Company culture is often considered the personality of a company and plays a significant role in shaping the dynamics and performance of its employees. Company culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and practices that characterise an organisation. It encompasses the way employees interact with each other, how they approach their work, and the overall environment within the company.
Companies often strive to create and maintain a healthy and positive culture that aligns with their values and supports the well-being and success of their employees. The organisation’s mission and vision are typically set to guide the organisation in the direction of achieving these purpose and long-term goals.
For example, at Babilou Family Singapore, we strive to adhere to our vision and mission to “shape a better tomorrow through education and care” by partnering with parents and training our educators to prepare our children to thrive and contribute as conscious human beings.
The Importance of Company Culture
Company culture significantly impacts job satisfaction for current and potential employees. When employees feel they fit well into the existing company culture that is aligned with their values, they can focus on doing their best and deliver optimal work performance.
Creating a supportive and psychologically safe environment for employees can contribute to higher employee satisfaction, increased productivity, and a stronger sense of identity and purpose within the organisation. On the other hand, a negative or toxic culture can lead to low morale, high turnover, and challenges in achieving organisational goals.
You can build a strong company culture through the implementation of employee assistance programmes, mental health and wellbeing training, and flexible working arrangements – to name a few. It is an ongoing, consistent effort and collaboration between the leaders and employees.
Below are some key components of a strong company culture.
Elements of A Great Company Culture that Matters to Employees
According to an article by Best Money Moves, the top 10 reasons why employees leave their jobs are:
- Unsatisfactory pay
- Stress or an unmanageable workload
- No advancement opportunities
- Employer’s values not aligning with their own
- Interest in a different industry or career path
- Poor work/life balance
- Unsatisfactory benefits
- Lack of employee recognition
- Concerns about their employer’s ability to address health and safety concerns
- No options for remote or flexible work arrangements
Hence, establishing the following elements will reinforce the positive company culture.
1. Open Communication
The way information is shared within the organisation, including the openness of communication channels and the transparency of leadership is important to create a positive work culture. Some examples of this include collectively sharing updates, discussing company matters, or celebrating the wins and sharing the losses.
2. Positive Work Environment
The workspace is positive and healthy, with little office politics. Each employee feels valued, heard and involved. At Babilou Family, getting our staff on board our collective mission to drive a common purpose has become a part of who we are and we have seen how this benefits the relationships among our employees.
3. Accessible Leadership Teams
Leaders of the company affect the culture of the company. Hence, the approach and behavior of the company's leaders, including how they manage and motivate employees directly affect the direction of the company culture. Having a management open-door policy or establishing mentoring programmes for one-on-one guidance for junior staff is a good start.
4. Regular Employee Engagement
Engaged employees feel a strong sense of loyalty and commitment to their organisation. Hence, at Babilou Family, our employee engagement includes annual team bonding retreats for our teachers, Dinner & Dance for all our employees, and regular Touchpoint events with HQ and centre leaders to share best practices and updates, meet new faces, and get to know each other better.
We also send out annual employee engagement surveys to improve company culture for a happy workplace.
5. Empowered Employees
A great work environment breeds genuine friendships where the level of teamwork, cooperation, and support among colleagues is high. When coworkers are not just colleagues, but friends, the dynamic of the team is bound to be positive.
6. Recognition
Have a recognition strategy to continuously appreciate your staff in a timely, fair and relevant circumstances. For example, Babilou Family recognises the efforts of centres and employees during our annual Dinner & Dance. This helps to boost morale and encourage team spirit.
7. More Innovation for Unexpected Discoveries
Innovation encourages and supports creativity, risk-taking, and the development of new ideas. It also provides opportunities for improvements and updates to our business processes and helps us think beyond our market.
8. A Diverse and Inclusive Workforce
A diverse and inclusive workplace that values and respects individuals from different backgrounds and perspectives encourage innovation and creativity. Babilou Family Singapore believes in supporting each other for individual and collective success and values diversity to reach better outcomes.
9. Continuous Professional Development
We are also firm believers in learning for life. Our staff are empowered to be curious and encouraged to continue learning to meet their career development needs as well as personal growth opportunities.
10. Healthy Approach to Wellbeing
Today, many employers prioritise mental wellness at work as part of their responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their employees. Some strategies to implement include work-life balance, hybrid working, flexibility and adaptability to prevent burnout.
A Good Company Culture Reaps Rewards
Ultimately, Babilou Family Singapore believes that having a good company culture is an investment in our people and our business. We feel this is the best strategy to attract and retain the best talent to help our business grow and to cultivate great educators who will help us give our best for our children and their families.
Contact us if you want to know more about developing a career with us or enrolling your child at one of our centres.
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