If you’re a business owner or leader, you’re undoubtedly aware of the difference a motivated, high-performing team can make, to sales, customer satisfaction, and ultimately profitability.
It’s impossible to create one, without, at the same time, creating an environment that’s dynamic, supportive and inclusive. Or, in other words, a great place to work.
At Tecala, we think we’ve cracked the winning formula and we’re delighted to know that others share our view. Earlier this year, we received a Great Place to Work accreditation, off the back of surveys about our culture and employee experience.
We were humbled and thrilled – and we know we didn’t get there by accident. Improving corporate culture became a top of agenda item in 2015, after a rapid growth spurt saw our organisation start to suffer from multiple identities, and we’ve been dedicated to ensuring it remains strong and healthy ever since.
These are our top tips for transforming a business into somewhere high calibre employees are keen to join and stay.
Understand your why
Does your entire team understand your vision, brand proposition and purpose? And can they articulate it to customers and partners in a concise and compelling way? Being clear about who you are and what you stand for is essential if you hope to bring people together for a common purpose. Tecala, for example, exists to help mid-sized organisations across the country achieve their business objectives with technology solutions, and our team have all come together to achieve that purpose.
Put your customers first
So is fostering a commitment to customer-centricity. When you start putting the individuals and businesses that pay the bills at the heart of every decision you make, it diffuses into all aspects of your operation; breaking down silos and hierarchies, and promoting cooperation and collaboration. Whether they work in marketing, sales, finance or technical services, employees begin pulling together in a truly cohesive way – and they relish the satisfaction that comes from knowing everyone’s on the same team.
Create a culture of trust
While it’s important to strive for excellence, it’s also important to recognise that it’s impossible to achieve 100 per cent of the time. Employees are human and, like it or not, they’re going to make mistakes. Supporting them when they do – encouraging them to own them, fix them and learn from them, without fear – creates a culture of openness, honesty, accountability and healthy risk taking.
Value diversity
There’s no shortage of research to show that diverse teams function better than their more vanilla equivalents. They innovate more effectively and adapt more readily to changing circumstances and conditions. That’s why it pays to ensure your recruitment channels are wide open, not only to women, who’ve historically been under-represented in the ICT sphere, or those from minority backgrounds, but to individuals at all ages and career stages too. Having rookie recruits who are keen to earn their stripes working alongside veterans who’ve been there and done that a dozen times over can help you achieve genuine diversity of thought, and a working environment in which differences of opinions are respected and celebrated.
Recruit smartly
Irrespective of their backgrounds, the people you bring on board need to share your values and be compatible with your existing team and the workplace culture you’re looking to foster. Hiring decisions are critical; far too important to be left to chance, or to outsiders who don’t have a feel for how things are done in your organisation. Setting up an internal talent acquisition team to manage or oversee the recruitment process, as we’ve done at Tecala, can make it easier to ensure candidates are a good fit, and clear about the organisation’s mission and purpose before they commit.
Have fun together
Working in the tech sector can be fast paced and stressful. Very often, we’re dealing with complex, business critical projects that require dedication and attention. But all work and no play doesn’t make for a great workplace experience. Finding regular opportunities to have fun or a good laugh together helps keep high performing teams cheerful and motivated and makes your office a happier place to be.
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