One of the priorities of executives post-pandemic is building a healthy company culture in the new hybrid workplace.

Organizational culture is the personality of a company, its identity. It should be reflected in everything the company does and in the way it communicates. Maintaining a strong company culture when there are employees working remotely is a challenging job, so we studied the main factors of influence when developing a good culture among employees.

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Factors to improve company culture:

1. Ensure psychological safety

This is the most crucial element to take into account. It refers to the security and confidence that the team members have when making an important decision. It is important to build a team that feels free of judgment and that see different points of view as a competitive advantage.

In a place where we feel criticized or ignored, we are not as effective or as productive as we could be. However, in an environment where we feel valued and respected, we feel safe to take risks and innovate.

Therefore, it is important to identify the types of beliefs we may have in our workplace that can affect the organizational culture:

  • Negative behavioral beliefs: They are presented in employees who show insecurities; for example when they say: ' this is too hard', 'this is not going to go well' or 'they won't listen to me'.
  • Control beliefs: These are presented in employees who anticipate what they are capable of doing, even before trying. Their typical phrases are: 'I am not capable', ' I don't know everything I should', 'What if I fail?'
  • Negative normative beliefs: These beliefs express anxiety due to the anticipation of an external response (in this case, from the team) before even expressing ideas. For example: 'They won't accept it', 'The rest of the team will laugh at me.'

These are some type of beliefs that prevent our company from moving towards having psychological safety, and should be addressed in order to build the basis of a good company culture and a successful team.

2. Promote the health and well-being of your team

Managers must know the needs of their employees that are being unmet. Today, employees are looking for a company where mental health takes precedence over salary. Transparency, a healthy organizational climate and active listening among employees will help increase their commitment to the company.

According to a study conducted by Edelman, 77% of employees surveyed say they would be attracted to a company that shows its awareness of the pandemic and cares about the impact it has on people's lives.

Ensuring that the mental health, wellness and stability needs of employees are met is essential in building a positive company culture.

3. Include flexibility as part of the culture

Owning your time gives you a better sense of well-being. That is why achieving a good work-life balance is linked to the autonomy and trust of the employee in the company.

Being more efficient with how time is spent is also linked to the training of the employee. When they are better trained and experienced in their area, the way in which they spend their time will lead to more productivity.  This is one of the reasons why it is never too late to make the necessary adjustments to be flexible in how time is managed, and also to create a team in continuous training.

4. Promote collaboration

Collaboration should start at the time of recruitment, looking for people who share the values of the company. This way the team will be better integrated.

In addition, a shared vision of the work team and a shared goal will make the team more confident. Apart from the specific objectives as a department, we must promote a common goal.

To conclude, we are presented with a big challenge post-pandemic: to build a sense of belonging for employees in hybrid work set ups. Perhaps, being in the office with more social contact, made us feel that belonging to the group. Now it's time to find a solution to infuse that feeling in remote work models, so that employees feel engaged, motivated, and connected no matter where they may be working.

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Updated content:

Employee Experience
Employee Engagement