All notable companies have one thing in common – strong company culture. Company culture reflects a company’s core values, goals, behaviors, and habits. It is a foundation of every organization and a crucial part of running a successful business, as it directly affects performance, employee retention, innovation, and customer service. However, building a winning company culture doesn’t happen by accident or overnight. It takes hard work and perseverance.
Although each company has unique qualities and its elements vary across companies, all thriving companies have certain key qualities in common. Therefore, this article will break down five essential elements of strong organizational culture. It will also take Cosmic Development as an example of a company that successfully established and fostered unique corporate culture and created a place where great people can do great work. Read on.
Recognition
Making recognition and appreciation part of your company culture will serve as a powerful motivational tool and foster a happy, engaged, and productive environment. When employees are supported and heard by the organization, they will always do more than expected.
Employee recognition can take many forms; formal or informal, verbal, written, or monetary. Also, it can come from various sources like a company-to-employee, manager-to-employee, or peer-to-peer. Effective recognition strategy should be consistent, fair, specific, and personal, not just some short-term tactic to boost morale. It should be part of employees’ everyday job experience, whether they are working in the office or remotely.
At Cosmic Development, employee recognition has always been a crucial aspect of its strategy and values. We reward our employees for effort, behavior, or results that align with company values or goals. As a company, we constantly remind them how their contributions have benefited the organization. From a job well done regularly to yearly formal evaluations, we never forget to recognize and reward our employees for achieving milestones, anniversaries, and contributions.
Common employee recognitions include certificates for various contributions like lectures, training, and participation in external events and activities. Plus, financial rewards like raises, bonuses, vouchers, or gift cards. In addition to that, we recognize loyalty and long-term service with loyalty awards for those who stayed with us for a considerable time. Therefore, we are proud to say that we have many employees with over five, seven, and ten years working at the company, which is a proof that we are a company with strong values.
Employee-Centered Workplace
Companies with an employee-centric environment prioritize employee engagement, autonomy, and creativity. Employees appreciate their work and are key players in the company’s growth and success. They feel valued and encouraged to make suggestions and are given the possibility to develop their skills and talents by working in a collaborative culture. The employee-centered workplace is a space that promotes free-flowing communication and employee feedback. It is also a place that emphasizes employees’ well-being and offers benefits that help them maintain a healthy work-life balance.
In our ten years of experience fostering positive organizational culture, growing from only a few people to more than 200 we have today, we at Cosmic Development succeeded in creating a collaborative, flexible, and people-first culture. We were among the first companies in Macedonia that offered the benefit of flexible working hours and remote work. Instead of micromanaging, we trust our people and give them the freedom to approach their workday as it suits them best. We also prioritize employee well-being and have many fantastic benefits tailored to the employees’ needs and preferences, including health and wellness programs, all to keep our people happy and provide them with great employee experiences.
Core Values
Core values support your company’s vision and mission and shape its culture. They should be consistently integrated into everything you do and clearly and transparently communicated to all the employees, clients, and stakeholders. That allows your company to perform at a high level and ensures that employees work towards the same goals. Some examples of core values are
- Teamwork
- Loyalty
- Autonomy
- Honesty
- Integrity
- Accountability
- Task Ownership
- Constant Improvement
- Work ethic
- Work-life balance
Cosmic Development has been built on core values and principles. We have successfully created a strong culture around the principles of integrity, social responsibility, passion, curiosity, ownership, and proactivity. They reflect our commitment to impact our employees, clients, and communities positively. From taking part in local trash cleanup and picnic to mark Earth Day to participating in the “Donate a computer” initiative (the most recent) we live, breathe, and work in alignment with our values every day.
Flexible Schedules
The future of work is all about flexibility and choice, and if companies want to stay ahead of the competition, they should introduce flexible working arrangements. A flexible work schedule is an excellent way of helping your employees achieve a better work-life balance and, as a result, increased productivity at work. It is beneficial to both the organization and the employees and goes much beyond increasing productivity and efficiency. It also:
- Improves Retention
- Attracts Top Talent
- Improves Employee Engagement
- It’s Cost-Efficient and Eco-Friendly
- Improves well-being
- Increase job satisfaction
Flexible working hours allow people a level of autonomy to arrange their workday around their lives and not vice-versa. What’s important is results and completed tasks, not the time spent at work.
Cosmic has embraced flexible work culture long before the pandemic. We trust our employees to work flexible hours and from remote places. Our goal has always been to ensure that our people are satisfied and supported no matter where and when they choose to work in the most convenient way to them. As long as you are productive and deliver high-quality work, you can set your own schedule.
Supportive Leadership
Leaders play a huge role in shaping an organization’s culture because culture comes from the top. Modern-day leaders are supportive. They mentor and coach rather than micromanage and treat their employees with dignity and respect. Leaders also build a sense of community and foster a culture of collaboration and communication. They act as examples in all company areas and accept recommendations for changes. Supportive leaders work hand-in-hand with their employees and show genuine interest in those they work with. They advocate for their people, provide opportunities, and share success.
Supportive leadership is an effective leadership style and one of the traits of modern workplaces, one of which is Cosmic Development. Our leaders treat employees as equals and do everything to remove barriers and help them thrive. They bring out the best in people through coaching, mentoring, and listening, qualities that prove to be vital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Final Thoughts
Strong company culture stands out as one of the crucial pieces vital to sustaining performance and competitive advantage. Not only that, but it also brings employees together and helps to propel everyone forward so that the company reaches its goals. Cosmic Development is a company whose culture operates off these five core elements. Our culture projects a strong and clear vision and gives our employees a sense of purpose in their work. Check out our most recent job openings if you want to be a part of our unique and people-centric company culture.