Company Culture/Shift | The BARK Firm

Everyone talks about company culture but what is it really and why should I care?

Here is the basic idea. Your company’s culture is a reflection of your shared values, attitude, and behavior.

These attributes are not only pushed by the company, but they are embraced by the employees and are reinforced by the decisions the company makes as a whole. The culture spans over the work environment, the way work is done, and is reflected in the goals of the company. Strong company culture guides employees to actively participate in the company’s goals, and lets them become brand ambassadors of the company.

Ok, that’s cool but I’m waiting to hear the part where it increases my bottom line… right?

Company culture doesn’t just start with buy-in from its employees. It is the stances that the company takes FOR its employees. Companies with great culture focus on their employees first and their customers second. I know that might sound backward, but it’s true. If you take great care of your employees, they, in turn, will take even better care of your customers.

Wait… why would I put my employees before my customers?

Employees who see their values and needs reflected by their employers are more likely to enjoy their work and will work better with like-minded co-workers. This makes your team more satisfied, efficient, and driven to complete the goals ahead. This basically means, you do better work for your clients, and your team is all about it. Strange huh?

Well that all sounds great, but what if my company doesn’t seem to have a culture?

The good news is it’s not too late to create a culture for your company. Right now the COVID-19 pandemic has forced our society to go through a culture shift. People are working from home, becoming educators to their children, and finding new ways to innovate and keep their businesses going on day-to-day.

This shift is forcing us to reevaluate our mission, values, communication, and our WHY behind everything that we do. Now is the time to optimize. Let your employees know this is who we are, what we believe, and how we do things. Then give them the mic and get out of the way. Let them be heard. Celebrate accomplished goals.

Recognize employees’ work anniversaries, embrace what drives them in their lives outside of the office. Create ways for everyone to communicate, easily, and often. Ask your team how they want to solve challenges. Strengthen relationships between your employees and give them the power to work in this new world. Don’t put up barriers, remove them. Don’t create a sense of fear, create positivity, and act with courage. Don’t be the boss that was afraid to change and lost your best employees. Because as easy as it is to stuff it in the closet and never speak of it again, trust me, those employees will be sharing that story again and again with all their friends, families, and random dinner parties they attend.

If you take this time to shift your company and develop your culture you will find that not only did your business survive the pandemic, but you and your team came out stronger on the other side.

Company culture is a hot topic and thankfully, it isn’t going away. If you have a great company culture then share your successes with others. If your company culture is in trouble, or if you’re like many business owners, and you don’t even really know where to start, reach out. We’d be happy to chat about your own company culture shift.