How to Build Community into Your Company Culture

You may have heard that happy employees can create a massive improvement in how your company is performing, from increased revenue to increased team member retention. It seems like having a healthy company culture and a sense of community in the workplace can really be a sustainable way to make sure that business is growing.

But how do you build that sense of community into your company culture without forcing it? How can it come about naturally, or at least without sending a company-wide email telling everyone that they’re required to make friends?

Do Mission Statements and Morality Actually Matter?

Step one to a powerful sense of community could theoretically take place before you even officially hire someone on. That’s right, your mission statements and company morals can really affect the way your employees treat work.

According to Chris Vaughn, the CEO of Emjay, this is of the utmost importance. 

He explains that “When you’re setting goals and mission statements, make sure that your morals and the way things are done are at the ultimate center. People who work for you want to make sure they’re putting their energy into something they… care about. Fundraise for a cause that matters, for example.”

It sounds like what you’re trying to accomplish with your business, and not just whether your business is making money or not, is really important to team members of a company. And Gigi Ji, the Head of Brand and Business Development at Kokolu, agrees that how business is done can determine the fate of your business’ overall health.

“Morality is key,” she explains. “If your team members feel like your cause matters, they’ll feel like their job matters. They’ll come to work feeling passionate and… connected to everyone around them.”

Of course, your mission statement doesn’t have to be set in stone if you realize it no longer works for you. Luckily, rebranding can really make it known that your company cares about what it’s trying to accomplish.

How Should I Treat my Employees?

The consensus seems to be that it’s best to treat your employees better rather than worse. But exactly how should you be treating them? And how should you be communicating?

“Be understanding when something goes wrong. Be flexible. Remember that, while the business is important… employees are people too,” says Justin Soleimani, the Co-Founder of Tumble. “Value them like they actually matter.”

It sounds like being understanding and not punishing your employees with an iron fist can be beneficial. Most likely, it’ll decrease employee turnover rates in your company as well.

What else can you do to treat your employees well? Spot Pet Insurance’s CEO, Trey Ferro, understands that “Employee wellness has to come first, or else your business is just… not going to thrive. Give them as many benefits as you can. Health insurance, pet insurance… everything you can.”

Most likely, a long list of benefits will also increase the number of job applications you receive on job postings as well, only increasing the odds that you’ll be able to hire quality people to work for you. A wide range of benefits certainly couldn’t hurt how happy your employees are.

Should I Let My Employees Talk to Each Other?

Will allowing my subordinates to talk to each other actually be helpful? What if they start talking about things that aren’t even related to work anymore? Is friendship in the workplace that much of a good thing?

The Director of Communications at RoseSkinCo., Gia Marie Jurosky, seems to think that you definitely should allow communication on the job. “Encourage collaboration every step of the way,” she says. “Creating space for conversations to take place in the workplace naturally is a gateway for friendships. That really… makes your team so much stronger.”

It certainly sounds like the Director of Communications really knows what she’s talking about. Whether it’s setting up desks and workstations to face each other, or just having lots of meetings that allow space to chat, she really encourages peers to help each other out and ask questions as much as possible.

What else is helpful for letting a sense of community get built up in your company? “Snacks!” says Nirav Sheth, the CEO of Anatta. The simplicity of the answer seems to speak for itself, allowing for there to be more breaks and for natural conversations to flow when employees meet up in the breakroom.

Anatta’s CEO further expands on this, however, saying that “just creating events where people have the opportunity to be social [is also really helpful]. Allow[ing] everyone to mingle, and [not] hound[ing] on them. Happy employees, a little community like that… it feels good.”

That has to sound good and be exciting to employees. More opportunities to celebrate holidays and birthdays with friends, as well as on-the-clock thank you lunches, are sure to boost company morale.

Regardless, while talking about non-work-related subjects won’t normally be harmful, it might be a good idea to set a precedent for limits and general best practices. Just remember: it’s illegal to keep your employees from discussing salary, at least off-the-clock, in the United States.

What’s the Power of an Open Door Policy?

It seems like an open door policy between supervisors and their associates can really be a good recipe for respect, rather than a disaster. At least, if you do it correctly.

“Make everyone feel like they can always come to you,” says Cody Candee, the Founder, and CEO of Bounce. “No matter what, an open door policy will automatically create a much more satisfying environment. Everyone should feel heard.”

It sounds like a key ingredient to the respect recipe is making employees feel like they’re actually being listened to. Making sure that their concerns are addressed, their ideas are taken into consideration, and their needs are met can make it known that you care and are doing everything above board. 

And while doing this 100% of the time won’t always be possible, you should certainly be doing it as much as is practically possible.

Listening to your employees is also a sign of mutual respect. According to Vala Afshar, the Chief Digital Evangelist at Salesforce, “We are not a team because we work together. We are a team because we respect, trust, and care for each other.”

From the looks of it, mutual respect can only make a team feel and grow closer and stronger.

Is it Okay to let Employees get Creative?

You might be wondering if it’s okay to let your employees stray off the beaten path. Is it okay to let them try new ideas? Is it okay to let them pitch their thoughts and concerns during the weekly and monthly company meetings?

Tyler Read, the Founder, and Senior Editor at Personal Trainer Pioneer, says this about the topic: “Always encourage creativity wherever you can. Seeing a sense of pride in a team member… when their idea is executed successfully is just priceless.”

He also says that, while allowing room for creativity allows company morale to grow, it also comes with the added bonus of keeping up with new best practices and trends before everyone else is doing it. Trying out different things, even if you want to do it with the caution of AB testing, can really help everyone figure out what works and what doesn’t.

According to Amy Poehler, this could also apply to environments beyond the workplace. “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you,” she says, “spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” In general, it sounds like space for creativity and inspiration can also create room for growth and personal improvement.

While no one can promise with 100% certainty that letting team members be creative will always work out in the business’s favor, it seems like it might be less harmful to the company than never giving creativity a try.