Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

By Henry Brown

When it comes to starting up a new business, one of the things that you absolutely need to think about is creating a positive company culture. With a fresh company, you get to set the foundation for the future of your business. These formative stages of your business are extremely important in the long run and will often define how your business operates in the future. As such, nurturing a positive company culture is extremely important and should be a top priority as soon as you start hiring employees.

Here are a couple of tips to help you create a positive company culture that lasts for as long as your business.

Show genuine care for your employees

Showing your employees that you care about them means that you’re more likely to create a comfortable working environment. Speak with your employees when they have trouble with something, emphasize with their issues, and help them when they’re in need. People would much prefer to work for an employer that genuinely cares about their wellbeing and this creates a sense of trust that will help nurture a great atmosphere at work.

Listen to your employees and encourage them to speak up

Listening is often more important than just talking. Make sure you encourage your employees to speak up by creating an environment that allows for it. Ask them for feedback, let them know that you’re always open to conversation, and don’t hesitate to open up with a conversation if you think that there’s a problem that could be dealt with.

Plan events to help nurture good teamwork

It’s a good idea to plan a group activity now and then to help nurture teamwork, build trust, and also improve communication among team members. Group activities can be a lot of fun for those involved and it’s a reliable team building strategy that can help you create a solid team. Just make sure that your staff are up for it–don’t force them into group activities if they aren’t interested, but do try and explain the benefits that it comes with.

Don’t tell staff to do something you personally wouldn’t

You should always try to lead by example no matter the size of your company. If you start telling people how to do their jobs but you never do it yourself, then your team is going to start losing faith in you. Don’t give awful tasks to your team either; show them that you’re not afraid of doing the work yourself and guide them on the best practices to follow, especially if it’s a relatively new task or process that you haven’t tried before.

Communicate properly and follow up with meaningful actions

Lastly, don’t just talk for the sake of talking. If you’re going to make suggestions or talk about certain issues that are bothering your team, make absolutely sure that you follow up with actions that actually make a difference. After all, actions speak much louder than words and your team will respect you for doing something positive.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.