Workplace culture is continuing to change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing changing in workforce models. Organizations are pivoting business strategies as new ways to work evolve and culture has become a key are of focus for many of them.

Quantum Workplace’s latest research report, Unpacking Organizational Culture in a New World of Work, provided a new perspective on the role company culture plays in organizations.

The study finds that organizational culture has changed for 35% of employees the past two years, but only 28% of employees felt culture most strongly in their physical workplaces. Generally, employees experience organizational culture most strongly in mission or values statements, through recognition and celebrations, and companies’ approach to employee performance.

Importantly – though perhaps not surprisingly – engagement matters when it comes to perception of culture, as highly engaged employees were 4.5 times less likely feel their company culture declined or worsened in the past two years compared than their less engaged colleagues.

Also of note, especially with the rise of new work models, remote and hybrid employees are more likely to feel their company’s culture improved. This finding supports to idea that employees are placing higher value on flexibility and work-life balance, and the fact that many companies have made efforts to enable remote and hybrid workers to function effectively from anywhere.

At the same time, employees working entirely on-site tend to feel corporate culture has declined.

“Our research shows that organizational cultures can greatly impact employees’ engagement and willingness to stay in their current jobs,” said Quantum Workplace Lead Researcher Shane McFeely.

Quantum provides five tips for creating an engaging culture. Organizations should:

• Aim their culture strategies at engagement;
• Evolve their approach to employee performance;
• Focus on driving trust-building leadership practices;
• Weave employee recognition into all the organization does; and
• Invest in technology that will help the organization see, understand and act on culture.

“Companies will need to be more intentional with company culture to keep their employees engaged, retain key talent and be competitive in attracting new workers,” said McFeely.

Be part of the conversation about how the workplace continues to evolve, along with the dynamics impacting both culture and success, at Future of Work Expo 2022. The conference focuses on key elements of today's re-imagined workplace, not just for improving productivity, but also providing a better employee and customer experiences, through the intersection of technology and the human element. Future of Work Expo is part of the #TECHSUPERSHOW experience, taking place June 21-24, 2022 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Edited by Erik Linask