{"id":29445,"date":"2014-08-27T11:05:07","date_gmt":"2014-08-27T18:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/?p=29445"},"modified":"2014-08-27T11:05:28","modified_gmt":"2014-08-27T18:05:28","slug":"4-tips-to-improve-organizational-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/4-tips-to-improve-organizational-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Tips To Improve Organizational Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

A quick Google search reveals the importance of corporate culture<\/a> in boosting employee engagement, retention, performance, morale and satisfaction. So it is no wonder that many C-level executives are seeking tactics to foster employee satisfaction and productivity, as well as innovative ways to offer popular employee perks.
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\n\u201cCorporate culture\u201d is a catchall phrase that can be quite vague in terms of its definition. So many things go into creating a culture and there is no one-size-fits-all model. I spoke with two companies in opposite industries, one tech and one traditional, that approach corporate culture with a \u201cmeet in the middle\u201d philosophy. Here is their best advice for enhancing employee happiness and productivity.<\/p>\n

1. Don\u2019t be lackadaisical about the culture you create.<\/strong> Darius Mirshahzadeh is the President and Co-founder of Bay Area-based Endeavor America Loan Services<\/a>. He is the first to admit that, \u201cEA Loans is an old-school business in a sea of hip companies.\u201d But he attributes his company\u2019s hiring and workforce success to his being a stickler about the priority of the company\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am as deliberate about culture as I am product development, HR<\/a> law, and client relations,\u201d said Mirshahzadeh. \u201cWe cultivate a culture of recognition and gratitude amongst employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

In less than a year, Darius and Mike Mirshahzadeh, his co-founder and brother, have spent zero dollars on employee recruiting while attracting 200 professionals all around the country. They use a variety of employee recognition programs to motivate employees, most of whom work hundreds or even thousands of miles from EA Loans\u2019 Walnut Creek headquarters.<\/p>\n

2. Find tools that employees can use to motivate each other.<\/strong> Darius spent months painstakingly testing platforms that would put incentives and rewards in employees\u2019 hands, rather than simply implementing a traditional top-down employee recognition program.<\/p>\n

He likes YouEarnedIt<\/a> best as a tool to promote employee recognition and incentivize referrals<\/a> of new recruits. Using a \u201cpoints and reward\u201d system, YouEarnedIt rewards EA Loans team members with a paid day off, a Starbucks gift card, or even a standing ovation from co-workers for their efforts on behalf of the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom an HR standpoint, I love to use YouEarnedIt to find and recognize employees that stand out from their peers,\u201d said Mike. \u201cIt allows us to create an environment our people feel good to be a part of, and in turn, work harder and recommend the best-of-the-best to join the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

YouEarnedIt helped EA Loans inject a start-up<\/a> spirit into their workplace to differentiate their corporate culture from competitors taking a more conventional approach.<\/p>\n

3. Design teams that encompass the best of both worlds.<\/strong> HomeAdvisor<\/a> is an online platform that connects home improvement professionals with homeowners. CEO Chris Terrill created a dichotomy of a sprightly, start-up-like core of a couple hundred people coupled with a much larger 1,000-person operations side. The idea wasn\u2019t to create a divide, but to better serve the two different types of HomeAdvisor clients with creativity and maturity. Terrill emphasizes that their company culture allows them to operate as a \u201cmature start-up,\u201d a situation that is ideal for CEOs looking to combine the excitement and camaraderie of a start-up with the solidity and reliability of a mature business.<\/p>\n

4. \u201cFun\u201d should inspire creativity, not exist to lure talent.<\/strong> HomeAdvisor was named one of the Denver Post\u2019s Top Workplaces in 2013 and 2014<\/a>, and Terrill\u2019s workforce attributes that to their freedom to mix work and play. The HomeAdvisor offices host game rooms where employees can break for a game of pinball or air hockey between projects, relax and laugh with colleagues, and reenergize.<\/p>\n

HomeAdvisor also embraces Colorado hobbies with sports teams, bicycle rides, and rock climbing clubs, just to name a few. Terrill says these offerings inspire creativity and encourage collaboration<\/a> significantly more than bonuses and retreats. Team members become comfortable with one another in a casual and friendly setting, and then strive to bring their best ideas to the table.<\/p>\n

Terrill, a former executive at Match.com, doesn\u2019t need culture to entice big names to join the HomeAdvisor team. Like the Mirshahzadeh brothers, he uses company culture to avoid excess dependency on top-down management, and inspire collaboration, team building and innovation.<\/p>\n

Both companies share this sentiment: blending these principles creates a corporate culture as close to harmony as one can get in the modern work world.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsider your employees your first level of customers<\/a>,\u201d said Darius Mirshahzadeh. \u201cCreate a culture <\/a>of reward, recognition, and excitement for your first level of customers, and you will see them strive to please their customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Kate<\/a>This article was written by Kate Harrison from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.\u00a0Learn more about\u00a0<\/em><\/span>SmartRecruiters<\/a>, your workspace to find and hire great people.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A quick Google search reveals the importance of corporate culture in boosting employee engagement, retention, performance, morale and satisfaction. So it is no wonder that many C-level executives are seeking tactics to foster employee satisfaction and productivity, as well as innovative ways to offer popular employee perks.","protected":false},"author":240,"featured_media":29482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"series":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Organizational-Culture.jpeg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Podcast-icon.jpg","download_link":false,"player_link":false,"audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/hiring-success-podcast\/id1472174987","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9oaXJpbmdzdWNjZXNzcG9kY2FzdC5jYXN0b3MuY29tL2hpcmluZy1zdWNjZXNzLXBvZGNhc3Q","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"soundcloud":{"key":"soundcloud","url":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/smartrecruiters\/sets\/hiring-success-podcast-1","label":"SoundCloud","class":"soundcloud","icon":"soundcloud.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3bM8YzLjM2G9qJXLBBySaB","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast","embedCode":"

4 Tips To Improve Organizational Culture<\/a><\/blockquote>