Organizations must prioritize life-affirming workplace cultures grounded in human security and dignity to attract and retain employees.
American businesses are experiencing a fundamental shift in workplace mindset as employees are prioritizing health and happiness over monetary gains. Unlike our forebears, who would plug and chug their lives away to achieve those standard life goals of nice house and fancy car, employees today crave security and dignity through a job they enjoy. Due to this, corporations are shifting at a foundational level where everyone in the organization is responsible for culture development.
What Is Corporate Culture?
Gallup defines culture as “how we do things around here.” It is an all-encompassing concept on how a business approaches everything from theories of time, space, and boundaries to physical attributes of food consumption, office layout, and employee separation to the perception of behaviors, attitudes, customs, and much more. Culture is formed, shaped, and defined under the surface layer, often beyond standard thought processing; however, it permeates the business on every level, heavily factoring into its success or failure.
Why Corporate Culture Development is Vital for Businesses
Due to the escalated uncertainty of society and factors beyond employee control, employees are looking for work cultures that provide security and dignity. When that need is not met, they leave. In 2021, 47.4 million people voluntarily quit their jobs. Obviously, the mass exodus has a compounding effect on businesses and the economy, with worker shortages continuing to rise as a consistent problem everywhere.
Unfortunately, organizational leaders can’t wave a magic wand to fix this problem. While surface-level adjustments, such as fringe benefits, increased salaries, or adjusted schedules, may be the first stepping stone, organizations must pursue a foundational shift in the workplace to develop the critical elements of cultures employees seek.
The Elements of a Life-Affirming Workplace Culture
Organizations, no matter the size, budget, or goal, must prioritize life-affirming workplace cultures grounded in human security and dignity to attract and retain employees. A life-affirming workplace culture includes business practices and leadership behaviors that:
Promotes trust (both being trusted and extending trust)
Encourages creativity and critical thinking
Ensures employees can share their intellectual and emotional resources, skills, and talents in support of an organization’s mission and purpose
Provides employees with the resources to actualize their potential in the workplace
Have established feedback mechanisms to convey to employees that their contributions are valued and that the organization supports the individual in their personal and professional growth
These elements don’t happen overnight. They must be learned, pursued, and incorporated sincerely into a business’s foundational model to make a positive effect. The first step is knowledge, and that is everyone’s job. From senior-level executives to brand-new employees, positive workplace dynamics is a skill that must be developed for a business to succeed.
Build Leadership Skills with Workplace Peace Institute
At Workplace Peace Institute, we believe that everyone is a leader because we all have the ability to utilize expert or social power to drive change. Take the next step to build the leadership skills associated with life-affirming workplace cultures with Workplace Peace Institute’s Leadership Academy.
Workplace Peace Institute Leadership Academy exists to support leaders in honoring basic human needs and dignity needs in the workplace, so they can actualize human potential in the workplace. The online Leadership Academy optimizes competencies in human behavior, communication skills, conflict resolution, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging to create highly engaged workplaces where basic human needs and dignity are consistently honored. All our courses are offered online and can be customized for in-person workshops and seminars.