Workplace culture has always evolved but in the last couple of years particularly, shifts in working patterns to include hybrid and homeworking models have brought massive change. When we add in the challenges of managing employee engagement with a fragmented team, there are difficulties for leadership when trying to building a strong workplace culture.  

What affects workplace culture? 

• Leadership and management  
• Company policies and value statements 
• Workplace practices 
• People 
• Purpose-driven company culture 
• Effective communication 
• A feedback loop 
• Workplace Practices 
• Policies and Philosophies 
• Mission, Vision, and Values 
• Work Environment

When company culture is poor it can affect individuals’ growth and development leading to a loss in confidence.  

 
A culture of connectivity.  

Workplace connectivity built through employee engagement is one way in which leaders can develop team building and promote inclusion. Businesses have spent large chunks of time in the last couple of years communicating via video conferencing, but a large portion of communication is missed by relying solely on verbal platforms. Non-verbal cues are powerful and it can be extremely difficult to pick these up via video conferencing contributing further to fragmented teams. Big hitters such as Morgan Stanley recently flagged up the importance of face-to-face interaction as part of its ethos and culture. In a recent keynote speech in Sydney, CEO James Gorman described working from home as “job land” and working in the office as “career land”. A strong warning for its staff but it also reinforced how important the company sees face to face interaction as part of its success. The question we need to ask ourselves is how inclusive are these practices. What impact does coming back into the office more frequently have on certain groups. Working mothers are impacted, so are those on lower paid salaries that have to face an increase in commuter costs. Striking the balance is imperative and consulting with the D&I lead on these issues mitigates risk to reputation and attrition.  

Changing workplace culture  

In terms of changing your corporate culture, successful leaders understand that culture will always shift and adapt and therefore it can absorb changes to working patterns and operations. Those that measure their success through HR metrics and employee surveys understand that culture and employee engagement have an impact on corporate financial performance, retention and attracting staff. So often we see visions that are written on walls and not embodied by senior leadership. Organisations often fall short of bringing the external view of their ‘culture’ to life, ensuring those working for the firm benefit from inclusive views.  

Wherever organisations are on their culture change journey, recognising that the work will never be done and everyone within the organisation plays a part in contributing to its success is imperative. The sense of belonging, being seen and heard will encourage individuals to support change, regardless of the reason, and is the breeding place for collaboration and innovation.