It’s becoming increasingly clear to internal communicators that company culture is an integral part of any business. And it’s especially crucial when it comes to organizations with frontline workers. A well-developed culture can have a huge impact on the overall success of an organization, as it dictates how employees interact with each other and with customers. It impacts employees with job satisfaction, a sense of belonging, and boosts morale.
Frontline workers want to feel that their workplace is safe and enjoyable. By establishing a workplace environment that is respectful and supportive, your employees will feel comfortable and secure in their roles. A positive company culture can also help promote collaboration and teamwork among your workforce, which can help them stay motivated and productive.
Three Tips to Instantly Improve Your Company Culture
Reprioritization of frontline workers runs on creating and improving their life at work. As they fight against various challenges, such as being away from family to ensuring a 100% on-site presence, introducing the following company culture measures can help:
#1
Elevating the value perception of employees
Research suggests that 51% of non-management frontline workers feel undervalued as employees. Providing flexibility and enhancing safety are ways to instantly make them feel more valued.
According to the mindset of today's millennial-dominant workforce, the expectation is that employers assist in achieving work-life autonomy. CNBC shares that workers appreciate the freedom of choosing their schedule as much as they enjoy a 10% pay salary increment. What does that mean? They prefer to work with employers who accommodate their desire for flexibility by investing in procedures and technology that increase their alternatives for mobility and self-service. Frontline employees need to be empowered with such flexibility.
When it comes to safety, organizations must make it a point to include a company culture of safety at both physical and psychological levels. Companies with frontline workers can ensure physical safety with proper training and investment in safety programs. Rewarding good safety practices is another excellent option to create a safe and employee-centric culture. Simultaneously, investing in psychological safety is also essential, as employees must feel safe, secure, and courageous to take risks. Research confirms that teams that facilitate psychological safety as part of the company culture tend to perform higher.
#2
Providing networking and mentorship opportunities
80% of frontline employees say that their company provides limited connection opportunities at work. However, when asked about how frequently they network, almost 66% report that they network less than once per month or never since the start of 2022. Moreover, 72% of frontline workers have reported that they feel they have low sponsorship, and 69% report a concern around low mentorship. Overcoming these is another great way to boost the spirit of company culture in the organization.
While most frontline workers regularly engage with their immediate managers and coworkers, only a limited few seek career advice or engage in social activities with their colleagues. By building a community and an interactive network for frontline workers, engagement and company culture can be increased. This is possible by investing in resources that support accessible, candid communication, irrespective of the employee’s location.
#3
Cultivating a learning-friendly company culture
With technological innovations, it's an efficient practice to advance people, upskill and develop them. However, as frontline employees are often geographically dispersed, they typically get limited opportunities to exchange information with their colleagues. This results in the buildup of knowledge silos. It’s clear that cultivating a knowledge-sharing environment is necessary for building a healthy and progressive company culture.
Practically speaking, knowledge-sharing can become a hassle if the frontline workers don't have a company computer or email address to receive and share important information. They’re also often out and about due to the nature of their work. Statistically, 37% of companies still need communication and collaboration tools for their frontline workers. Less than 30% of companies don't even use group chats and team collaboration tools for frontline workers.
Overcoming this issue is possible by facilitating simplified communication and experience sharing for frontline workers. With proper technological adoption, leaders can support building a suitable knowledge base. However, this effort needs to align with a frontline worker's schedule and is possible by ensuring the communication mode is mobile-first, easy to use, and supports different information formats. At the same time, it's vital to ensure that the workers are trained formally to adapt to and use the new technology. Statistically, 55% of frontline workers have had to adapt to new technology without formal training.
