How to Ensure Your Company Culture is Post Pandemic Ready

business leaders discussing plan

I’ve been talking to many CEOs and HR leaders, and they are struggling to maintain their company culture when their people are no longer in the office 100% of the time.

How prepared is your organization to finally come out of this pandemic induced disruption? You’ve had to react and respond, and now it’s time to renew. Your business model has transformed, and your strategic direction has turned. It’s critical that your company culture is aligned for the new future.

Here are 6 tips to consider when rebuilding your culture to deliver the amazing business outcomes you desire.

  1. Meet your employees where they are. I know you’re excited about all the new innovation and adaptability that has shown up in your organization while you’ve traversed these wild seas. However, your employees are still focused on safety, learning new skills to best adapt to new ways of working, and desperate for clarity and frequent communications. Working remotely has reduced the hallway chats where information was readily exchanged. According to a recent survey by the Barret Values Centre, there’s a dangerous disconnect occurring between leaders and their employees. While you encourage people to continue to collaborate and innovate, don’t leave your employees behind by not addressing their personal needs as well.
  1. Prevent division between your employees. With some employees working remotely and some required to come to the workplace, more and more organizations are seeing discontent rising. Those in the building feel that those working remotely are getting the perks: no commute, work in their pajamas, flexible working hours. Those working remotely are missing the comradery, the informal direction, and seeing what’s actually going on in the business. Each group sees themselves as the have-nots causing frustration, lowering of productivity, and resistance to collaboration. Creating an environment of teamwork requires more attention.
  1. Review your core values. As you move from response and recover, and into renew what’s the company culture you need now to be successful? What values helped you succeed that you’d like to keep and possibly encourage more of? What behaviors held you back that came to light during the past year that you need to ensure you take out of your workplace culture? What values do you need to add, now that your organization’s business model and strategy has shifted?
  1. Align your policies and processes for new ways of working. Leaders have been focused on new technologies for your employees and going digital for your customers. New policies and processes were implemented as time progressed, mostly in isolation. Your old ones might not be relevant. You want to ensure all your policies and processes support the company culture you want and don’t become a barrier to success.
  1. Set your leaders up for success. The world has changed. People have more choice about where they work. It’s time to double down on communication skills. Leaders need to shift from managing to coaching. Managing a remote workforce is not the same as managing a team that works side by side in the office. Make sure your leadership development plans address the current environment.
  1. Keep, Start, and Stop. What has changed in your organization and how has that impacted your staff?  How would you characterize the changes; good or bad? What should continue and what needs to start? Even more importantly, what needs to stop?

You and your employees have embraced the challenges and are coming through the other side of these crazy times. Let’s look to the future and create the best possible conditions for your employees so they can do their best possible work!

Did you enjoy this article? You might find these helpful as well:

The Key Characteristics of an Incredible Workplace Culture
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The Next Level of Leadership – Will You Fit in?

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