Have you ever read an article about a company culture which made you think about how much you’d love to work there? Has your friend ever spoken about their place of work, beaming with company pride, which has made you wonder how they got so lucky with their job?
The stories that your employees tell about your company culture can be better marketing than any campaign and really make your organisation memorable, either in a good or a bad way. Every company will present itself perfectly in its marketing, but compliments coming from the foundations of the company – its employees – are of much higher value.
If you want to lead change within the company and improve the culture, you must first identify the stories that employees tell about the organisation. These stories have been forged in the values and actions that company leaders and employees exhibit on a regular basis.
Positive stories shared about the company become the heart of the organisation and indicate a strong organisational culture. The personal stories that circulate indicate what your employees really think and will be told both inside and outside of the company. Any contrasts between company marketing messages and how employees feel will be evidenced within these stories and when there is a big difference between the two, that could indicate a deep-rooted organisational issue and create distrust in your business.
To change these stories from negative to positive, you must first change your company’s behaviours and attitudes. It will take some time for these behaviours and attitudes to filter through to change your employees’ stories, depending on the health of the culture to begin with.
However, it is clear that maintaining this positive organisational culture serves to unite employees, instil company pride and present your business in the best way possible. New employees will use positive workplace stories to create expectations and cultivate new relationships within the company, steering their experience as your employee.
Stories definitely connect us – to each other, to our purpose, to what we value and stand for as a company. Have a listen – what do your employee’s stories reveal about your culture?
