Few things foster job satisfaction and employee productivity quite like a strong sense of company culture. If your company struggled to maintain its positive culture when working remotely, you can find comfort in the fact that you were far from alone. But what happens once you return to the workplace again? Is it possible to implement meaningful company culture ideas even when social distancing remains a priority?
Ideas to improve company culture have to look different from what they used to. Here are a few bits of inspiration that you can use to start brainstorming some company culture ideas during this “new normal.”
Ask Your Employees What’s Important to Them
Keep company culture alive and well by talking to your team about it. What things do they miss? Do they have any company culture ideas they would like to see the office try? How do they feel about social distancing in the office?
Like a report from Salesforce says, “employees who feel their voice is heard at work are nearly five-times (4.6X) more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work.” So, the more in-tune you are with what the company is feeling and thinking, the better equipped you’ll be to come up with meaningful company culture ideas that your employees will appreciate.
Spotlight Achievements
Company disruptions (like the one caused by COVID-19) can take a toll on morale. It won’t help if the only thing folks can focus on is new stressors like social distancing in the office. Instead, try shining a spotlight on the achievements of individual employees and the company at large.
If someone comes up with a great idea to improve company culture or reinforce your brand identity, give them a shoutout in the company group chat! If the company reaches one of its milestones, celebrate by decorating the office! Anything you can do to celebrate the work your team is doing will go a long way toward emphasizing your company culture and improving morale across departments.
Decorate the Office with Window Graphic Film
Being back in the office may feel a bit jarring at first, especially if you’re transitioning from an open-office format into a more cubicle-based one to help support social distancing. But that doesn’t mean you have to lose the company dynamic your team is used to.
Customizable window graphic film empowers you to adorn any glass surface with your company colors, mottos, or encouraging sayings that make the “new” office layout feel natural and welcoming. And if you’re making use of office glass partitions, as many companies are, why not outfit them with some fun window graphic film designs? You could even recruit your team to help design the graphics, so each employee’s workstation reflects a bit about them or their role.
Don’t Be Afraid of Having a Little Fun
The top predictor for workplace satisfaction across all income levels isn’t how much someone is paid, but rather, according to Harvard Business Review, has more to do with “the culture and values of the organization.” So, if you want your employees to love coming into work—even when the workplace is disrupted from the status quo—make sure your culture is something your team is invested in.
Company culture ideas can take any shape or form, but make sure to prioritize fun. There are even ways to have fun as a team when social distancing at the office is the standard. You could have your employees install one of the countless quick-and-easy party games onto their smartphone and then set aside a brief fifteen-minute period to play together. This will allow you to stay distant and have fun as a company.
