The modern workplace is ever-changing, and with that comes new challenges for employers regarding maintaining a safe and comfortable environment for their employees. As an employer, one of the best ways to ensure your workplace is safe and up to par is by conducting a company culture audit.
A company culture audit thoroughly examines your workplace culture and policies to identify areas requiring improvement. It is often conducted internally to enable managers to see just how well their employees communicate and act and how well the organization’s values are reflected in the employees at every given time.
A culture audit is essential for organizations for several reasons;
It can help point out culture problems.
After a thorough culture audit, the management can uncover several things, including dissatisfied employees, communication issues, and other hidden issues that adversely affect the organization’s culture.
It helps improve the workplace culture.
Managers and business owners can only improve their workplace cultures after measuring them. A culture audit, therefore, helps organizations target all those areas and sectors that require improvements. Besides, a thorough company culture audit can suggest the appropriate initiatives for implementation.
It gives employees freedom of speech.
In most organizations, employees rarely have the opportunity to speak up when they notice a problem with their culture. However, a culture audit allows employees to voice their opinions about the things affecting their culture.
Evaluates how well your efforts have impacted your organization’s culture
As a manager or business owner, you must have taken several steps to create a healthy company culture. Nevertheless, it can be hard to tell the effectiveness of your steps without a proper culture audit. However, through a culture audit, you can get to know the extent your organization’s culture is improving, so you can, in turn, make relevant adjustments.
It helps you retain talents.
Above all, a company culture audit will help you retain your employees. There are indications that most employees would prefer to work in companies with a better culture. According to statistics, 48% of employees who believe their company culture is poor often seek new employment. But then, a company culture audit will help you determine whether your employees are happy, so you can make adjustments and changes before they decide to leave.
However, when conducting a company culture audit, there are a few areas you need to focus on to ensure that your workplace is a safe and welcoming environment for all of your employees. They include;
Workplace safety
Workplace safety comprises an integral part of the workplace culture. Unlike in unsafe work settings, employees are generally happier in safer work environments. Therefore, while doing a culture audit of your organization, you must determine if your existing policies and procedures adequately address safety concerns. You must also find out if the working environment is free of potential hazards. And above all, are your employees trained on how well to stay safe at work? Finally, of course, you should be ready to modify your procedures or suggest actionable steps to improve safety within your organization at the end of the culture audit.
Workplace environment
A favorable workplace environment is undoubtedly more attractive to employees. However, the truth is that when the working environment is conducive, employees can easily work according to their full potential, which is often reflected in high productivity and high-profit margins. Therefore, during your company’s culture audit, you need to determine whether your workplace is comfortable and conducive to productivity. For example, find out if your employees can take breaks when needed and whether they have access to all the necessary resources to do their jobs effectively. Again, after the findings, you should be able to make proposals and take steps toward improving the workplace environment.
Employee wellbeing
Employee wellbeing refers to an organization’s overall physical, mental, emotional, and economic health. Positive employee wellbeing is reflected in high rates of employee retention, higher levels of productivity, and higher profit margins and returns on investment. Therefore, as a leader or manager, you must determine if your employees are supported in their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. And, of course, the best way to find this out is through a culture audit. During the audit, be intentional about finding out if they have access to affordable and quality healthcare. Also, ask them if they have a good work/life balance and take the proper steps to improve their wellbeing.
Diversity and inclusion
Diversity and inclusion are also critical in most workplaces. There is always a cause for concern when certain groups of people feel discriminated against within the workplace. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that diversity and inclusion be one of the most significant areas of focus during a culture audit of an organization. The culture audit is, therefore, the perfect opportunity to find out if your workplace represents the diversity of your community and whether or not your employees feel valued and included, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or other identities.
Sexual harassment and discrimination
Whether we admit it or not, sexual harassment and discrimination are more common in workplaces than many people want to admit. And, of course, it takes a toll on individual victims and the organization. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on sexual harassment and discrimination during a culture audit. You should ask yourself whether you have implemented the right policies and procedures to prevent and address sexual harassment and discrimination within your organization. Also, you must determine if your employees know of such policies and procedures.
In the United States, the corporate landscape is ever-growing and changing based on consumer needs. As companies seem to only get bigger, it’s understandable how a working professional would not want to be just another cog in the corporate machine. This is one of many reasons why startups are so attractive in concept to the workforce, especially young professionals who are just beginning to build a resume. The unmitigated potential to rise through the ranks is often one of the biggest reasons former employees choose to dismiss the risk associated with working for a startup. But before you sign paperwork to become part of a unique mission or vision, there are questions you should have prepared for an interviewer with promises of free lunches and an “exciting work environment.”
First and foremost, there is no such thing as a one-sided employment interview. A prospective employee should use the interview as an opportunity to ask just as many questions of a prospective employer regarding how well they will fit into the corporate structure. Before submitting to an interview with any startup, it’s important that a candidate do their research and come prepared with inquiries regarding many aspects of a startup’s mission, vision, and culture.
What is the nature of your current cash flow, and what contingency plans do you have in place should funding evaporate?
Young professionals especially will skip this question, either because they’ve never applied for a startup position, or because they don’t expect to understand the answer. However, there is typically information available about a startup’s capital on the internet before asking in the interview. Additionally, the interviewer’s ability to answer this question is directly relevant to the culture of the startup. Even if the interviewer is not a C-level executive, they should be equipped within reason to answer any and all questions a prospective employee might have regarding the startup’s trajectory. Failure to answer this question to the candidate’s satisfaction could be an indicator that the startup is only focused on recruiting bodies for the organization.
What are the onboarding and training procedures associated with this position?
The idea of receiving little to no training may sound ludicrous to both experienced and novice professionals alike. However, the quality of training in the early stages of a startup can be wildly inconsistent across the board. There are some professionals who will feel comfortable with being thrown in the proverbial deep end and learning to swim on their own, but that is why it is crucial to establish the training protocol during the interview so the candidate can determine whether or not they will be able to thrive in the workplace.
What level of input will I be required to have in decision-making?
Some startups are looking for problem solvers, while others are looking for staff who can support the decision-makers in their vision and strategy for the company. Regardless, it’s important to know what is expected of you regarding your professional opinion on day-to-day operations. It is just as important to know what level of value that opinion will be given by management and how flexible they are in weighing diverse perspectives amongst their staff.
What is my projected rate of compensation, and how much flexibility is there that compensation?
One of the biggest red flags in a recruitment advertisement for a startup is vagueness regarding the compensation, especially if it boasts other perks for the job such as free lunches, employee lounges, or merit-based incentives to inspire employees to reach for the stars. This is a common tactic used to get candidates through the front doors of the startup in order to give them the flashy elevator pitch from inside the allegedly exciting workplace. While it’s true that some startups do offer legitimate perks in addition to adequate compensation, candidates must be on their guard and be prepared to ask detailed questions regarding salary.
What can you tell me about this company’s values, and what is your execution plan for maintaining those values?
Once again, this is a question you should ask in any job interview, and the interviewer’s ability to answer this question to your satisfaction are crucial to your decision of joining a startup. A company’s values—startup or otherwise–should always be made crystal clear for all employees, and therefore any employee should be able to answer. Those values must also be intrinsic to day-to-day operations, and must be part of every decision made within the corporate structure. It will impact how management builds trust within their teams, how employees are affected in their long-term tenure, and how well a startup will eventually reach its projected potential. If the interviewer is not able to clearly explain the startup’s values, it’s a enormous red flag that says you should look for employment elsewhere.
If you’ve never had to navigate the corporate world, you know that startups can be a great place for brand new professionals to begin padding their resumes with relevant experience in the corporate world. Startups can serve as a literal springboard for careers across all industries, but there is often an enormous drawback when it comes to small company just starting out—pervasive, toxic corporate culture. Professionals hoping to launch a startup have a duty to be vigilant of signs of toxic startups in order to preserve the longevity of the company in the future.
Ego in leadership
When those at the top of the chain of command fail to recognize the hard work of those employees working under them, it can foster an unfulfilling work environment. Executives with a history of taking victory laps that belong to their employees are sure to poison the well—driving up turnover, exacerbating burnout, and actively contributing to the decline of the company. In order to ensure ego in leadership does not interfere with the company’s mission, leadership should always go out of their way to acknowledge the hard work of their employees.
“Yes-man” complex
Another one of the signs of toxic startups is when those in leadership are unable to take criticism or hear ideas that might not be 100% aligned with their vision of a project or direction to take the startup. When there is no room for criticism from those heavily involved with the nuts and bolts of day-to-day operations, those operations will never improve or become more efficient over time. Consequently, this also creates a workforce full of sycophancy and yes-men who do not feel comfortable bringing problems or new perspectives to the attention of leadership.
Lack of diversity
When everyone in the company looks the same, they will be inclined to make the same mistakes over and over again. Even in workplace environments where criticism is welcomed by leadership, a lack of diversity ensures that the incoming opinions and perspectives will be limited. Without diversity, it’s also unlikely leadership will be able to anticipate or prepare for inevitable consequences as a result.
High turnover
One of the most common signs of toxic startups is high degrees of turnover. Every business should expect some rate of turnover in the course of their operations, but high rates of turnover are a sign that there are pervasive problems with a startup’s culture that are not being addressed. When those problems are ignored, employees quickly become fed up with the inattention and seek employment elsewhere.
The “family” narrative
The smaller a company is, the more likely employees will develop close relationships in pursuit of the company mission. While strong working relationships are important for a business to thrive, no workforce should think of their coworkers as family. Even in the best-case scenario of the family narrative blurs the important boundaries between the employees’ personal and professional lives. Under the worst of circumstances, the family narrative can be weaponized against employees by forcing them to form emotional attachments with their work that prevents them from practicing healthy work-life balance, and distorting their own sense of identity.
Earlier this January, the world of the NFL was completely rocked by the collapse of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin on the field during a cardiac arrest that stopped the game cold in a historically unprecedented event. Damar Hamlin spent more than a week in the hospital as physicians attempted to untangle the cause and effect of the cardiac arrest in the 24-year-old safety. He was then discharged with the full confidence of his doctors to continue rehabilitation at home according to a statement released by the Bills. While the freak occurrence has sparked an outpouring of emotional and financial support for Damar Hamlin and his charitable foundation respectively, it has also sparked a larger conversation amongst players, commentators, and fans alike regarding how the NFL cares for their best and boldest when it comes to their quality of care and investment in their longevity.
In team sports such as football, where the players play under the direction or control of a coach and/or manager, they are considered employees of the parent organization—in this case the NFL. It’s difficult to think of sports franchises as having a corporate structure, but in the same way the practices, policies, and procedures of a corporation can have an effect on the employees at the bottom of the chain of command, the way the NFL chooses how to prioritize the health and well-being of their players obviously has a ripple effect throughout the franchise. When talking about corporate culture, leadership is always advised to prioritize the health and happiness of their employees over profit, and players in the NFL should be no exception.
Damar Hamlin was originally hospitalized during a game in Cincinatti against the Bengals when his heart stopped following a tackle on January 2. While no cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest and collapse has been publicly disclosed, the Bills’ Twitter account reported that he underwent a “comprehensive medical evaluation, as well as a series of cardiac, neurological, and vascular testing.” His recovery from this incident was accredited to the swift response of medical personnel who rushed the field after Hamlin went down—Hamlin was revived twice before even being taken off the field—actions which not only saved his life, but his long-term neurological function. The incident shook both players and fans alike as they struggled to wrap their minds around how a 24-year-old, second-year NFL player could suffer such a traumatic medical event.
The game was eventually cancelled outright by the NFL, garnering raised eyebrows and visions of a future pivot of values within the league that prioritizes players’ health and safety over the fan experience of the sport. It’s true that pro-athletes have suffered devastating injuries on the field before, but the overall reaction from the teams, the staff, fans, and the NFL have marked this event as significant in the ongoing discourse surrounding care of pro-athletes. While Hamlin may have received thoughts and prayers from fellow players and fans, it still left open the question of how Hamlin would be able to access financial support for his medical needs in the event he would not be able to play another game in the NFL. Due to being only two years into his contract, Hamlin would not have been able to access his pension. However, after an appeal to the NFL and NFLPA by the Bills organization on his behalf, in an unprecedented move, it has been announced that Damar Hamlin’s contract has been adjusted so that he can have access to the $3.64 million set out in his four-year contract with the Bills—a decision that could be a harbinger of positive changes on the horizon when it comes to the terms of future pro-athletes’ contracts.
What happened to Damar Hamlin has sparked a comprehensive conversation regarding the terms of players’ contracts and how the NFL chooses to enforce those contracts. Choosing to pay Damar Hamlin in full for a four-year contract in his second year of tenure with the Bills to mitigate the financial impact of what he survived on the football field is an undeniable prioritization of his well-being. Should the NFL continue to make similar decisions with other players who are injured during games going forward, it would be a marked improvement in the corporate culture of the organization.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow for businesses across the United States that prosecutions for workplace violence have fallen in recent years, but these kinds of incidents continue to grow in frequency—with more than ever resulting in deadly shootings.
Here at Lauth Investigations International, among the spectrum of workplace investigations services that we provide, our comprehensive violence and threat assessment has seen steady demand as business owners recognize the dangers posed to their workforces. The question is, do you need a violence and threat assessment for your business, clinic, or hospital? Here’s what you need to know.
Why Workplace Violence and Threat Readiness Should Be a Priority
Whether you are a human resources professional or an entrepreneur steering a private organization, if your enterprise calls a healthcare setting home, then the risk for your team is real. Alarmingly, some 75% of all workplace violence incidents in the United States involve healthcare professionals, and this danger places them 12 times more at risk than other workforces.
However, that doesn’t mean that other industries are immune to the perils of workplace violence. In fact, a survey in human resources oversight revealed that 48% of American organizations had experienced workplace violence at one time or another. Offering further clues to those weighing the value of preventative measures, the New York State Department of Labor provides the following examples of employment situations that may pose higher risks of workplace violence:
Duties that involve the exchange of money
Delivery of passengers, goods, or services
Duties that involve mobile workplace assignments
Working with unstable or volatile persons in health care, social service, or criminal justice settings
Working alone or in small numbers
Working late at night or during early morning hours
Working in high-crime areas
Duties that involve guarding valuable property or possessions
Working in community-based settings
Working in a location with uncontrolled public access to the workplace
Combating Workplace Violence for Your Company
While having a clear policy on workplace investigations in order to respond to violent or threatening behavior is critical, it is one of the last elements of a well-rounded workplace violence prevention and management plan. In order to avoid liability, injury, or worse, your company’s policy should span from proactive prevention through to timely response and investigation.
First must come efforts to make your organization and employees hard targets for potential perpetrators through effective security procedures, clear recruitment and conduct policies, and ongoing training and awareness. It is also vital to understand corporate culture importance—because when toxicity takes hold within a professional setting, violence is only one of the unwelcome symptoms that may ensue.
A violence and threat assessment is an excellent way to hit the ground running, providing a clear plan of how to mitigate risk and safeguard your team against harm. A deeper understanding of the current health metrics of your workplace can be gleaned with a corporate culture audit—a particularly essential aid when incidents of violence or threatening behavior have already become pervasive. Finally, thorough background screening of all incoming employees can help to prevent the welcoming of a dangerous individual into your workforce. Most businesses find expert external guidance in these areas to be essential when it comes to protecting their teams and ensuring that optimal productivity can continue. To find all of these services alongside skilled investigative support for human resource investigations, turn to the seasoned and specialist corporate team here at Lauth Investigations International. We can provide tailored solutions to help your unique organization meet its ultimate goals, so get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation.
