Why Organizational Culture is Vital
Organizational culture is like the extra roll of toilet paper in a public restroom – you don’t often notice it until its not there.
In times of prosperity, the importance of organizational culture is thought to be overstated. But through hardships like COVID-19 and the more recent recession of our economy, an organization’s cultural strength can be vital for survival.
Prior to COVID-19, roughly 30% of the workforce was remote. Post pandemic, that number skyrocketed by nearly doubling overnight. “This unintended experiment in mass-scale remote work shattered one of the most durable myths about the workforce: You can’t trust employees to do their jobs if you can’t see them.” Still, in 2023, employers are figuring out how to best navigate the future of remote work and how this will effect their organization’s culture.
A recent Gartner survey of 5,000 employees found that “about one-third of newly remote or hybrid employees report their organization’s culture has changed since starting to work remotely – and most of them say it’s a change for the better.” It also found that these same employees are:
- 2.4 times more likely to report high employee engagement
- 2.7 times more likely to report high discretionary effort and intent to stay
- 3.5 times more likely to report high inclusion than employees who report their organization’s culture has deteriorated
There is not a one-size-fits all culture that will support a successful remote workplace. The key to ensuring a thriving culture is to intentionally design and continuously improve upon practices that will be reinforced by the company’s leadership across the entirety of the organization.