Secrets and Advice for Creating Awesome Vibes at Work

A positive workplace culture doesn’t just happen. You need to intentionally shape it.

Each month LinkedIn employees have a day to focus on themselves, the company, or the world. The day is called Investment Day, or InDay for short. When I visited with some LinkedIn employees to learn about their positive culture, some had just spent the day volunteering in the community. From the enthusiasm in their voice and the stories they shared, it was clear the experience was meaningful to them.

Imagine how you’d feel if you were given a paid day to invest in your own growth or do something that improves the community. Perhaps you’d feel a sense of pride. Maybe gratitude. Or even fulfillment. Multiply the good feelings by the number of employees and a wave of positive vibes sweeps through the company.

A positive workplace culture only evolves with intention. Part of LinkedIn’s approach to creating a positive culture is through programs like InDay. However, programs are not the only way to intentionally sculpt a culture where employees feel valued by their company and colleagues.

A leader’s mindset also contributes to creating great workplaces. For example, at Bluescape, our CEO Peter Jackson gave a presentation on how our sense of sight transforms the way we work together. It turns out that “shared visual experiences” improve how we collaborate.

So, building on what I’ve learned from my research at companies like LinkedIn and from forward-thinking leaders, here are several strategies you can use to influence a thriving, positive company culture.

Four Strategies to Create a Positive Workplace Vibe

Show that you value diversity, inclusion, and belonging

Diversity has many dimensions. While gender and sexual orientation are most often a corporate focus, cognitive diversity is just as important. I like how a recent Harvard Business Review blog defined cognitive diversity: “’[It] makes us look for other minds to complement our thinking…it’s how we creatively approach problems and think about things.”

The composition of your team benefits from having a mix of people, backgrounds, and thinking styles. What keeps teams together is a sense of belonging, or feeling valued, wanted, and welcomed.

Each of us is responsible for understanding the influence diversity, inclusion, and belonging have on workplace culture. While diversity, inclusion, and belonging are managed at a corporate level, our daily interactions and how you treat people is equally as important.

Encourage collaboration via human-focused technology

Research shows that 92 percent of conference calls are dominated by men. Conference calls are what Jackson calls a one-to-many mode of communication, where one person talks and the rest listen. Conference calls are inefficient. They hinder collaboration.

Here’s another interesting statistic: 90 percent of the information sent to the brain is visual. It’s challenging to collaborate and make meaningful progress when teams aren’t looking at the same document at the same time. It’s hard to stay engaged, especially if you’re calling in remotely, and constantly waiting for your turn to say something.

Instead of relying on conference calls to collaborate, diversify the technology your team uses. Notable options include Slack, Zoom, Bluescape, and, yes, in-person meetings. Stop relying on email as the primary source to communicate and collaborate. Email fails to create a shared conversation. Find the right technology mix that meets your company and employee’s needs.

Watch what your body is saying

Your body language speaks louder than your words. In fact, some research shows that 93 percent of all human communication is visual. What you don’t say carries more weight than your words. Self-awareness is critical if you want to be an extraordinary leader.

Kip Tindell, the former Container Store CEO, warns leaders to know what impact they are having on those around them. Tindell explained that leaders need to know their wake. Your wake is the aftermath or outcome of your actions. When you enter a room, what wake does your body language signal? What do your facial expressions say? Self-aware leaders understand how their presence influences interactions and discussions. A leader has a significant influence on people’s experiences at work. In fact, 70 percent of the employees’ experience is shaped by their manager. Therefore, a positive culture is dramatically shaped by the company’s leaders.

Encourage making friends with co-workers

We spend over a third of our day at work. So, it stands to reason that today’s employees want meaningful relationships with their colleagues; Research finds that work friendships improve collaboration, communication, coordination, and conflicts are managed more effectively.

Our basic human need for connection can be a powerful influence on your company’s culture. How do you or your company bring people together? It’s a question worth answering.

If you look at the four strategies above, there is one major influence shaping positive workplace cultures…human connection. It’s people that make the magic happen (or not). LinkedIn’s InDays program centers on improving employees’ lives or those in communities. Your own self-awareness improves your effectiveness and those on your team. High-quality friendships are forged when people get to know one another beyond their work roles. Even technology can tap into the human element to improve how we collaborate.

A culture that inspires and motivates is positively contagious. To help spread positive vibes at work it is best done between people throughout the organization.