On the surface, workplace culture can seem deceptively easy to observe and understand. At its most simple, it can be the obvious factors such as office layout, how people behave, style of dress or general language being used between colleagues. In reality, culture goes well beyond the surface layer of how things look at a casual glance.

Culture can be summed up as the complex set of behaviours, values, reward systems, and rituals that make up your organisation. You can ‘feel’ culture when you visit a business or organisation, because it is often evident in the behaviour and enthusiasm of those who work there, along with the space itself.

The funny thing about culture is that the true nature of what is happening will often not be the obvious, surface level happenings. What is going on below the surface will often reveal the true drivers of both fulfilling and unfulfilling workplace cultures.

Organisations with reputable and enviable workplace culture often have one key thing in common: the people who work for them genuinely want to be there and are engaged when they are there. Recent data from Gallup shows that only 24% of Australian employees are engaged at work (60% are disengaged and 16% actively disengaged). While the culture of your organisation may not be the only reason for disengagement amongst your team, it can be a significantly important factor to determine if people are happy and engaged at work.

By investing time to develop a better understanding of the existing culture of your workplace, you will be able to determine current engagement levels and know how to best improve them. There are some key strategies you can take:

• Conduct culture interviews

The best way to get to the heart of your culture is to ask the people who make it: your people. By sitting down with your people either individually or in small groups, you will be able to ask the questions that you really want answers to. The best way to find out more about how your people feel is to ask open ended or indirect questions, such as: ‘How do you describe what you do and your workplace to your friends?’ or ‘What is one thing you’d like to see change at work?’

• Analyse how your team is working

Conducting a regular analysis of how your team is working together is essential to understanding what is working well and what needs improvement. LMA’s DIY Teamwork Analysis test will provide key insights into how your team is working, ask each team member to complete the analysis and compare the results.

• Learn to observe

Learn how to tune in to what is happening around you. How are senior leaders interacting with the middle managers and staff? Are these interactions easy or strained? How are conflicts being resolved on a daily basis, if at all? Learning to analyse without judgement or assumption will help you to determine where the culture is growing and succeeding and where it may be faltering

Understanding and improving your team’s experience is critical for companies operating in a highly competitive global economy. Providing an engaging experience will help organisations succeed in attracting and retaining highly skilled, engaged employees. Similarly, a strong employee experience also drives a strong customer experience. It is a real win-win all around to be acutely aware of your workplace’s culture.

Robert McCloskey once famously said “I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realise that what you heard is not what I meant”. Or in other words, communication is fraught with enormous potential for misunderstanding, misinformation and misinterpretation such that we can never be quite sure what people have really heard.

One thing is for certain though – if you’re NOT communicating at all or are doing so intermittently or poorly, there will be large gaps between what you think you’re saying and what others think they are hearing (or not hearing as the case may be).  Our Real World Leadership resource can provide some great extra details.

Nearly half the leaders (47%) believe they’re communicating to a great extent about the future of the organisation yet just 29% of employees and 16% of managers believe this is the case.

Employees – To what extent have your business leaders and senior managers reassured you about your future with your organisation?

Managers – To what extent have your business leaders and senior managers communicated with you about your future with the organisation?

Leaders – To what extent have you communicated with your staff about their future with the organisation?

Leaders and managers need to recognise that reassurance about the organisation’s future and the future of individuals is paramount to securing a stable, productive and harmonious workforce.

Periodically ‘settling the horses’ by providing information, vision, direction and purpose to the people who make the organisation perform will help enable them to deliver results as a team. When this focus also highlights the future for each individual, their meaning and purpose become clearer and their performance improves as a result.  

Click here for some extended details from our L.E.A.D survey Whitepaper.

Handling a staff complaint or grievance can be one of the most challenging things a new team leader or supervisor can do. While these situations can be testing, they can also provide one of the most personally satisfying management experiences.

To assist you to better handle an informal complaint or a formal grievance on a one-to-one basis, or with a group, use these ten basic techniques:

1. Be a good listener: Never interrupt when team members are talking, even if you disagree with the opinions expressed. Complaints often dissolve and resolve themselves when people simply have a chance to talk about them.
2. Ask questions: Your questions indicate interest and a desire for more information. When you ask open ended questions such as, “Why do you think that happened?” you may uncover underlying causes or related problems. When you ask good questions, you communicate that you are not unfairly pre-judging people or situations.
3. Do not argue: Present any information you have in a persuasive manner rather than an argumentative one. Arguing builds resistance and can make employees more determined to get their way regardless of the facts. Asking questions can be an effective tool for disarming a potential argument. Your point of view is more persuasive when you refuse to be drawn into an argument.
4. Make sure you understand: Some people have difficulty expressing themselves and this can be even more difficult if they are stressed or emotional. Use all of your questioning and listening skills to make sure that you fully understand their position. Restate, summarise and ask additional questions to make sure you understand their point of view.
5. Treat all employees with respect: Ridicule or comments that minimise a person’s concerns are powerful and devastating. They have no place in the management and leadership roles of today. If you attempt to make someone else feel foolish, you destroy the lines of communication and trust. Let others save face and retreat gracefully. Criticising and belittling people in front of others should also be avoided as this also destroys communication, trust and respect.
6. Let the person know when to expect a response from you: Many times, the problem can be settled on the spot. However, if it will take time to resolve, establish a time-frame for your action and response.
7. Gather the facts: If you are unable to make a decision during the meeting, investigate what the team member has said, check the situation, refer to employment agreements or other relevant documents and if appropriate, consult with higher management before making a final decision.
8. Make a decision: Once you make a decision (even if it is unpopular), stick to it firmly unless new evidence that deserves consideration is presented.
9. Explain your decision: If your decision is distasteful to the team member, take the time to explain it and answer any questions. Team members may not agree and may appeal your decision, but they will respect you for your stand.
10. Thank the team member: Express your appreciation for the person’s willingness to communicate openly about problems. This encourages even more open communication in the future.

A legitimate complaint can signal not only discontent in the workplace, but it can also help to shine the light on serious infractions at your office. Psychologically, listening to your employees and addressing their concerns can be great for your company culture. It also shows them respect and fosters a sense of pride and accountability in their work. These benefits easily justify the implementation of a useful and effective system for addressing employee complaints. 

LMA also offers the DIY Leadership Analysis which can be utilised to understand leadership issues that your senior staff might have.  Click here to take the analysis.