(Newswire.net — March 18, 2018) — Company culture is a term that’s thrown around a lot these days, but how many businesses actually make it a real priority? For Jason Bliss, co-founder of Healthy Living Network, “culture” is much more than just a buzzword designed to attract potential employees. It’s the cornerstone of everything he does.
Healthy Living Network is a provider of in-home healthcare — an industry where positive, uplifting interactions are an absolute necessity. As Bliss explains, investing in one’s own employees and creating a positive workplace culture is ultimately something that benefits everyone involved in the service — the company, the employees and its patients.
Here are six reasons why Bliss feels that strengthening company culture should be a top priority for all business owners.
1) Building a Baseline
“Company culture defines who you are, what you value and what you hope to become,” Bliss says. For Healthy Living Network, this meant creating a culture “that embraces respect, quality and friendliness,” as well as bringing the best wellness services to its patients “by fostering a positive work environment and culture for employees.”
These core values guide the way the company does business. It sends a clear signal to potential employees and patients regarding what they can expect when interacting with the business. Ultimately, strong core values lead to the creation of a strong brand image, which is the best way to attract like-minded people to the brand.
2) Assembling the Right Team
Providing healthcare services requires a caring, nurturing attitude, even during potentially stressful situations. As Bliss notes, using these values to guide the hiring process is essential for preserving the company culture and ensuring that all patients receive care that lives up to the expectations he has for his team.
“Hiring people with the right disposition and emotional intelligence isn’t always easy, but we have to let the culture guide this process. Looking for a strong cultural fit ensures that we can trust new hires to live up to our expectations for managing patient care.”
3) Stronger Connections
A key part of Bliss’s company culture is engaging with each employee on a personal level. Says Caroline Breeding, co-founder of Healthy Living Network, “We can’t really know how an employee feels about their work or what challenges they’re facing if we don’t interact with them one-on-one. By really getting to know our employees, Jason and I are better able to help them succeed in their work.”
Both Bliss and Breeding have research on their side to back up these sentiments. Studies have consistently found that employees who feel appreciated for what they do perform better than their peers. They demonstrate higher productivity and are less likely to make mistakes or become sloppy in their work. Even more valuable, they are also more likely to remain loyal to the company.
4) Improving Skills
One way that Bliss tries to cultivate a strong culture is by providing ongoing training to his employees. As he explained in a company blog post, “If we implement a new strategy or workflow, we provide education that helps everyone understand why the change is taking place, how it affects the company and the benefits it’ll provide them with personally.”
Keeping all members of the team informed of the recent changes is much more than a mere procedural matter — it ensures that everyone has the tools they need to succeed. As a result, employees feel empowered and are better able to adapt to any changes that might occur in the workplace.
5) Preparing for the Future
Strong culture doesn’t just improve employee retention — it also creates a leadership pipeline that will strengthen the company for years to come. This ensures that the company remains true to its current values while continuing to innovate and find ways to better serve its customers.
“Our future leaders are already a part of our team,” Bliss says. “Because they embody our culture and understand the challenges and opportunities we face, they’ll be better prepared to continue leading us in the right direction as they advance in their careers.”
6) A Better Financial Outlook
While improving the customer experience and increasing employee retention rates are certainly great benefits of a strong company culture, there’s also no ignoring the direct impact such changes can have on a company’s finances. By reducing turnover, companies avoid unnecessary expenses and lost productivity that would result from hiring and on-boarding a replacement. By helping employees become more invested in their work, productivity goes up.
“By creating a strong culture, we put ourselves in a much better position financially,” Bliss says. “While improving the bottom line shouldn’t necessarily be the primary motivation for strengthening company culture, it’s definitely a great way to simultaneously lower costs and increase profits.”
Creating the Right Culture
No two companies are exactly alike — and as a result, no two company cultures need to be identical, either. However, those that consistently make an effort to empower and positively motivate their employees are the ones who generally see the greatest outcomes. As business owners fine-tune and adapt their culture based on the needs of their employees and customers, they will be able to create a positive work environment that facilitates their long-term goals.