"We love coming to work!" - Such statements are what employers would like to hear. But this feedback also shows that you have created a good working environment and thus a good workplace culture. However, a good workplace culture not only creates a better atmosphere among employees, it is also a key driver of corporate success. This was the result of a survey of over 360 members of the Board of Directors conducted by the SwissVR Monitor on the subject of corporate culture.
A good corporate culture increases corporate success
Those who think of boards of directors rarely associate this body with corporate culture. But for more than two-thirds (64%) of them, corporate culture is a strong driver of corporate success and an important competitive advantage. This is also shown by the comparison of the share returns of the "Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work for" with other listed companies that were not awarded by Great Place to Work.
The Employer Value Proposition suffers from non-lived corporate values
Interestingly, however, more than a third (36%) of respondents stated that they did not or did not tend to adapt their corporate culture to strategic reorientation. The problem here is that the employer promise, the so-called Employer Value Proposition (EVP), loses credibility if the strategic orientation is not also supported by the workplace culture lived out. On the other hand, 67% of board members try to prevent this by setting a good example. They try to influence the corporate culture and change it by "living the values propagated (Tone at the Top)".
This is not entirely successful - because only 42% completely agreed with the question "The Board of Directors and management effectively exemplify the corporate culture". This is despite the fact that more than half of those surveyed see themselves as responsible for defining cultural values and conduct guidelines, while management is responsible for their implementation.
Employee survey as the most important measuring tool for workplace culture
However, in order to shape workplace culture, companies must first collect and analyse it. The members of the Board of Directors stated that the "employee survey" was the most important instrument, accounting for around 74%. This is followed by an assessment based on "impressions from company visits and interactions with employees" (65%), the "perceived behaviour of members of management" (62%), the "customer survey" (56%) and the "assessment by management" (48%).
Designing workplace culture with Great Place to Work
In order for a good workplace culture to develop and be developed meaningfully, further steps are needed in addition to the employee survey. Our proven approach, for example, consists of four steps: We start with a strategy workshop in which the goals are defined and the project process is discussed. This is followed by an analysis of the corporate culture by means of an employee survey and culture audit. In a third step, these results are analysed and compared with benchmarks. In the fourth step, we define the measures in the fields of action together with the client and enable the organisations to implement them successfully.
