A few years ago, “positive workplace culture” became a buzzword and a hot topic for leaders. Many took it to mean they needed to make the office more “fun”—cue the ping pong tables and free snacks. Unfortunately, fun did not translate to a positive culture. I asked Google’s AI for a definition of positive work environment, and it said: "a workplace that fosters employee well-being, promotes growth, and encourages collaboration, respect, and open communication, ultimately leading to a more engaged and productive workforce." That’s a pretty good answer, but let’s dig in.
What are the building blocks needed to create a positive foundation for your company?
Open Communication
Do you know how each person on your team communicates best and honor that? Whether they love email, prefer face to face, want the details, or prefer just the facts, each person has a communication style. Leaders need to know and adapt to each person's style, and ideally, team members should do the same.
Equally important is how different teams communicate with each other. How well do your Leadership, HR, Accounting, or Sales Team communicate with each other? If the sales team struggles to communicate with the billing team, everyone loses, but most especially clients lose. And those losses translate into lost revenue. Department heads, think about how your team tends to communicate most effectively, and share that with other team leaders. Team leaders, share that with your teams. If you can master communication within teams and between teams, you have a strong start to your foundation.
Psychological Safety 
Does everyone feel comfortable speaking up, sharing their ideas, and disagreeing when needed without being shut down or fearing that they will “get in trouble?" Every employee, regardless of their position or experience, should feel safe sharing their ideas and opinions and feel their point of view is respected. That is the second block in our culture foundation.
Most companies have an anti-bullying policy. But in a lot companies, ageist, sexist, or racist comments are tolerated or sometimes encouraged. For true psychological safety, bullying cannot be tolerated.
Shared Core Values
In business, Core Values are defined as deeply ingrained principles that guide a company (or team’s) actions. These values will not be compromised. This is another important block in our foundation.
What are the Core Values at your company? If they have never been articulated, then you likely have people on the team who don’t share them. As a leadership team, with input from everyone, define company core values. Make sure each person knows and agrees. Encourage team members to live those core values and hire people who align with those values.
Praise and Recognition
Humans crave recognition. Are leaders looking for opportunities to give praise to each member of the team on a consistent basis? And do leaders praise each other? Actively look for ways to praise, not just your team, but members of other teams as well. And encourage everyone in the company to praise each other. “High Five Fridays” or “Catch Someone Being Great” message boards can encourage that atmosphere of recognition. Leaders know they have achieved a positive cultural foundation when everyone on the team, regardless of position, is looking to praise others.
Employee Growth and Development
Is there a growth plan for each member of the company, regardless of position? Professionals need to know that there is a next step. A way to grow and develop their skills to become better. Professional development is one item unifying all generations currently in the workforce. What further education can the company offer? Creating mentoring programs for all levels can be a way to learn from each and build bonds between teams.
Positive Social Interaction
Finally, we are getting to the “fun” block in our foundation. It has been estimated that the average adult spends about 90,000 hours, or roughly one-third, of their life at work. Which makes positive social interaction vital. Does the company offer social events that employees actually enjoy? Encourage the team to share ideas on how they would like to bond, as a team and a company, and be intentional in leading these events.
Do you remember the parable of that house built on rock vs. sand? The house built on a strong foundation weathered storms and was still standing. The house built on sand collapsed. Does your company have a strong cultural foundation? If you have a strong culture where employees feel heard, respected, recognized, and valued, your company can weather whatever comes next!
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