The Role of Organizational Culture in the Modern Workplace

 

The war for talent has gone more intense every year. To score top talent, companies are flaunting their work culture to appeal to job candidates, especially the millennials and Gen Zs.

In Singapore, SMRT CEO, Neo Kian Hong has done critical steps to promote a positive and structured work environment across all departments. This approach helped his company produce a professional workforce equipped with world-class skills.

Organizational culture matters a lot for companies, especially those who are conscious of how they are being perceived by their employees, customers, and media. This is because a strong culture has a great impact on the company's overall performance, retention, recruitment, and employee performance.

In this article, we'll take a deep dive into the role of organizational culture in the modern workplace and how it affects the way people work.

Defines the company's corporate identity

Organizational culture defines how the organization does business and how it interacts with its employees, customers, media, suppliers, partners, and other stakeholders.

This means the organizational culture is a reflection of your business because it embodies how you do business. Similarly, it also represents your identity and brand image, which determines how employees and consumers perceive your company. Although you can easily share the cultural values of your organization through the company website and social media, it still pays to make it more apparent throughout the company by applying it to everyday operations and interactions.

Increases employee motivation

Most employers think that motivation to work lies in salary increases, paid holidays, flexible schedules, and health insurance. Truth is, organizational culture also helps in building motivation by providing an environment where employees feel their values are represented. From marketing products or services to employer-employee relationships, a strong organizational culture motivates people to work harder.

Employees take cues from the management when forming opinions about the workplace culture. Once they have adapted to the company's shared norms, this unifies management and employees. In turn, the unity will make employees feel they are a part of the organization. This leads them to feel more involved in contributing to the success of the business, not just for their personal accomplishments.

Nothing feels better when you're excited about coming to work every morning. You feel motivated to do your best not only for your professional development but also for the success of the company and your colleagues. This can only happen if you provide a supportive culture where everyone feels valued.

Better recruitment

First impressions are essential when attracting and recruiting top-performing job candidates. The young generation of job seekers, particularly millennials and Gen Zs, are now considering company values when choosing an ideal employer. For them, the hiring experience is a reflection of how the company cares for its people. They also prefer working environments with a clearly defined value and a strong sense of purpose.

Some companies recruit candidates based on whether they are culture-fit for the workforce, while placing experience as the second priority. This approach is called team-first corporate culture. It means if employees value their coworkers and feel at ease in their current work environment, they are more likely to be motivated to work harder.

Determining if a candidate fits the company culture is an effective deciding factor in the event when two potential applicants are neck and neck in the recruitment process. This can be done by providing personal tests that include a section on culture-fit to evaluate the applicant's workplace values.

Higher employee retention

Recruiting top talent is just half of the battle. Knowing how to retain them is where the real challenge begins. HR leaders reveal that employee retention and turnover are the biggest challenges in managing employees.

People who feel respected and valued at a company are less likely to leave. That's why companies need to create a strong organizational culture that reflects their mission statement and core values. Satisfied employees mean higher retention, which saves employers time, money, and effort in the recruitment process. But this isn't just a one-time thing. To make this possible, companies should take time to maintain and further enhance their culture.

Employees are expecting more than health insurance, paid time offs, and a large paycheck. They now crave a workplace that is supportive, rewards good performance, and offers plenty of opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing. This explains why engaged company cultures have lower rates of turnover.

In the end, the main purpose of a strong organizational culture is making employees feel comfortable and satisfied at work. The office becomes a place where they can be themselves and can drive career to its fullest potential.