Cultivate your Small Business Culture

Keep an eye on the culture of your small business from they day you start trading. It does not matter whether you are a sole trader or have employees. Your organisational culture is how people see you, and how your employees interact and treat each other when they work for your business.

Through your corporate ethics, your clients and employees will learn what you expect from them in they way they do business on your behalf. This is how people learn to trust you and your business. So if you act in an ethical honest way without bullying or discrimination, then your small business will naturally develop a well-balanced organizational culture.
Corporate Social Responsibility

No matter who you are, what business you are in, or how many employees work for you – your organisational culture will affect your bottom line. Not to mention your legal obligations as an employer to provide a safe workplace free of harassment and discrimination.

See this video
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=92lg7EvwKBE

As the business owner or manager, you must look at your organisation’s leadership and see if this is how you want your employees to behave. You want a happy workplace, which is productive, where your staff wants to come to work each day.

Corporate Culture – What it can Cost

While you may not think your organisation’s culture affects your bottom line – you may want to think about that differently. Organisational culture really does affect your profit margin when you think of it in the following terms:

Poor organisational culture (e.g. bullying disguised as jokes; a culture where everyone watches the clock and reports others for leaving at what they think may be early) affects your staff’s wellbeing which relates to absenteeism, a down turn in productivity and higher workers compensation claims. Your business may even earn a poor reputation for its organizational culture.

Good organisational culture (e.g. relaxed, happy environment where it is not too much trouble for people to help each other) will see your profit margins grow. People work harder when they are happier, and the organisation earns their loyalty.

Always show those who work for you your appreciation. For example, hold a morning tea or lunch to say thank you at the end of a large project or at the end of a busy time. It does not take much to show the people who work for you how much their hard work means to you. And, your organization’s productivity will grow.

Change Management to change your Corporate Culture

Be vigilant to what goes on in your workplace. Are there the sounds of happy voices with good productivity at work? Or, have you noticed rising absenteeism and staff disappearing for longer lunches or taking more breaks?

If you need a culture change throughout your organization, make sure you have a written Code of Conduct. Promote it so all your staff understands that it is their responsibility to behave with respect to all at work.

Let your staff know what you see as appropriate behavior and if there are breaches of your Code of Conduct treat them seriously to keep all your workers safe.

Encourage your staff to openly discuss any concerns they may have. And, if there are any complaints, make sure you follow through with an investigation if informal resolutions do not work. For informal resolutions to work, you need to follow up afterwards from time to time to check any inappropriate behaviour has ceased.

If you treat your staff well it should automatically flow on throughout the workplace. Everyone wants a happy, productive workplace. It all comes down to your organisational culture and the behavior you allow in your workplace.