How PayPal built their workplace culture around the employee voice
Internal Communications
1 hour
Written by Krishan Patel
14 Feb, 2022 – 7 min read
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Written by Krishan Patel
14 Feb, 2022 – 7 min read
To attract and retain the best talent, a company must pay attention to its company culture and how this reflects on its reputation.
Many employees now select jobs based on whether the company has a positive workplace culture. Considering 84% of people would accept a lower salary to work for a company with a positive reputation, companies need to be doing all they can to build a positive work environment.
Positive workplace cultures boost productivity and employee engagement, which can lead to a happier, less stressed team and 100% more job applications, according to one study.
With only 31% of HR leaders believing their organisations have the right culture in place to drive performance, we take a close look at what can be done to improve workplace culture.
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Workplace culture is the values, expectations, beliefs, goals and practices that a company defines through its actions and behaviours. The culture acts as a guide to inform team members what it’s like to work at the company and what’s expected of them.
Unlike a company brand, which is usually defined by the leadership or marketing team, workplace culture is developed and defined through the behaviours of the organisation, the leadership team and individual employees.
Creating a positive workplace culture gives organisations several benefits:
A positive workplace culture boosts and improves employee engagement, which can lead to a dramatic improvement on business outcomes. This includes up to 23% increase in profitability.
According to one study, for a company to succeed it must “maintain a good organizational culture, and satisfy their employees as much as they can. This will increase the employee loyalty and higher retention rates”.
A poor cultural fit can be enough for employees to quit, with 73% of professionals leaving a job because they didn’t like the workplace culture.
Having a strong workplace culture means that your company is in the best position to attract new talent. 71% of workers use referrals from current employees to learn about job opportunities, so if your employees speak highly of your company, you’re more likely to attract new talent.
It’s no surprise that employees who are happy at work are more productive. Being happy at work can make people around 12% more productive. Workplace culture plays a big part in employee happiness.
Positive workplace culture can boost employee well-being and productivity. Prioritising health and well-being can ensure employees have a better work-life balance, are less stressed, and take less time off due to illness.
Employees won’t be able to embrace a company’s ethos and values if they don’t know what they are.
Being clear about what your company’s ethos and values are and discussing these with your employees gives them a chance to be part of the process.
Members of the senior leadership team need to demonstrate these values and ethos in their actions and behaviours. If employees see senior team members living these values, then they are more likely to align their behaviours and attitudes to these values.
Open and honest communication helps rid the workplace of toxic behaviours such as gossip, bullying and a blame culture.
Encouraging employees to communicate honestly can foster teamwork and constructive feedback.
Collaboration is the natural result of having a more open, communicative environment. It’s not just about collaborating at work either, building stronger social bonds outside of work can give people a sense of belonging and even improve productivity.
Encouraging team interactions through socialising opportunities can help nurture an employee’s sense of belonging and happiness at work.
Crucially, employees need to know that they can approach co-workers at any level if they have an issue. This policy of open and honest communication not only improves workplace culture but can help tackle major issues such as bullying.
Employees are more engaged when they know what’s expected of them, and what progression or promotion they may receive when they meet these expectations.
According to research, “goals not only affect behaviour, but also help mobilize energy which leads to a higher effort overall”.
Transparent key performance indicators clearly define employee goals and encourage healthy competition.
Recognising employee achievements is vital to creating a positive workplace culture and retaining staff. Nearly half of employees say they would leave a job if they didn’t feel appreciated.
Showing appreciation for employees can also improve business performance as a whole by motivating employees and improving employee retention. 69% of employees say they would work harder if the rewards were performance based
Recognising employees efforts doesn’t have to mean financial rewards, a strong benefits package combined with regular treats such as team lunches or tickets to an event goes a long way in showing employees they are appreciated.
Cultivating a culture where people’s health is valued can increase productivity by minimising any time they would take off work due to burnouts. Mental health conditions in particular are one of the main reasons why people are absent with over 12% of employees missing days of work due to poor mental health.
According to the Centres For Disease Control And Prevention, “Companies that support workplace health have a greater percentage of employees at work every day”.
Offering a benefits package that includes healthcare insurance is a great start. But employees actually rate as major benefits flexible hours, extra holiday days and the option to work from home.
In one survey, 88% of respondents said they’d seriously consider a job offering flexible hours, and 80% would consider a job with the option to work from home.
When employees feel valued, appreciated, and safe in a workplace, they are more likely to feel confident enough to feedback to their senior teams.
Training employees to be candid and give and take meaningful feedback gives them a chance to share their thoughts without the fear of upsetting people.
In a positive workplace culture, all employees are treated equally and supported no matter what their gender, colour, religion, physical ability or sexual orientation.
Facilities such as a prayer room, gender neutral toilets, a breastfeeding area, access ramps and quiet workspaces go a long way to helping people feel included.
Being clear about what behaviour towards others is and isn’t acceptable will encourage employees to be mindful of how they interact with their team.
A study on why people leave the tech industry found that 40% of people who left said that they did so due to behaviours such as stereotyping, harassment and microaggressions.
The ultimate aim with workplace diversity and inclusion should be to create a workplace culture where individuals feel confident to be themselves.
Organisations need to acknowledge the impact of promoting a positive workplace culture on employee performance and the overall business performance.
Why not use Seenit’s User-Generated Video storytelling platform to promote a positive culture. With Seenit for workplace culture you can:
Transform your talent attraction and employee engagement with Seenit, the AI-enhanced employee-generated content platform
