Culture in the workplace

You've no doubt heard the term 'workplace culture' at school, university or at your part-time job, but have you sometime wondered what it really is?

At its core, workplace culture is the characteristics and personalities that set the overall vibe of an organisation. Picture workplace culture as how people behave, how they speak, how they interact with each other, the organisations leadership, its values, beliefs and attitudes. All these collectively make up the company's workplace culture.

As workplace culture is an environment a company creates for employees, culture plays a very powerful role in determining staff satisfaction.

What is so important about workplace culture?

It helps a company attract and retain talent. Considering we all spend more time per week at work than we do at home, you'd naturally like to enjoy where you work. By having a great culture, staff are more likely to stay and share with other people external to the business how great the culture is.

It creates and supports an environment for healthy development. A company with a good workplace culture gives employees the opportunity to create change and grow in their career. By supporting openness, employees are further encouraged to voice their opinions and advocate for change. This in turn leads to a drive in financial performance as there is an increase in employee productivity as they are happy at work.

How do you know if a company has a good workplace culture?

Culture varies from company to company and can mean different things to different people. However, there are a few key things to look out for such as career development and training. Learning doesn't stop just because you've finished going to school or university. A company that is continuing to support staff with their development will find they have more engaged staff whose performance and productivity increases.

Rest and downtime is acknowledged as an important contributor to performance. If staff are felling overworked or stressed, this can be an indicator that there are cultural issues at a company. Look for companies that reward results rather than long hours.