children, elderly parents, or are caretakers for other loved ones. People sometimes just have bad mental health days and picking up a phone to help an angry customer is the last thing they can handle. As a business, understand that. Employees have personal lives and need to find a work-life balance that is conducive to keeping them healthy and happy.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought the need for flexibility and empathy to light more than ever in workplaces.
"It exposed existing problems in how work was designed. Personally, I think it was a gift that we were invited into each other’s homes. People didn’t have a choice but to talk about their children with their colleagues because they were right there behind them, and they were trying to be their teacher. It exposed that we all have lives outside of work, and equating time in the office at your desk with your contributions and value to the company has always been a mistake, in my opinion.” - Laura Martin
Workplace leaders must develop an organizational culture built upon genuine listening and responding with empathy. If you’re interested in learning more about building an organizational culture built on open, sincere dialogue, be sure to listen to the first Futureworks podcast episode with Laura Martin and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
