Recently, Hurricane Helene made an enormous impact on the local and regional area creating massive damage. It was a bit humbling and overwhelming when everyone emerged from their shelter viewing the devastation as the storm had finally passed. As much as all attempted to be prepared, there was no way of knowing the enormity and severity of the situation until it occurred. Power, internet, water, gas, and food were either nonexistent or scarce, creating hardships and stress. Fear and a feeling of helplessness soon followed, affecting everyone.
However, the depth of the human spirit, faith, and community rose from the wreckage as people began stepping forward to help each other. Lines of separation blurred as friends, neighbors, family, fellow employees, and strangers crossed paths to keep each other together. People shared food, physical help, gas, cell phones, water, conversation, assurance, and hugs while interacting with each other. This is why we all as a community need each other much more than one would ever have guessed.
Our own office was impacted by the storm and its effects. We all worked together to utilize the resources we had at our disposal and take care of our client’s needs as best we could, along with each other, in the ensuing days. Sitting side by side in a partially lit office running on a small generator and with a few team members working remotely, we worked diligently to maintain payrolls for hundreds of clients and their thousands of employees. Mixing humor, teamwork, coordination, and food helped keep the momentum flowing while the surrounding area slowly got itself patched back together.
How can you have this same work ethic and camaraderie? Have you ever established a “stated” work culture? This is the framework that enabled our team to respond in a unified way to Hurricane Helene.
Below are some tips on how your organization can create a more successful team relationship and company culture.
How to Create a Company Culture
- Decide what your company values are and why.
For instance, does your business want to communicate integrity, commitment, accuracy, or dependability? What does your company do to show these values?
- How can you communicate these values with clarity to your team through the responsibilities for each position?
For example, if you have customer service reps, set a guideline that they must ensure that all client questions receive communication or acknowledgment within 24 hours. This shows a company’s commitment to be attentive and responsible to clients’ needs.
- Have you allowed your employees to exemplify your company values? Have you trusted them to perform?
Empower your tenured and trusted employees by allowing them to lead, showing that you have confidence in their abilities. For the employees who are not quite in that category yet, identify the areas that can be improved with training, mentoring, or disciplinary action that will reinforce the company culture and expectations.
- Celebrate the WINS for your employees who achieve the company culture and work ethic that comes from company goals or those who gain client praise to encourage all to maintain the same level of diligence.
Creating your desired company culture can help your team experience a unified effort in the face of adversity. Many other workplaces in the area experienced the same situation we did after Hurricane Helene, but there is something special about our group’s experience due to the foundation of our company values. Faced with their struggles due to the many issues created by the devastation, our team of owners and employees stepped up to ensure that client payrolls were processed on schedule so employees would not suffer without their pay. Dedication is just a word, but this group exemplified dedication beyond any dictionary reference while becoming a tighter-knit group in the process. Begin today by creating your own company culture or reinforce your existing culture to ensure success within your work family as well as your business.
Please click here to download your ConceptHR toolkit to help the culture of your company—especially during times of disaster.
Darrel Brown is Sr. Manager at ConceptHR utilizing HR, Benefits, Payroll, and Timekeeping experience to guide team members and clients toward success. He is a SHRM-CP with an MBA in Human Resources Management. His background extends into various levels of customer care, technical assistance, and troubleshooting in multiple industries such as HR, telecommunications, and transportation.
Known for being motivated and proactive while peppering a little fun into the workplace, he is always looking for the next project to complete and continuously working to ensure his team is energized and clients are receiving great care with a smile. He enjoys travel, sharing a few laughs, time with family, and the ongoing projects that seem to arise constantly at home.
