Company culture can be one of the biggest factors in an employee’s decision to stay or go. It’s even been reported that 86% of job applicants avoid companies with a bad reputation. So not only does an organization’s culture impact retention, but it also impacts hiring. And reputation matters—a company’s culture (for better or worse) can quickly determine the organization’s external-facing reputation. And this is why it’s necessary for leaders to consider how their organizational culture has changed as they bring employees back to the office following remote or hybrid models.  

In this article, we address how to reimagine your vision around organizational culture so that your employees feel heard, the return to the office is successful, and your company culture thrives.

3 Steps to Help You Reimagine Your Vision for Your Company Culture

1. Understand and address employee expectations. If you’ve brought your team back to the office (either full-time or hybrid), they will have questions. The pandemic forced a new way of working and over the last few years, many employees got quite accustomed to remote work. And they might not understand why you’re requiring them to return to a certain building now. So as a leader, it’s imperative to demonstrate curiosity and learn how your employees are feeling about this change. These conversations should happen in one-on-ones between a manager and employee, but it could also be smart to survey the company and allow space for questions (ensure anonymity). This feedback could help you assess the organizational climate and equip you to answer the questions employees might not have otherwise voiced. Make it a conversation and you’ll experience more buy-in.

2. Acknowledge how life has changed. The pandemic altered many aspects of how we both work and live, and it’s important to acknowledge that. Some of your employees moved to different states during the pandemic, and some spent years working from their kitchen table. There needs to be empathy and recognition for the challenges that employees faced and overcame. And just as they adjusted to working remotely, they can adjust back to working from the office, but there needs to be understanding that it is another change. As a leader, it’s important to remember that people respond differently to change and the emotions that come with this sort of adjustment need to be heard and validated.

3. Discern what has fundamentally stayed the same. Even though many employees learned to be productive and efficient from the comfort of their own homes, that doesn’t mean that all aspects of work changed. Think about how your organization operates. What’s true now that was true in 2019? Do you still have the same organizational vision rallying your team together? Do you still serve your clients in a similar way as before? Have your organization’s convictions remained true? What is the expectation around employee performance?

If you take some time to think through these areas, you’ll be equipped to reimagine the portion of your organization’s vision speaking to culture. We always have opportunity with change, so find the good and help your people see it too. Expectation setting is key, and a compelling vision can help you foster a healthy, dynamic culture that people want to be a part of.

And if you’d like to partner with us as you reimagine this portion of your vision, our team of coaches love facilitating team workshops and executive retreats. We’d love to help you too. Reach out and schedule a call—let’s explore how we can come alongside your organization.