PRESIDENT’S PEN
Workplace Culture and How It Has Changed with the increase in demand, keeping those valuable team members has become a more widely discussed topic among business leaders. The world ‘culture’ has gained more importance among those who may not have paid attention to it in the past.
Bob Yoakam
2022 BIA President Rockford Homes
W
orkplace culture is probably more of a topic today than it has ever been in the past. The COVID-19 pandemic brought this issue further to the forefront, as the U.S. labor participation rate dipped to 60% for the first time since the 1960s. So has the fact that as the majority of the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, the country’s unemployment rate has been steadily falling to a new low of 3.6% as of March 2022. So where does our labor market go from here? As the supply in labor constricts, coupled
There are many consultants that specialize in identifying culture deficiencies and assisting companies in bettering their leaders to attract and retain top-level talent. Ultimately, talent that is engaged, happy and genuinely enjoy what they are doing are more likely to perform at a higher level. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that we have to work harder now, more so than ever. There are many aspects that affect workplace culture. Leadership, management styles, workplace policies/practices (rewards, training, employee advancement, performance management, traditions, etc.), mission, vision, work/life balance, communication, etc. I could go on but if I had to pick one or two aspects to focus on, it would be communication and work/life balance. Communication is usually at the forefront of the conversation, and many workplace problems stem from a lack of communication somewhere down the line. What used to happen is an organization would set a vision or make a decision, and its reasoning wouldn’t leave the top floor. Which means that those within the organization would not know what the decision was or why it was made. This created a divided or segmented team, with those attempting to execute those decisions not being able to explain the Why? There are
many ways to combat this particular aspect, as communication really comes down to effort. A few ideas for improving communication: hold “All Team Member” meetings monthly or quarterly, hold “Leadership Meetings,” or put out weekly short videos or emails about what is going on within the organization. Simply put, communicating goes a long way. The second aspect (and probably most controversial) I would focus on is the work/life balance. This is an aspect that was especially brought to the forefront during COVID-19, with folks essentially being forced to work remotely. Every organization and employee needs to find the balance that works for their particular market sector and situation, but being flexible to some extent is becoming more of the norm in today’s time versus the stringent 9-5 working hours of the past. Maybe it’s not working remotely. Perhaps it is something like a “summer hours” concept where between Memorial Day and Labor Day, staff is able to leave at noon on Fridays to get a jump start on their weekend as most people are much more active during the summer months than the winter months. There are many possibilities. I don’t know that anyone has mastered workplace culture but some businesses do it better than others. Whether it’s a Fortune 100 company, or a business in the travel industry or hospitality industry, more organizations are focusing on workplace culture today than ever before. It’s something we should all be thinking about and sharing ideas about, as we continue through the new working environment of 2022 and beyond.
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