Despite the challenges, disruptions, and changes of the last two years, we should all be optimistic and hopeful for 2022. Moving ahead after a pandemic, however, can be difficult.
In the wake of Covid restrictions lifting, now is a good time to rethink your company's culture. Re-examine your values, your norms, and your systems. Identify the areas you would like to change, improve upon, or keep.
No matter whether you want to bring people back into the office or embrace remote working for the long run, here are some tips on how to revamp your corporate culture and re-energise your employees as we enter a new era of work.
Build a culture that you believe in
Establishing and maintaining an effective company culture is not an easy task. You should also never underestimate the importance of trusting the company culture you are creating – if you don’t believe in it yourself, no one else will either. Take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate wrong and pre-existing cultural norms, as different circumstances will result in different needs. It’s important you always consider an equal benefit to all, and that you take into consideration the changes you are proposing.
Reward achievement to establish goals and reinforce values
Since March of 2020, a great deal has changed. In addition to remote working and social distancing, you may also have used this opportunity to make a few changes within your company. Maybe you have created a new set of company goals for 2022, or perhaps you have adopted a new set of values. Whatever it may be, rewarding behaviours that align with your corporate priorities is a great way to reinforce them.
Celebrate your company's milestones and success
It doesn’t matter if it is company anniversaries, product launches, or reaching a new sales goal – whatever the achievement, nothing brings people closer together like a meaningful celebration. Embrace this opportunity to recognise and appreciate your employees for everything they have done to help your organisation succeed, despite the difficult times. Consider hosting an award gala or workplace event to reward those employees, who you saw go beyond and above last year – it will encourage them to keep up the good work for the years to come.
Maintain positive working habits
Just because you and your team can work full-time in the office does not mean you should. Examine how remote work has proven successful and decide how you can adapt to maximise its benefits. Providing employees with the option to work from home a couple of days a week, or adapting to a hybrid working model all together, could reduce commute time and costs. This allows employees to spend more time with their families and friends, resulting in a better work-life balance and therefore, happy, productive employees which leads to a better company culture.
Do not hesitate to try out new and innovative approaches as you return to work. We all have the opportunity to come up with something entirely new in the months to come. Those who struggled with creating their ideal culture before are now in a great position to reset as your organisation recovers.