The document outlines 7 elements of a great workplace culture: 1) Everyone understands how they contribute to the company mission; 2) Employees are encouraged to learn and grow; 3) Everyone can be themselves; 4) Corporate speak is minimal; 5) People have fun at work; 6) Teamwork happens through collaboration; 7) Recognition for great work happens regularly. Building a great culture takes time and involves hiring people who fit the culture, improving communication of company values and goals, and recognizing employees for aligning with those values.

1. E

2. 2.
A lot has been written about the importance of
having a great workplace culture, but what does
a great culture look like? Perks, great snacks,
and funky office decorations aside, there are
much more important fundamentals that must
be in place to build a positive environment
where employees can be at their most
productive and engaged.
7 ELEMENTS OF A GREAT
WORKPLACE CULTURE.

3. 3.
1.
EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS
HOW THEYCONTRIBUTE.
No one likes to feel like a cog in a huge machine,
performing a rote task with no meaning. Each
and every employee understands the company
mission and how they are helping to achieve it.
And that doesn’t mean they have a lofty mission
statement memorized—it means they should
company’s performance.
“NO ONE LIKES TO FEEL LIKE A
COG IN A HUGE MACHINE.”

4. 4.
2.
EMPLOYEES ARE ENCOURAGED
TO LEARN & GROW.
A great company culture encourages people
to be creative and proactive about trying new
things and accepts mistakes or failures as part
of the learning process. The best companies
actively train their employees or contribute
to their schooling via tuition reimbursement,
realizing it will only make their company stronger
to have a more educated workforce. Smaller
companies that may not have the resources to
do so can still allow employees to leave early to
attend classes or take a few personal days to get
homework done.
“A GREAT COMPANY CULTURE
ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO BE
CREATIVE AND PROACTIVE.”

5. 5.
3.
EVERYONE CAN
BE THEMSELVES.
A great company culture must be preserved
by hiring people who fit into it. Diversity is
extremely important, but you can hire people
of all ages, races, religions, etc. who have a
common work ethic and feel comfortable
in your company’s environment. Hiring a
person accustomed to working in Fortune 500
companies into your tiny start-up could be a
mistake if you don’t make sure they are willing to
make sacrifices in the resources at their disposal.
“A GREAT COMPANY CULTURE MUST
BE PRESERVED BY HIRING PEOPLE
WHO FIT INTO IT.”

6. 6.
4.
CORPORATE SPEAK
IS MINIMAL.
Every company has its own lingo of acronyms
and product names, but communication should
mostly be plain and open. If it’s the norm to call
employees “resources” instead of “people,” or
if “use” is constantly replaced with “utilize” it’s
unlikely that your company has a truly authentic
culture. Excessive corporate speak is usually
a sign of a need to sound smarter or more
important than one is, and a culture of high
performers should have little need for it.
“EXCESSIVE CORPORATE SPEAK IS
USUALLY A SIGN OF A NEED TO
SOUND SMARTER.”

7. 7.
5.
PEOPLE HAVE
FUN AT WORK.
It’s called work for a reason, but a great culture
fosters an environment where people feel free
to laugh together and form friendships.
“IN COMPANIES WITH GREAT
CULTURES, PEOPLE LAUGH
TOGETHER AND HAVE FUN.”

8. 8.
6.
TEAMWORK HAPPENS.
A great company culture creates a collaborative
environment where everyone works toward a
common vision for the organization rather than
solely looking out for themselves. When people
hoard information or try to compete with others
to get ahead, it’s a sure sign of a toxic culture
where self-serving behavior is rewarded.
“A GREAT COMPANY CULTURE
CREATES A COLLABORATIVE
ENVIRONMENT.”

9. 9.
7.
RECOGNITION HAPPENS.
One complaint we’ve all heard (or had ourselves)
about bad jobs is that people often hear
nothing about their performance until they’ve
made a mistake. Great companies make sure
that employees are recognized for great work
regularly.
If your company culture needs some work,
it can be turned around, but it will take time.
None of the above can be achieved with quick
fixes or corporate initiatives. Improving a poor
culture usually entails letting some employees
and managers go, hiring new ones that better
fit the culture you want, re-examining company
policies, taking great care to articulate your
company mission and values, and improving
communications around those goals. Once your
company culture has turned around, recognition
and reward systems can be put into place to
reinforce actions that align with your values
and goals.
“GREAT COMPANIES MAKE SURE
EMPLOYEES ARE RECOGNIZED
FOR GREAT WORK REGULARLY.”

10. 10.
WorkStride’s employee engagement
software
and reinforce desirable behaviors through
recognition, rewards, and social participation.
PERFORMANCE AND
ENGAGEMENT SOLUTIONS.
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