What is corporate culture, why you need it, and how to document it?

Is there a nice-er way of explaining the ‘corporate culture‘?

Corporate culture is like a beacon of light in the stormy seas of the business world, guiding employees with its unwavering principles, illuminating the path to success, and keeping the workplace shipshape and sailing smoothly towards shared goals.

The culture sets the pace and cadence of discussion at the workplace, lays the ground rules of engagement between people, and establishes the moral benchmark to make decisions and resolve conflicts during the day to day operations.

It is imperative that the corporate culture be well-articulated and documented to ensure its consistency and effectiveness. It’d also be wise to conduct occasional sessions to employees on interpreting the culture documents.

The importance of Well-Articulated Corporate Culture:

• Culture inspires ideal behaviour: A strong corporate culture guides employees on what is acceptable and expected in terms of their conduct and actions.
• Consistency and coherence: A well-articulated corporate culture helps ensure that all employees across the organisation are aligned and share a common understanding of the company’s values, vision, and goals.
• High morale and  and retention of top talent: A positive and vibrant corporate culture can serve as a magnet for attracting and retaining high-performing employees who are aligned with the company’s values and vision.
• Employee engagement and productivity: Employees who feel connected to the corporate culture are more likely to be engaged and productive, as they have a sense of purpose and belonging within the company.

HR professionals are at a vantage position to take the lead in building and protecting the corporate culture. With the rise of remote working, preserving corporate culture becomes even more crucial as employees may be geographically dispersed and face challenges in maintaining a sense of connection and belonging to the organisation.

Key Elements of a Culture Document:

• Standards of behavior: Clearly outline the expected behaviours and conduct of employees in the workplace, including communication, respect, teamwork, and ethical standards.
• Vision, mission, and values: Define the company’s vision, mission, and core values that serve as the foundation of the corporate culture.
• Policies and procedures: Document the policies and procedures that govern various aspects of the organization, such as diversity and inclusion, harassment prevention, performance management, and employee development.
• Employee handbook: Provide a comprehensive guide for employees that includes information on company policies, benefits, code of conduct, and expectations.
• Training materials: Develop training programs that reinforce the company’s culture, including orientation programs for new hires, leadership development programs, and diversity and inclusion training.
• Performance evaluations: Incorporate the company’s culture and values into the performance evaluation process to assess how well employees are aligned with the desired culture.
• Onboarding materials: Include culture-related information in the onboarding process to help new hires understand and embrace the company’s culture from the beginning.

In today’s competitive business environment, a well-defined and documented corporate culture is essential for organisations to thrive. The HR leaders have this crucial responsibility not just to document the organisational culture but also ensure that it is practiced in letter and spirit.