The term “culture” by and large denotes the ideas, customs, and art of a particular society.

While referring to work culture or organization culture one would particularly mean the
customs, patterns, arts and beliefs followed in various organizations. Edgar Schein - The
culture of a group can now be defined as a pattern of shared basic assumptions that the
group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that
has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, to be taught to new members
as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.

In today’s world of globalization organizations stress immensely to follow a culture which

encourages open channels of communication, a flat hierarchy, informal environment,
teamwork, and respect to new ideas and thoughts.
The following aspects can broadly define the likely preferred work culture in today’s
organizations which contribute to a satisfied workforce:

1.       Work timings: Flexible work timings have gained immense popularity amongst

today’s organizations. Organizations have started giving their employees the leverage of
entering the office premises at anytime of their convenience and completing their
designated tasks, though a minimum hours have to be spent in the workplace

2.       Work from Home: Another concept which is gaining importance, more amongst

female workers, is the concept of “work from home”. Organizations are
largely investing in equipments with the aid of which employees will have the benefit to
stay at home and at the same time stay connected to the office network

3.       Business Attire: As opposed to formal business attire for day to day work,
organizations have now remodeled their policy on daily dress code to the widely preferred
business casuals which also includes denim on one day of work. A few organizations also
have a policy of Friday dressing where only casuals can be worn by their employees

4.       Flat Hierarchy:  The preferred organization structure is a flat organization structure

with few levels of hierarchy which enables fast decision making and easy accessibility to top
management. People who stay closer to customers know better the market needs and can
respond faster to rapidly changing customer requirements and such changes can be easily
highlighted and brought to the notice of the top management in a flat hierarchy. Another
emerging trend in today’s organization are meetings with supervisors supervisor which
helps in smooth interaction within different levels of management which is very effective
within a flat hierarchy

5.       Decentralization: This is the process of dispersing decision-making governance to

the employee at the lowest level of the hierarchy and giving them the right to exercise a few
decisions all by themselves which acts as a great time saving and cost cutting mechanism

6.       Employee Empowerment: Organizations are largely investing in employee

empowerment. The increasing use of Employee Self service Systems which allow employees
to maintain their own personal data is the biggest example. This also helps to reduce
unnecessary paper work and also aims at data accuracy

7.       Innovation: As George S Patton says "Don't tell people how to do things, tell

them what to do and let them surprise you with their results."  The increasing demand
of today’s workforce is acknowledgment and implementation of their ideas and thus
organizations have now started investing in employee innovation where young and fresh
ideas are being recognized as best practices

8.       Rewards & Recognition: With the increase in stress levels, with long working hours
how does an organization aim to create contributing and motivated employees, how do
organizations maintain the high employee morale and the quality of life are some of the key
concerns of today’s organizations and one of the many answers to these question is an
effective reward and recognition system. Apart from the performance appraisal system
organizations today are investing a lot in reward and recognition programs where
employees are rewarded as Star employees and key achievers, long Service awards are
announced for employees who work with the organization for a long tenure, Employee
referral programs motivates an employee to bring their friends to work with them

9.       Employee Recreation: Employee recreation programs have been shown to reduce

absenteeism, increase performance and productivity, reduce stress levels, and increase job
satisfaction. The new term coined to define employee recreation is associate engagement. A
few examples of employee recreational activities are office outings, invitation to employees
family to come and visit employees workplace, annual sports event,  team outings,
decoration of employee workspace , organizing music clubs, dance clubs, drama clubs,
arranging training for special areas of interest of the employees

10.   Employee Benefits: Benefits are forms of value, other than payment, that are
provided to the employee in return for their contribution to the organization. Employee
benefits typically refers to retirement plans, health life insurance, life insurance, disability
insurance, vacation, employee stock ownership plans, membership to clubs, special offers
and discounts on premium products and outlets, sponsorship for education of employees
children, attractive schemes from financial institutions on purchase of assets, subsidized
food in canteen

To sum up culture is the acquired knowledge people use to interpret experience and
generate behavior and in today’s world organizations are going through a constant change
in order to maintain the best possible culture which sets an example and pave the way for
enhanced employee satisfaction.

A positive work culture can help reduce turnover costs, motivate staff, keep employees
happy and improve productivity. reating a positive work culture can be challenging, but is
possible when business leaders start treating employees more like family members than
employees. Treating employees with respect and being transparent with company
information can help transform a company into one with a positive work culture. And share
in the success of the company by offering individuals bonuses or profit sharing when
company objectives are met.

Flexibility

One of the best ways to create a positive work culture is to provide employees with flexible
hours. Of the 2010 Top Small Company Workplaces identified by Inc. magazine, 95% offer
employees flexible work arrangements. Employers motivate staff by empowering employees
to complete their work as expected but in the hours that work best for them. A flexible
schedule helps employees obtain better life balance while employers benefit by having
happier staff members who are committed to the company.

Social Responsibility

Working for a company that supports local non-profits or environmental causes can go a

long in creating a positive work culture. According to a survey by Sirota Survey
Intelligence, when employees are happy with the social responsibility of their employer,
the employees are shown to be more positive and productive than employees who work for
companies with little or no community involvement. Businesses can motivate staff to get
involved in their community by offering time off for volunteering, sponsoring community
fundraising events or highlight employees who are making a difference in the community.

Give Employees a Voice

Good ideas can come from anyone. Companies with a positive work culture encourage staff
members to provide feedback about the company. When looking for new product ideas,
ways to cut costs, or suggestions for a way to motivate staff, invite all staff members to
share ideas. Create an open and welcoming atmosphere that encourages employees to
share ideas freely.

positive work culture not only makes work more enjoyable, it can also make a company
more productive and profitable. Businesses that motivate staff, maintain a positive work
culture and continually invest in staff by offering new training and educational
opportunities are poised to weather even tough economic times.

There are many ways to improve employee motivation in the workplace but one of the most
effective is developing a worker-friendly culture. Employees work more efficiently and
productively when they enjoy the place they work and feel valued by management. There
are four major ways to improve the culture in an organization: training, communication,
family and socialization.
Employees who are well trained for their job are much more likely to have a good attitude.
People are far more likely to have good morale if they are good at what they do. In today's
rapidly changing workplace it's easy to get left behind by technology and nothing is more
deflating than not being able to complete your job because your skill level is not up to the
task. Plus, training let's your employees know that you value them and their contribution
to the workplace and that you expect that to have a future in your company. In addition, it
just plain makes business sense. Well trained employees are more productive and efficient.

Communication is vitally important to a worker-friendly culture. Make sure that you have
an open-door policy with your employees. People feel valued if you take the time to listen to
their opinions. Also, make sure that you actively seek communication - in meetings and
even with drop-bys to their work areas. Find out what they need to make their jobs
successful and take the time to get to know them personally.

For most people family responsibilities are more import than their work responsibilities.
Family issues can make work extremely difficult for some people. Offering them the
flexibility to deal with a sick parent or child, will go a long way towards better company
morale. Offering flex time, on-site day care or several days a week to work from home will
show employees you care and help you retain good employees through their difficult
personal times.

Socialization is the last major way to quickly improve employee morale. If your employees
get to know their co-workers socially they are more likely to like and enjoy working with
them. Organize impromptu gatherings after work in addition to more formal gatherings like
holiday parties and company barbecues. These parties and gatherings are a great way for
you to get to know your employees personally as well. Everyone will be more comfortable
with each other once they know each other better.

There are many ways to improve employee morale but the worker-friendly culture is one of
the most effective. Offering employee training, free and open communication, flexibility in
dealing with family issues and providing out-of-work socialization are some of the best ways
to quickly improve your organizations culture.

REF: http://www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/a-review-of-preferred-work-
culture-contributing-to-employee-satisfaction-in-todays-organizations-846870.html

Buchanan, Leigh. “Learning from the Best,” Inc., June 2010

Buchanan, Leigh. “The Art of Work,” Inc., June 2010

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