HR and company culture go together like bread and butter. Beyond administrative tasks, Human Resources (HR) serves as the guardian of workplace ethos. By understanding the nuances of organisational behaviour, HR can influence how company culture affects employee experiences for a more successful business.
Understanding HR’s impact on company culture
So, how can HR improve company culture? Simple – by embedding core principles into recruitment, training and performance management processes. This ensures that from the outset, your employees have a clear understanding of expected behaviours, leading to a cohesive workplace culture where everyone is on the same page.
Equally important is HR’s role in driving cultural initiatives that celebrate diversity, encourage collaboration and recognise achievements. This reinforces the cultural fabric and, in turn, has a marked impact on performance.
According to new statistics, organisations with strong cultures quadruple their revenue growth, have a 72.9% higher operating income and a more engaged and productive workforce.
HR strategies for developing company culture
Aligning HR practices with company values and priorities ensures that every aspect of the employee experience reinforces the desired culture. This alignment attracts and retains employees who resonate with your values, leading to increased engagement, productivity and overall success.
But HR culture management is only effective when the right strategies are in place. To find the right strategies, you must be aware of your organisation’s cultural needs. You can assess this through:
- Regular employee surveys, which gauge how workers perceive the current culture and what areas need improvement.
- Focus groups with people from different levels and departments within the company. This gives you more qualitative insights into specific cultural needs.
- Stakeholder interviews so that you can better understand their perspectives on the existing culture and gather feedback on potential cultural initiatives.
HR’s role in company culture also involves implementing cultural initiatives. These are vital in shaping employee experiences and reinforcing desired behaviours.
In fact, a Deloitte study revealed that companies that proactively manage culture see a 516% higher revenue growth owing to more engaged employees.
So what initiatives can HR implement?
- Diversity programs, aimed at celebrating differences, promoting equality and creating a sense of belonging.
- Employee engagement activities, like team-building exercises and workshops that foster camaraderie and collaboration.
- Recognition schemes that reward employees. This is crucial given that employees are 2.7 time more likely to be engaged if their contributions are recognised.
Culture Shift’s software offers a comprehensive solution for developing and implementing these cultural strategies. From conducting surveys and analysing feedback to tracking progress and flagging improvements, Culture Shift provides HR professionals with the tools they need to effectively assess, develop and nurture a positive workplace culture.
HR’s influence on organisational behaviour
Another example of HR’s impact on organisational culture and behaviour is its role in facilitating change management efforts to drive cultural transformation.
Effective communication is key to this. HR must transparently convey the rationale behind cultural shifts, ensuring employees understand the ‘whys, hows and whats’. Stakeholder engagement is also important. By involving key players across departments, you can get the input and support needed to really champion behavioural change.
Finally, HR can affect organisational culture and behaviour by ensuring leadership alignment. Remember that top management’s commitment to and endorsement of cultural initiatives sets the tone for the entire company. By keeping leaders in-line, HR can navigate resistance, foster buy-in and steer the organisation towards its desired cultural vision.
Measuring HR’s impact on company culture
We’ve discussed what HR can do to influence company culture, but how can you measure its impact? You’ll need to employ various quantitative and qualitative methods in order to get a complete picture of the relationship between HR and company culture. For example:
- Employee surveys are valuable tools for gathering feedback on the current state of the culture, identifying what’s working and what isn’t.
- Turnover rates also provide insights into employee satisfaction and engagement levels, indirectly reflecting the effectiveness of HR culture management practices.
- Performance metrics like productivity levels, morale and customer satisfaction scores offer additional insights into the link between culture and organisational health.
Tracking key indicators is crucial for assessing HR’s impact on organisational culture and behaviour. These can include everything from employee engagement and ED&I (Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) metrics to productivity levels and participation in learning and development opportunities.
By monitoring these metrics over time, HR can identify trends, measure progress towards cultural goals and make data-driven decisions to refine strategies.
Culture Shift’s software is a valuable companion here, streamlining the entire measurement process so that your HR team can focus on what really matters: driving meaningful change.
With advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, you can gather, analyse and interpret data quickly, and use this to glean actionable insights that keep your culture strong.
HR’s role in cultural transformation
With all that said, it’s clearly important not to underestimate HR’s role in company culture and cultural transformation. They serve as change agents, driving initiatives that shape the very essence of organisational culture.
Through effective communication, employee engagement efforts and diversity initiatives, HR gives your values tangible form. Not only does this cultivate an environment where employees feel empowered to embrace cultural transformation, it also attracts top talent and lowers turnover rates by 40%, ultimately contributing to long-term success.
Most crucially, the synergy between HR and company culture means that your core values are reflected in every part of the employee lifecycle, ensuring that the desired culture becomes ingrained in your organisation’s DNA.
HR tools to help improve company culture
Culture Shift’s tool offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to support HR professionals in improving company culture. Its key features include:
- Insights that help you understand your culture and develop new strategies, from real-time data that lets you spot trends early on, to in-depth metrics that shed light on what’s really happening in your organisation.
- Culture Shift training academy: The Training Academy is a growing collection of courses and modules designed to support our partners in improving their prevention and response strategies to addressing culture-damaging behaviours
- Customisable feedback mechanisms and interactive platforms which help HR facilitate communication and gather valuable information from employees.
- Advice from experts who have helped organisations overcome challenges that you may be facing, ensuring you’re supported by methods that actually work.
With its user-friendly interface and robust functionality, Culture Shift’s software empowers HR to develop targeted strategies, implement effective initiatives and foster a strong and enduring workplace culture.
Ultimately, HR’s involvement in shaping company culture is indispensable. By leveraging strategic initiatives and innovative tools like Culture Shift, HR professionals can drive meaningful cultural change and allow employees to thrive.
Interested in finding out more about how Culture Shift can help your HR team? Request a free demo of Culture Shift’s platform here.
