How Company Culture Shapes Employee Motivation

Dr. Ryan Giffen

When your employees are happy, they are more inclined to focus on their tasks and stay motivated throughout the day. Employees who are content with their work environment are more likely to push to be better workers and do what they can to make your business a success. The key to improving morale with your employees and encourage better company performance is to foster an engaging company culture.      

What Is Company Culture?

Company culture refers to the behaviors and beliefs which determine how employees and the management team interact with one another outside of everyday business transactions. Typically, company culture develops on its own over time based on the traits of the people hired. Company culture is essential because it is the foundation for all businesses regardless of industry. The acknowledgment of the culture throughout the workplace is one of the most crucial assets a company has.

When you have a strong company culture enforced, you help to support involvement for all your workers. Good workplace culture ensures that everyone has the opportunity to initiate positive changes. It encourages your workers to voice their opinions and work toward the positive values that they believe in most. While doing this, a strong corporate culture can also create an environment where your employees are satisfied and more productive. By understanding your company culture, you have the keys to guarantee you will see continued success.

How Corporate Culture Helps With Your Company’s Needs

Each company has many needs that should be recognized and taken care of for the business to remain successful. Here are a few ways that company culture can help you meet the needs of your workers.

Survival Needs

Paying your employees is one way to meet some of their survival needs. Yet individuals who remain in survival mode will always search for something more. Survival needs can mean something different to each of your workers. Keep in mind that high wages may not always lead to better production, but supplying your employees with fair wages will help make a big difference when it comes to the company culture.

Importance Needs

Workers who feel they have an essential role to play will often work the hardest for your company. Ensure that your corporate culture recognizes those team members who go the extra mile to ensure the job gets done. When people feel a sense of importance, they are more likely to enforce your company’s mission and vision. Some things you can do to help make your workers feel essential include providing awards for achievement or starting a recognition program with incentives to reward exceptional work.

Security Needs

Employees who feel secure while working for you will likely stay with your company for many years. You can do several things to help give your workers a great sense of security, such as being a strong and ethical leader who motivates the team. You can also provide a workplace that doesn’t allow any bullying, harassment, or hostility. Ensuring there is transparency when it comes to the company performance is also a plus.

Belonging Needs

We are all social creatures and want to feel as if we belong to something. You can provide your employees with the feeling of belonging to something important by paying attention to their training needs, embracing all diversity initiatives, and encouraging all employees and management team members to communicate freely with one another.

About Dr. Ryan Giffen

With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Ryan Giffen is an expert in human relations and business culture. His career began in hospitality, leading operations and human resource departments for Fortune 500 companies and the like. Not long after, Ryan found his passion for teaching and consulting. He earned a Ph.D. in Hospitality Management with a Human Resources focus from Iowa State University and now works as an assistant professor at California State University, Long Beach. For over a decade, he continues to research and speak on organizational culture, relationship intelligence, and leadership effectiveness. Ryan is also the founder of Inospire, a company helping bosses and employees build stronger relationships with one another.  Lastly, Dr. Giffen is producer and host of the Corporate Shadow Podcast. a show helping everyday employees overcome workplace nonsense.