Little activity has been done due to corona in the past two years. And that is killing for culture. After all, you maintain this because you see each other a lot, so there is a lot of interaction between people. When people are physically together, there are all kinds of unscripted interactions. It's the little things that strengthen a bond. How do you keep the culture alive now? And involve your people in the core values that you consider important for your organization. These are the themes of today, especially at a time when there are more vacancies than job seekers for the first time, as was recently described in the FD.
In the current tight labour market, retaining staff is an important point of attention for many employers. A challenge that even wakes you up at night. It's a big theme that you can't just solve. But approaching this challenge in small steps becomes easier to frame and less worrying. Firstly, people are less likely to leave an employer with a positive culture. Second, if colleagues feel valued, connected and involved, they will also think longer before accepting another job. So actively work on that. On the one hand, pick up point one (make sure you see each other) and start the conversation. But then, really. What do your people want? What challenges do they experience? How are they? Are they affected by the rise in energy prices and increasingly expensive groceries? Is there a need for budget coaching from you as an employer? Have they been helped with a different day or week schedule in which they can work their hours?
1. Make sure there are enough moments to see each other live
After the initial enthusiasm about working from home, employers are now looking at this more critically. Because there is a lot of remote work, keeping the (often carefully constructed) culture alive is more difficult. That is cause for concern because colleagues no longer spontaneously run into each other at the coffee machine or in the corridors. Everything that gives you attention grows and retains culture and core values due to the physical cooperation between people. Make this negotiable and choose a policy that fits the dot you have determined on the horizon.
2. Keep the core values alive
Every organization has defined certain core values. In this, you indicate as an organization what you consider important. These values and beliefs give meaning and recognition to teams and employees. These core values have been elaborated in daily behaviour and form a guideline for behaviour, and they provide guidance when making choices. The core values form the organisation's DNA and strengthen employee bond.
In summary: activate your culture
It is precisely the core values that make your company what it is. You attract the right people like a magnet by propagating these values well. Think about what you are promoting in the market: is how you present your company appropriate to the people you want to attract? We challenge you to look beyond the juice bars, football tables and gym subscriptions suddenly offered en masse. They are nice gestures, but what matters is connection and the feeling of wanting to belong to something intrinsically. That activates culture.
