Who’s the Boss of Workplace Culture?
HR professionals, managers, and employees have very different opinions about workplace culture: who drives it, what’s important to creating a great culture, and what can destroy it, according to a study by Kronos Inc. and WorkplaceTrends.com. The survey reveals the following:
Who Defines Workplace Culture?
- About one-third of HR professionals say that the head of HR defines the culture while only 10% of managers and 3% of employees agree.
- 26% of managers say their executive team defines the culture while only 11% of HR professionals and 9% of employees agree.
- 29% of employees say the employees define workplace culture while only 9% of HR professionals and 13% of managers agree.
- 40% of Millennial employees say that employees define the culture – an indication of an evolving view of workplace culture where employees feel they have more power.
- 28% of employees say that no one defines the workplace culture while only 5% of HR professionals and 7% agree.
What Improves Workplace Culture
Employees say that the three things that matter most to having a good workplace culture are pay (50%), coworkers who respect and support each another (42%), and work-life balance (40%). HR and managers are off base on their assumptions. HR professionals say the top three things that matter to employes are managers and executives who lead by example, employee benefits, and a shared mission and values. Managers say say that what matters most to employees are managers and executives who lead by example, a shared mission and values, an emphasis on taking care of customers. Twenty-five percent of HR professionals and 29% of managers say that pay is a top factor in how employees view workplace culture.
What Kills Workplace Culture
HR professionals and managers say that a high-stress environment and company growth are the most damaging to workplace culture. Employees say that not having enough staff to support goals, dealing with unhappy/disengaged workers who poison the well, and having poor employee/manager relationships are most damaging.
Other Factors
The survey also reveals that technology, job hopping, and Glassdoor-like pressure have changed the culture. Forty-three percent of HR professionals and 39% of managers say that using technology to improve culture is the biggest difference compared to a decade ago. Forty percent of HR leaders say there is more pressure to maintain an attractive culture for recruiting because more information about organizations can be easily found on sites like glassdoor.com. Twenty-three percent of HR professionals and 22% of managers say that their employees switch jobs too much to establish a solid culture.
Seventy-two percent of HR professionals and 61%, managers say that training and development improve workplace culture. Forty-five percent of HR professionals and 46% managers say that getting feedback from employees and acting on it improves workplace culture.
Dan Schawbel, founder, WorkplaceTrends says, “Among all of this interesting data, what struck me most is that 40% of Millennial employees believe that employees create the workplace culture, compared to 29% of employees. This is important. Each generation changes the workplace as they rise up the ranks. Millennials…believe the power to impact workplace culture lies predominantly with the people who do the work. HR professionals and managers should take note of this, look for ways to involve employees in the development of workplace culture, and be on the lookout for disengaged workers who may be poisoning the well – they wield more power than you may think.”
Source – www.workforceinstitute.org