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30.01.2023
Magazine category

Creating work cultures: Reliable relationships for professional success

Mutual appreciation, stability and professional success: these issues are closely linked in everyday business life. This makes it all the more important to create a healthy work culture in which employees feel comfortable and see opportunities for personal growth. This is the only way to create long-term bonds and identification with the company and the workplace. So how is it possible to build reliable relationships in the professional environment?

Work Culture in Germany: The Status Quo

According to the renowned Gallup study on job quality in Germany, one in four employed persons is considering changing jobs. This alone shows the low level of attachment that employees obviously have with their employers. In addition, there is often stress, excessive demands and the feeling of not identifying with one's own job.

The study also shows that the less employees can contribute, the greater the frustration at the end of the day. Companies feel this in the form of high employee turnover and an above-average number of employees changing careers. Creating a healthy work culture should therefore be high on every company's agenda. Only in this way will they ultimately remain competitive in the midst of the competition.

These are the biggest challenges

Digitalization, Corona crisis, Work 4.0: The 21st century is characterized by change and existential transformation. With the pandemic, many companies were forced to rethink and had to create home office workplaces and opportunities for location-independent teamwork overnight. This has shaken the very foundations of the way companies work together. A survey conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute showed that 40% of the employees surveyed feel that important things pass them by in the home office. This places new demands on communication and team cohesion.

Important questions need to be addressed:

  • How does employee communication & employee motivation work at a distance?
  • How do reliable relationships develop in this environment?
  • How can employee identification with the company be promoted?

Fundamental aspects for a healthy workplace culture

Culture is something that grows and cannot be created overnight. A company's work culture is based on its beliefs, values and mutual interaction, for which it needs role models. A healthy work culture must grow like a plant, be nurtured and cultivated. It is exemplified by the leaders, creates an identification within and thus also the basis for joint success.

The importance of "positive leadership" for a modern work culture

"Positive leadership" is a buzzword that is being used more and more frequently in discussions about modern leadership. What does it mean? For decades, leadership was understood to mean that employees were usually only called to an appointment with their manager when negative criticism arose. In "positive leadership", the focus is on the strengths, successes and skills of employees.

Instead of focusing leadership on shortcomings and weaknesses, managers recognize and promote abilities and perceive them as part of the shared success. The positive effects of this understanding of leadership quickly become measurable for companies.

  • Higher job satisfaction
  • Lower motivation to change
  • Better performance
  • Lower sickness rates
  • Less stress

Happy and satisfied employees are more productive and identify more with their jobs. They are less likely to be lured away by competitors, because more money alone is not an argument for them to leave their jobs.

The work culture radiates internally and externally

The work culture of a company is defined by the management and radiates from above into every department. It should be established internally, then also lived by the employees and directly adopted by new team members. This has a holistic positive influence on success.

But a positive workplace culture is also a mandatory prerequisite for building a strong employer brand. Companies with a good reputation attract new employees and stand out from the competition. In industries where there is a shortage of skilled workers, this can be crucial to a company's future.

How can a positive work culture be established?

Positive leadership does not happen overnight, but is primarily a question of the right attitude. This is where leaders can check themselves: Do you primarily look at the quirks and shortcomings of your employees or do you primarily notice the successes? Often, even small changes have a big impact.

Increase employee engagement

Today, employees are no longer just recipients of orders, but should be actively involved in important decisions. Those who only carry out orders are doing their job by the book. If you want to inspire commitment and motivation in your team, you should involve your employees. This is primarily the task of the team leader, who should already involve his employees in setting goals. Surveys show: Those who have worked on setting their own goals are four times more committed to actually achieving them.

Strengthen the loyalty of your employees to the company

Do you know how satisfied your employees currently are with their position in the company, their salary or the working conditions? It is worthwhile to regularly obtain personal feedback on this in order to be able to react quickly in the event of dissatisfaction or an impending desire to change. Even if identification and self-fulfillment are more important to many employees than salary, you should still keep an eye on regular salary increases. These could be linked to specific performance, for example. Offer your employees opportunities for advancement. Often, employees are motivated to change because they can advance better in their careers elsewhere.

Convey a sense of security and stability

One of the main reasons for a high willingness to change jobs is a lack of job stability. If the company has frequent layoffs, employees prefer to put themselves in the lifeboat and actively look for a new job before they are thrown overboard unplanned. Only when a sense of security is created in the workforce will employees plan their long-term future in the company.

Create work-life integration

Pursuing a career with commitment and passion and having a family and hobbies at the same time do not have to be mutually exclusive. Flexible working hours and the option of working from a home office are important components of a positive work culture.

Show appreciation and pay attention to health

In many companies today, a special understanding has already grown that employees do not hand over their personalities at the gate, but remain people with personal needs and feelings in the workplace as well. Managers should therefore create a framework in which employees can also develop personally. In addition, programs to strengthen physical and mental health have proven their worth.

Corporate fitness programs can help employees find a balance to work-related stress. Depending on the size of the company and its location, there are now opportunities in all major cities for business partnerships with fitness and yoga studios, swimming pools, tennis courts or course offerings. It is important to reach as many employees as possible and not to limit yourself to just one offer.

How to create reliable relationships in the work environment

Everyday work is shaped by relationships. Only if these relationships are sustainable and reliable can a strong sense of cohesion develop, in which each individual sees himself as part of the whole, identifies with the common goal and shows personal commitment. Such a team feeling rarely arises automatically, but is actively driven forward by managers.

Tip 1: Create Open Spaces

The design of the working environment alone plays a crucial role in creating reliable relationships. In an open space, there are various communication and work zones. It invites an informal exchange, as it is short distances to colleagues - without having to send time-consuming mails from one floor to the other. This office concept promotes an open climate and strengthens team cooperation. Incipient misunderstandings are clarified in the coffee kitchen before they can escalate.

Tip 2: Informal coffee breaks

Talking to each other and being in personal contact is enormously important for the development of reliable working relationships. Regardless of whether employees work remotely or on-site, short, informal breaks should be scheduled regularly. It is also important to know the personal background and to find out why a colleague is currently frequently absent or not performing as well as usual.

Do you need support to create the best conditions for a positive work culture with reliable relationships through your leadership style? Then our coaches will be happy to advise and help you. Book a free consultation or send us an email at contact@stageacademy.com.

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