Culture Club: The Mystery of Workplace Culture

Welcome to the Gear4music ‘Culture Club!’ Culture is a word you hear a lot in relation to the workplace and it’s something which is becoming increasingly important to people when considering new roles. But… what is it? To be quite honest, we don’t really know. It’s a fairly vague and hard to define ‘thing’ but it’s something we are constantly trying to identify and improve here at Gear4music. So, we are embarking on a journey of discovery and delving deep into the complexity that is office culture.

What is culture?

Culture has a few different meanings, so to be clear we are not talking about ‘the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement’ or ‘the cultivation of bacteria’ (thanks dictionary.) Here we will be discussing culture of the workplace variety, also known as organisational culture. This can be defined as ‘the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.’ The ‘people or society’ here refers to the company or workplace. So that’s the technical bit over, what does it actually mean?

Culture refers to a workplace’s norms and attitudes, basically the personality of your office. It’s what makes an office unique and the same company can have a vastly different culture in different offices. It’s not tangible, which makes it hard to define, and it will mean different things depending on who you ask. Ultimately workplace culture is about people and the way it makes them feel and behave which is why it’s so important to get it right. When done right a good culture can lead to happy & engaged employees and a productive working environment. Who doesn’t want that?!

What makes a culture?

There are a multitude of factors which can contribute to your office culture but not all will be relevant for every workplace. This will depend heavily on the type of business, the work you do and the industry you’re in. For example, if you work in the medical profession your workplace culture is unlikely to involve going to the pub for a few beers on a Friday lunchtime (we hope!).

We’ve put our minds together and nailed it down to 5 things which we think are some of the biggest influences on workplace culture.

1. Internal Practices

This can be anything from the benefits you offer, your on-boarding and training, the way you recognise and reward good work, your dress code and your flexibility. This is not an exclusive list but just a few examples of the day to day practices which can affect your ‘internal vibe’ (sorry, just had to get the word vibe in there somewhere).

2. Office Environment

The layout and design of your office, the decoration, the size and light level can affect the way your employees think and feel. It’s not just the tangible things, the arrangement of desks can influence how collaboratively your teams can work and the number of windows or level of light can impact your employees’ moods. It all contributes to your working environment which needs to be conducive to productivity and creativity.

3. Values

By this we mean the things that are important to you as a business for example time off, employee well-being or career progression. The value you place on these things will impact your employees and how much they feel they can value them.

4. Communication

The tone of voice your company uses and it’s methods of communication are key to expressing your culture. Imagine your company as a person speaking to your employees, how would you describe them? Are they formal and intimidating or maybe friendly and approachable? It’s essential to consider this as communication is key to relaying your culture and engaging with your employees.

5. People

This is arguably the most influential factor when it comes to workplace culture. Humans are social creatures at heart so it’s important the people you hire are a good fit culturally. Think about the way your staff interact with each other on a daily basis, their management and leadership styles. All of the above will be meaningless if you don’t employ people who share your vision.

Why is culture important?

As we mentioned before, culture is primarily about people. Your office culture can directly impact the well-being of your employees and how engaged, valued and purposeful they feel. It can also encourage a positive and productive working environment which will allow employees to thrive.

Your culture can also help when it comes to recruitment, by both attracting and retaining talented individuals. Happy employees are less likely to leave and are an important factor when looking to grow a workforce. Culture can also help you to ensure you hire the right people. Increasingly, not only are prospective employees naming cultural fit as something they consider when applying for jobs, but employers are also becoming more concerned with hiring candidates who will be a ‘good fit’ internally. A good culture will be noticeable from the moment a candidate walks into your office for an interview but a bad one will be even more apparent (think moody reception staff and dingy waiting areas).

There you have it, that was our attempt to demystify workplace culture. This was just the first step in our magical journey into the world of culture. Next time, we’ll be discussing the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of workplace culture.