5 Ways to Ruin a Great Company Culture

COMPANY CULTURE.  Everyone WANTS to work in a positive environment. Sometimes, management can make mistakes that effectively ruin the culture of the office.  Doing so can impact morale, which then affects workflow and production. We all know in the end, that will waste time and money.

Here are some ways to build the team up instead of tearing members down. Keep that work culture a positive one.

1. Provide positive feedback.
   Not every job is going to be done correctly and when the need arises for constructive criticism, offer it. But remember to praise employees when they do a good job. Often times managers focus on what’s gone wrong instead of the things that are done right. A pat on the back never hurt anyone. It takes a few moments to give that feedback and can go a long way to the person it’s delivered to.

2. Give credit where credit is due.
   Sometimes we may be tempted to borrow or outright steal the ideas of employees. Don’t get caught up in that situation. When you like an idea, make sure the person behind it knows you like it and they get the proper credit from management. Also, don’t let your ego get in the way of great ideas coming from others on the team. If you like something, don’t ignore it just because it wasn’t your idea.

3. Don’t credit a hyper-competitive environment.
   Yes, competition brings out the best in all of us, but being hyper-competitive can sink the ship fast. Teamwork should be applauded. Everyone should be working toward the same goal of keeping the company in business. Focus the competitive spirit outside the office and against the competition in your industry.

4. Remember the work-life balance.
   Chances are your employees have other things going on outside the workplace. Whether they’re married with children, in a relationship or have obligations to other groups; respect that. Expecting people to cancel plans, ignore family and friends and work extra hours without a valid reason is unfair and builds dissension and resentment.

5. Don’t reward bad employees and punish the hard workers.
   When you expect the worst from people you usually get it. And when you have high expectations from key players and they fail, those workers tend to get mistreated. Hold everyone accountable and to the same standards. By having two (or more) sets of rules for the same groups of workers also creates hostility.

Remember learning the Golden Rule in elementary school?     “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  Applying that motto into your work culture will work wonders for morale.  Are you a manager that you want managing yourself?   Your company culture matters if you want to retain top talent.  Do not let the good ones slip away… again! 

Culture Matters!

Kandi Chapman is a blogger on topics related to employment background screening, company culture and human resources.  She is President and Founder of MBI Worldwide, a global employment background screening company.  Kandi is the recipient of the 2014 Silver Eclipse Award for implementing a positive company culture within her organization, and was honored as one of St. Louisans Top 100 People To Know in 2015.