Top Company Culture Myths Exposed

At Willy’s Trucking, we believe the culture that is cultivated in the workplace is just as important as the employees selected to do the job, the way the business is managed, and retaining the clients we all work so tirelessly to please. In our minds, the culture is the glue that holds all of these aspects together, while also creating a crucial identity for a company and what it stands for.  Not only does company culture gives employees something to be proud of and to belong to, but it elevates productivity, takes your brand story forward, and carries down the line to help achieve a greater ROI.

 

With this in mind we wanted to share some of our top company culture myths, exposed, to illustrate just how important we think it is to a company’s success:

 

1. Culture is only important for ‘trendy’ companies, like those in tech or fashion.

 

Just because tech and fashion companies tend to promote their culture more often, doesn’t mean they are the only ones that benefit from it. Arguably, it’s more effective to cultivate a strong culture in industries that may not be seen as ‘cool’, as it creates a competitive advantage within the hiring pool, and in retaining employees.

 

2. ’Culture’ is just fluff or jargon. It doesn’t mean anything really, and it certainly doesn’t help a company’s bottom line.

 

Culture is a huge driver of performance. In fact, a large part of the culture that is created within a company is about facilitating and sustaining the norms that help employees to execute their work and solve problems. A strong culture with happy employees will also ensure your team is more committed to the end goal, which will result in a better product, service or greater ROI.

 

3. Culture is cultivated by purchasing seemingly random or miscellaneous items like ping pong tables, video games, and living art for your office.

 

While adding fun items like a ping pong table that can create a more relaxed environment aren’t a bad idea, they are not more important than having a stable environment that your employees can thrive within. Don’t spend all your time on things that create a “fun” culture, if it takes away from supporting your team in creating a successful business. In the end, employees find motivation in winning companies rather than companies that have ping pong competitions every two weeks.

 

4. 4. Executives control the culture in the company.

 

A company’s culture is, or should, largely be based on both the executives and the employees’ attitudes towards their jobs and the working environment. But as a leader in your business, you do still need to have a hand in the quality of your company’s culture – meaning, your actions are just as important as your words. A genuine attitude of gratitude toward your employees will go miles, as well as embodying a sense of purpose that your employees find inspirational and motivational. When your team sees this, they’ll want to follow suit,

 

5. It takes years to build a strong culture.

Building a culture from the ground up may seem like a huge task, but really it all comes down to clearly identifying the company’s core, foundational values and then applying them in the day-to-day. They should help guide hiring decisions and the questions outlined to potential new hires. Company values should influence company decisions around a structure and even impact the design of working spaces. Company values should be mirrored in daily activities and communication, through an open and transparent environment. Take the time to revisit these values and their application every couple of months, and your culture will continue to thrive.

 

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below to join in on the conversation