If you think a good company culture means having a ping pong table in the break room, think again. Thanks to the influx of young startups in Silicon Valley and beyond, company culture has become a standard by which to judge all businesses, new and old. It is no longer enough to simply have your employees do good work; these days, you need happy employees to do good work, and happy employees come from a rich company culture.
This infographic via Single Grain Digital Marketing highlights some of the benefits of a positive company culture and identifies standout businesses (including Zappos, which offers new employees $2,000 to quit, in order to weed out those who truly want to be there).
Some takeaways from the infographic:
- Happy employees mean more money
The data is clear: organizations with a positive company culture outperform the competition and earn more money. If you can't justify an engaging company culture to the C-Suite any other way, use the bottom line. With so many organizations cultivating a rich company culture, your ability to draw top employees depends on this crucial aspect, and money-making businesses are made of top employees.
- Happy employees mean better efficiency
Closely linked to the money factor, happy employees are more efficient employees. They are more productive, and they work faster. So even if that ping pong table seems like a distraction, it's likely not. Employees that feel comfortable in their workspace and have outlets to blow off steam or do some creative thinking will make better use of their active working time.
- Happy employees are just waiting to be tapped
A recent Gallup poll puts employees who are not engaged at 63%, and 87% are unhappy or lack motivation. That's a staggering number, and one that can look either devastating or like an opportunity. Employees want to be engaged where they spend the majority of their weekday. Don't think of this as forcing your employees to do something they don't want to do; instead, think of it as giving them something they're asking for.
- There is more than one way to happy employees.
A good company culture can come in many forms, including greater opportunity for upward mobility, across-the-organization transparency, rewarding employee attitude and not just output, and asking employees for input. One thing that's clear is that you must take company culture as seriously as any other line item if you want to get ahead. Devote one or two leads to the program, and mark your progress across time with goals and calendars. Imitate the businesses you admire and think outside the box. Your employees will take note and, if the effort is authentic, they'll rise to the occasion.