Learn why it's so important to foster a healthy company culture.

Imagine This Scenario:

Over the past three weeks, three employees have handed in their resignations, including one long-time team member whose deep expertise and industry knowledge will be difficult to replace. Their departure has left a noticeable gap, and redistributing their workload among the remaining team has started to take a toll. Frustration is mounting, productivity is slipping, and morale feels like it’s teetering on the edge.

It’s a domino effect, one that might not have seemed imminent just a few months ago. But when company culture isn’t nurtured with intention, these challenges can creep in unnoticed—until they snowball into higher turnover, lower engagement, and bigger problems. The question is: How can you stop this cycle and rebuild a culture where employees want to stay and thrive?

In this blog post, we’ll explore how HR can play a pivotal role in shaping and enhancing company culture. From recognizing the need for change to implementing consistent, thoughtful policies, HR is a driving force for positive transformation. Through employee engagement surveys, tailored strategies, and ongoing support, organizations can create a workplace culture that promotes growth, satisfaction, and lasting success.

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What is company culture?

Company culture is the perception of standards, practices, and values enforced within an organization. Good company culture understands the wants and needs of employees and offers work/life balance. Flexible cultures adapt to employee needs and are willing to improve and try new ways of doing things. 

Company culture is set by the leadership of the company. Culture problems often stem from weak leadership, which is typically characterized by poor organizational structure, inconsistent practices, and unclear expectations.

Consistency + communication = desirable workplace culture.

Clearly communicated and consistently enforced structure fosters accountability and establishes expectations that employees can confidently meet. When employees understand both what is expected of them and what they can expect in return, they are empowered to perform at their best. This clarity and consistency create the foundation for a strong culture of achievement and dedication to flourish naturally.

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Why does company culture matter?

1. It matters because it matters to your employees. Culture can be an off-the-charts motivator for employees when they feel like they work in a happy, healthy, and supportive environment. When they are filled with excitement and even joy towards their roles, it has a net positive impact on their work and productivity. 
2. Company culture helps give the work your employees do meaning. Purposeful work is a high priority for today’s workforce, more so than any other time in history. Both Millenial and Gen Z workers (who are entering the workforce the fastest) value purpose-driven work even more than previous generations. A clear sense of purpose empowers employees to see themselves and their goals in a positive and meaningful way.
3. A strong company culture can also be an effective recruiting tool for hiring workers who are willing to stick around. A reputation for a positive, empowering culture is especially valuable for word-of-mouth recruiting. Your employees speaking highly of your culture is the best praise any company can receive and it will attract more applicants to your open positions

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Of course, because culture is largely based on perception, it is possible that the employer and the employees have different perspectives on an organization’s culture. What some employers might think is an empowering, uplifting culture can seem controlling or inflexible to employees.

How do you know what kind of culture your organization has?

What are the traits of a desirable workplace?

Our experience working with clients for more than 20 years has helped us to identify common traits of healthy organizational culture.

Many employees today expect employers to be in tune with employee needs and desires when hiring. The workplace has shifted from an employer-centric paradigm to an employee-focused one. This change is largely because employees have realized that if their current workplace doesn’t value them, plenty of other companies are willing to do so. Unprecedented growth in the job market and economy has opened up opportunities that didn’t exist 30 or 40 years ago.

Companies whose employees stay are another indicator of a good company culture. In today’s workplace, with its high turnover rates, when employees stick around longer than three to five years, applicants know that the company is doing something right.

Another gauge of good company culture is how employees interact. Organizations built on respect and trust often experience stronger employee engagement. In contrast, companies facing issues like gossip, jealousy, and competition can quickly develop negative reputations, making them undesirable workplaces.As noted earlier, it bears repeating.

Good communication with employees also contributes to being a desirable place to work. Employees need to know what is expected of them, and that requires clear communication. Beyond expectations, communicating the mission, vision, and goals of the work helps to define expectations and determine when good work has been done. Communicating core values is imperative to a strong company culture alongside mission and goals. When you don’t know what your core values are, you can’t hire employees who share them. Hiring mistakes of this sort can derail a company culture and create problems for everyone.

Companies that effectively engage and integrate a multigenerational workforce are desirable workplaces, valuing the unique experiences, insights, and contributions that each generation brings to the table.

How to change your company culture.

While HR may not set the company culture, it can play a significant role in shaping and influencing it. A poor workplace culture creates tension, reduces productivity, and drives employees away. For example, micromanagement is often a sign of a controlling culture, leading to disempowered employees who seek other opportunities.

Similarly, outsourced HR cannot fully address all the shortcomings of a company culture. However, it can provide guidance and, with the right approach, a starting point for improvement. Be prepared for incremental change, as company culture is shaped over time. Just as organizations don’t reach their current state overnight, there are no quick fixes for transforming company culture with lasting results. Through education, effective communication, and continuous support, HR can develop a viable plan for kickstarting a turnaround of a toxic workplace culture.

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Recognize the need for change

The first step in evolving your company culture is recognizing that change is necessary. Not all cultural shifts come from negative places. For example, if your organization has been lenient with employee punctuality, it may be affecting profits more than desired. While implementing a new policy can bring immediate change, gaining employee buy-in may take time. There may be initial resistance, but with consistent implementation, the new policy will eventually become the standard. Over time, incremental changes lead to significant transformations and the best results.

Once the company goals and values are established, you can align them with your employees' personal values and hire individuals whose values match. Partnering with an outsourced HR Business Partner from Syndeo can be incredibly helpful in uncovering blind spots within your company—areas you may overlook due to being too close to the day-to-day operations. They can help you craft tailored strategies to address weak areas and reinforce your core values across the entire team.

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Employee Engagement Surveys

Next, consider asking your employees what they think. At Syndeo, we do this through biennial Employee Engagement Surveys. When done intermittently, the survey can be a highly effective tool for improving company morale. These types of surveys ask your employees what they think is good about your culture, what could be improved upon, and what changes they would like to see.

Terrific new policies can come about because of employee surveys. Several years ago, after completing an employee engagement survey, Syndeo implemented a new policy that allows all employees a certain number of paid “volunteer hours” that they could use to support causes or missions that meant something to them. Now Syndeo employees receive eight hours every quarter for volunteer service. While not all employees choose to utilize these hours, knowing that they have the opportunity to is empowering, nonetheless.

Employee engagement surveys are powerful tools, but not if your leadership fails to make any changes based on employee feedback. The surveys become counterproductive because the message you send to your employees is “We’re not here to listen to you.”

Even small changes based on employee suggestions, like adding a microwave to the breakroom, for example, can go a long way in affirming how much you value your employees’ insight.

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Find a HR partner who can help with incremental change.

While HR can’t fix your company culture or turn it around for you, having a partner like Syndeo for ongoing support can help. Little steps made over time go a long way toward making the change you and your employees want to see. It won’t be drastic, but if you create a good vision and stick with an HR-led strategic plan, you can improve any company culture.

Replacing those employees who left over the last month may still be challenging, but by listening to your current employees and revisiting your company values, you can be sure that the culture your new team members join will be healthy, empowering, and built for long-term success.

Talk to your HR Business Partner today about conducting an employee engagement survey to uncover what motivates your employees and identify ways to enhance your workplace for everyone.

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