Everything one needs to know about good workplace culture

Why Employee Satisfaction Is More Complex Than You Think

Many things are put together to make a workplace amazing. The components that immediately come to our minds are inspiring to work, lucrative benefits, work culture, flexible working hours, etc. However, we need to think deeply to arrive at the correct answers.

There are diverse factors that can move the needle in terms of an amazing workplace. For example, a humble government job attracts employees for whom job security is the most decisive factor. TCS was ranked as a great place to work by employees in the United Kingdom for their responsibility toward their healthcare. Some companies offer remarkable skill development. The financial services industry attracts those for whom making money is the prime consideration. An exciting incident was when Nandan Nilekani left Infosys, the company he co-founded, to join the government to create Aadhar! The sheer excitement of impacting the country can be a reason to take up a job.

Thus, there can be no definitive advice on choosing an organization; however, we must reflect on what makes a workplace great. For example, if you want to be a startup founder one day, Flipkart may be a great workplace as dozens of its ex-employees have founded successful startups. PhonePe, too, was created by Flipkart employees.

An excellent approach to evaluate a workplace could be to outline the critical determinants of a beautiful workplace and then take a holistic view.

10 Reasons That Determine What an Amazing Workplace Is

1. Work-Life Balance: As the world reels from the pandemic and fragile health, a workplace that gives its employees adequate time for other activities is becoming more popular.
2. Community Service: Cisco has been rated the best workplace globally, and one of their frequently stated initiatives on their website is that employees can take time off from work to do volunteering service. This can foster an atmosphere of empathy in the workforce.
3. Skill Development: Today, we live in a world of the digital revolution where everyone needs to be a learner. If you are working in a company, skill development is significant.
4. Trustworthy Management: An employee performs better if they find the management trustworthy and try their best to keep their word.
5. Culture of Appreciation: You cannot be happy at a job just because the job fits into a long-term vision or pays well. It needs to be a place where there are moments of delight. There are some very deeply revealing studies on the value of employee appreciation.
6. Work from Anywhere: The pandemic has shown how a firm built in such a way as to allow an employee to work from anywhere — office, home, or hometown — has taken the anxiety away from many lives. Some employees thrive in the work-from-home model, making sense to keep it that way.
7. Flexibility in Working Hours: Employees feel and perform better when given adequate flexibility in working hours. This way they can reward themselves with free time when they have delivered at the job.
8. Ensuring Personal Growth: If employees see that people around them are growing, it can convince them that the firm has a plan for their career too.
9. Competitive Salary: Workplace satisfaction can only come if the remuneration is enough for an employee to meet his basic requirements in life comfortably.
10. Consideration: Every employee has issues in life sometimes, and in such times when an employer tries to accommodate and help, it creates a lasting bond. Tata Group made an exemplary effort to rehabilitate the lives of their employees impacted by the 26/11 attacks.

Conclusion

Employee happiness leads to better organizational performance. Thus, every firm should strive to perform in all components that determine workplace satisfaction, which can be the basis of excellent employee retention. An employee can gain confidence and motivation when he takes a holistic view of a workplace.

WeForCulture brings HR’s and Founders together who care about workplace culture. The culture where learning, respect and recognition are an integral part of the business. We aim to bring together resources like a library of team-building activities, a curated list of PeopleTech platforms, best people practices, and fellow community members’ experience.