Importance of Building a Positive and Conducive Work Culture

Title: Importance of Building a Positive and Conducive Work Culture

Workplace culture refers to the shared norms, policies, traditions, attitudes, beliefs, and other factors that shape the general work environment and organizational behavior. Different organizations have different work cultures depending on the nature of the business operations. However, a conducive and positive work culture boosts employee satisfaction, happiness, and commitment. Thus, it is important to build a positive and conducive culture in workplaces since it increases employee productivity, retention, well-being, and engagement. 

Developing a positive work culture improves productivity because satisfied and happy workers are more likely to work hard, innovate, and invent strategies to achieve organizational objectives (Seppala & Cameron, 2015). For instance, Google is one of the biggest and fastest-growing hi-techs in the world because it is regularly trying and innovating to build the best work culture to satisfy its workforce and boost productivity. Its employees are more productive because they enjoy personal dress codes, flexible work designs, social relationships, and fitness programs (Tran, 2017). Therefore, a conducive work environment boosts organizational performance because it makes employees more creative, innovative, committed, and, above all, productive.

Moreover, favorable work culture is significant in attracting and retaining talented and experienced employees. Employee retention reduces turnover costs such as recruiting, reduced productivity, lost talent, and talent training (Seppala & Cameron, 2015). For instance, Google attracts and retains the best employees because it provides them with free food, a swimming pool, flexible work design, a haircut, a volleyball court, an oil change, a car wash, and several other perks (Tran, 2017). Thus, a conducive and positive work culture develops a competent, talented, experienced, and skilled workforce that can positively transform organizational performance and competitive advantage.

Moreover, a conducive work environment promotes employee well-being and reduces disengagement costs associated with stress, sickness, absenteeism, burnout, and accidents (Kruskal et al., 2018). Studies show that organizations with cut-throat work cultures experience 50% health care expenditures, 49% accidents, 37% absenteeism, and 60% defects and errors higher than organizations with a conducive work environment. Such organizations also experience 16% lower profitability, 37% slower career growth, 65% lower share price, and 18% lower in productivity due to disengagements associated with stress, heart diseases, and burnout (Seppala & Cameron, 2015). Thus, a positive work culture boosts employee well-being and engagement because they are stress-free, happy, and healthy.

In summary, building a conducive and positive work culture is significant in boosting productivity, enhancing employee welfare and engagement, and attracting and retaining the best workforce. A conducive work culture increases productivity among employees because it makes them happy and satisfied. It also encourages employee well-being and boosts engagement levels by ensuring they are psychologically and physically fit to work and produce good outcomes. Finally, creating a good work environment allows a company to develop a pool of the best skills and talents because it attracts and retains the best employees. Employees unleash the best out of themselves when they are happy, appreciated, recognized, respected, trusted, and loved.

References

Kruskal, J. B., Shanafelt, T., Eby, P., Meltzer, C. C., Rawson, J., Essex, L. N., ... & Bender, C.

(2019). A road map to foster wellness and engagement in our workplace—a report of the 2018 summer intersociety meeting. Journal of the American College of Radiology, 16(6), 869-877.

Seppala, E., & Cameron, K. (2015). Proof that positive work cultures are more

productive. Harvard Business Review, 12(1), 44-50.

Tran, S. K. (2017). GOOGLE: a reflection of culture, leader, and management. International

Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, 2(1), 1-14.