by Carie McMichael | Feb 10, 2022 | Corporate Culture Audit Evergreen, Corporate Investigations
How much is employee burnout costing your business? In an era that sees many employees wear their weekly overtime and success metrics as badges of honor, keeping your team on an even keel has become a delicate dance. Burnout as a concept has certainly entered the collective lexicon as something that none of us want for ourselves, but increasingly, employers are looking to quantify how much team members going over the edge costs them at large. And what does the data tell us? Well, it paints a clear picture that preventing burnout in employees is key to holding productivity high, improving turnover, bolstering corporate culture, and so much more.
So, how much can a few frazzled employees really be costing you? Well, research indicates that burnout is at epidemic levels in the United States, leading to almost 120,000 deaths and $190 billion dollars in costs each year. Getting a little more specific, data from Gallup tells us that the burned-out employee under your radar is 2.6 times as likely to be actively looking for work elsewhere, and is 63% more likely to take a sick day in the meanwhile.
If runaway turnover rates are giving you a headache, then it’s time for a Corporate Culture Audit so you can get to the bottom of the issue—because these kinds of operational and ideological missteps can steer a course for expensive rapid-fire turnover and escalating losses.
Defining Burnout and Improving Turnover
In the name of preventing burnout in employees, it helps to understand the nature of the beast. Conveniently, this isn’t something we have to do for ourselves, because the World Health Organization has already done it for us. They classify employee burnout as a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” and list its symptoms as:
- feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings negative towards one’s career
- reduced professional productivity
When the WHO take the time to define something, then we know its a widespread public health problem, which means it’s bound to be impacting every facet of the businesses who fail to address it. What’s worse is that burnout can become contagious, spreading through an organization like a rabid infection when the driving factors are not pinpointed and stamped out. So, what lies at the root of this worrying sign of corporate culture gone astray?
Pinpointing The Causes of Burnout and High Turnover
The most common causes of employee burnout include poor direction, support, and feedback from leadership; unrealistic performance pressures; eroded culture; inefficient operational practices; and work overload. All too often, employee burnout is an entirely unnecessary impact of poor communication, workplace silos, strategic flaws, or a festering toxic corporate culture. The good news is that all of these things can be easily addressed once identified.
The key to uncovering the factors at play is a comprehensive overview, and the best route to achieving that is a Corporate Culture Audit. If you need more convincing, it’s handy to note that more than three-quarters of American workers are being negatively impacted by workplace stress. Armed with that knowledge, you’ll know that elevating your team out of that pool will give you quite the competitive edge.
Our expert corporate investigators are always ready to deploy, outfitted with just the skill set required to bring problematic permeating factors to the forefront. Their role is to help your organization lay out a clear path ahead. One that includes preventing burnout in employees, improving turnover, boosting performance, and more. If you’re ready to eliminate the beast once and for all—improving the longevity of your workforce in the process—then our team is waiting to discuss how they can assist.
by Carie McMichael | Feb 9, 2022 | Corporate Investigations
To the average Joe, the term “corporate espionage” likely sounds like something out of a spy movie. Or, at the very least, something that only happens to huge corps in high-rise buildings. But the truth is that just about any business may have assets that their competitors covet—and if those rival businesses have a rogue sense of morality, they may be willing to break the law in order to get what they want.
It doesn’t help that many companies don’t share that they’ve fallen prey to corporate espionage, but who can blame them. Would you want the public to know that your company was the victim of a crime, or would you rather that corporate investigations were kept firmly under wraps in so far as policy and good practice would allow?
So, what exactly are we talking about here—beyond the kinds of crimes you might see in a Netflix series? Well, corporate espionage is an umbrella term that covers everything from employee misconduct that sees an insider with a grudge send sensitive data to the opposition, through to sophisticated hacking, illegal forms of surveillance, and on-site theft instigated by hired criminals specializing in espionage.
By nature, corporate espionage usually means either taking something for professional gain—whether that’s trade secrets, research, intellectual property, or precious customer data—or strategically damaging a business through means such as bribery, blackmail, or cyber attack. Oh, and smaller businesses shouldn’t think that they’re immune. If you’ve got an innovative idea or precious information that offers unique value, then it pays to be vigilant.
Gaining the Upper Hand and the Moral High Ground
These days, just about all businesses gather intelligence about their rivals to one extent or another. Doing your research is invaluable when it comes to tracking what consumers are responding to and leveraging gaps in the market. However, when we know that certain companies are willing to cross the line between competition and criminality, it’s important to ask ourselves: are our defences in place, or should we be reinforcing the ramparts?
So, what—or who—is the best secret weapon to have at your side? Unquestionably, when it comes to defending against corporate espionage, turning to specialist investigators gives you the chance to outsmart your would-be assailants. In fact, strategic and cost-effective corporate investigations are ideal for uncovering the gaps in your security protocols, whether they are lapses in digital security, on-site vulnerabilities, or the kind of eroding corporate culture that can quickly evolve into workplace theft or white-collar crime.
Seasoned investigators are highly skilled at helping companies scope out their competitors—discreetly and legally—in order to stay ahead of any possible corporate espionage threats. They can also help you identify red flags that suggest workplace misconduct is escalating or sliding into dangerous territories, and guide you in building a strategy to address every weak-point revealed.
Avoid Corporate Espionage By Knowing When To Ask For Help
At times, employers know that something foul is afoot—they just don’t know what it is. An executive might be behaving strangely, a manager suddenly staying after hours, or a team member accessing restricted areas without permission. At other times, the warning signs may go undetected until crisis strikes. Modern corporate espionage techniques are smart and sneaky, and as they evolve, we must too.
When cause for concern arises, swift action is vital. But, it is also crucial that a company does not overstep legal bounds or take action that won’t reflect well later in court. As an objective outsider, a private investigator from Lauth Investigations can help you navigate the matter without risk to the company, and guide you if immediate action needs to be taken. We are also poised to help companies stay ahead of any and all threats with periodic preventative Corporate Culture Audits. Forewarned is forearmed, so why not learn more about our comprehensive auditing and corporate-specialised investigations services. Alternatively, contact our team to discuss your needs today.
by Carie McMichael | Feb 7, 2022 | Corporate Culture
These days, the idea that corporate culture is a key puzzle piece for building business success is well accepted. But culture is an illusive concept—it’s emotional, it’s instinctive—so how can we fundamentally change it? There’s no doubt that the way your team feel and think will shape how they perform. But the efforts of many businesses to transform their corporate cultures fall flat. Why? Well, culture is a slow-moving ship—it needs time to adjust course, evolve, renew, and recalibrate. And once it gets there, it needs a captain at the helm to stay on course.
A well-worded corporate manifesto or circulated memo might serve as a useful building block, but they’re hardly going to cut the mustard on their own. Instead, it helps to have a better grasp of the many moving parts of corporate culture and how to steer them as one. At times, a corporate culture audit is a must if you are to understand where you’re going to be launching off from.
What Is Corporate Culture?
Corporate culture can be seen as the ways in which the professional dynamic between leadership and teams manifest into behavioral patterns and beliefs. Sometimes also referred to as organizational culture, this all-powerful state of being dictates whether a company functions synergistically—with energy, satisfaction, and innovation in abundance—or whether employees fall into disengagement, burnout, and even patterns of workplace theft or corporate crime.
Crucially, toxic corporate culture can be a company’s undoing, while thriving corporate culture can propel a business towards commercial success and prosperous resilience. That gold-standard for corporate culture can look very different between businesses with different goals, tones, and industries—but certain truths remain universal. Read on for the five tenets of strategically supporting a corporate culture on the rise.
1. Mindsets follow behaviors—not the other way around
There is a common misconception that you have to believe something in order to act on it. Instead, neuroscience tells us that it is the habits that we enact daily that actually forge strong beliefs and iron-clad attitudes. When they said “fake it ’till you make it,” it turns out they were onto something. This is why top-down messaging is so ineffective when it comes to shifting corporate culture for the better.
2. A few key players can change the game
When striving to alter corporate culture, getting a core group of informal leaders on board is vital for achieving success. These ambassadors for change will not only convey the ideals that should define your corporate culture, but they will model them through their daily behavior. The right individuals for this task won’t necessarily be those in leadership, but that doesn’t mean leadership are off the hook. When executives and managers don’t practice what they preach, anticipate that engagement in new ideas will be snuffed out immediately.
3. The drivers of corporate culture are practical as well as ideological
If your organization is laden with communication silos or your teams lack clear direction, how can you expect the seeds of a new corporate culture to travel? We mentioned the moving parts of corporate culture, and a vital element is that engaging practical means will be key to addressing the culturally conceptual.
Better yet, introducing strategic prompts for a corporate culture evolution is the perfect opportunity to task teams with collaboration, opening up channels and improving communication in the process. When those cultural expectations are tied into business objectives in a way that you can track and demonstrate, your employees will quickly be on board and motivated.
4. When it comes to changing corporate culture, don’t expect to snap your fingers
What is corporate culture, if not a collective manifestation of your company’s journey so far? In reality, its a mirror that will tell you the truth of where past leadership decisions—and failures—have carried you. And when toxicity has set in, you might find that you don’t like what you see.
But, inescapably, corporate culture needs to be seen so that it can be gradually sculpted—it can’t be overwritten like a hard drive. Shifting the parts of corporate culture that don’t align with your goals requires having a clear understanding of where you are today. Only armed with this information can you set a course to move forwards. In gaining this insight, a Corporate Culture Audit can be an indispensable resource.
5. Corporate culture requires vigilance and management over time
Just as snapping your fingers won’t work, changing corporate culture is not a one-and-done scenario. Culture need to shift as your business objectives grow and evolve, and active monitoring is required to ensure that positive transformation sticks, holds fast, and rolls with the punches.
Far too many companies don’t realize their corporate culture has become problematic until red flags are popping up in every direction. If things get dire enough, employee theft, malingering, workplace harassment, espionage and many more potentially catastrophic symptoms of cultural erosion can take an already-strained organization to breaking point.
When those flags are raised—and ideally long before that point—individually targeted corporate investigations won’t cut it. Widespread warning signs indicate that the problem is pervasive, and a Corporate Culture Audit is the best way to gain clear oversight of the scale of infection, as well as the right course of treatment.
For businesses going strong, this valuable preventative investigation can help to illuminate weak-points and ensure that corporate culture does indeed only goes from strength to strength. Wherever you are on your corporate culture journey, Lauth Investigations are here to assist. Learn more about our comprehensive corporate auditing service, or contact our team to discuss your needs today.
by Carie McMichael | Feb 3, 2022 | Corporate Culture
Is yours is one of the businesses clamoring to get your workforce back to the office? If so, then you’ll definitely want to read this. Equally, if you see working from home as the way forwards for your team, then what we’re discussing today should be on your radar too—because, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, your corporate culture is one of the most valuable assets at risk, and you might not even have realized it. If you are to weather these giant shifts in the way that businesses operate unscathed, then improving corporate culture should be at the top of your to-do list.
Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone? In the Corona era, it’s a poignant lyric indeed—but perhaps not in the way that you imagine.
Even back when everyone came to work suited and booted, keeping track of evolutions within corporate culture was a substantial task for organizations of any size. That’s why we developed the Corporate Culture Audit here at Lauth Investigations—so that companies could enlist expert and strategic assistance is mapping out their current corporate culture standing, as well as plotting a course to reap the rewards of making sweeping improvements.
These days, when the closest interactions employers have with their teams is via a split-screen, old skill sets for fostering and reinforcing corporate culture have become redundant. But, if you’re thinking that mean you should roll back as soon as possible, hold your horses. According to research from FlexJobs, 65% of employees want to keep working from home after the pandemic, and a further 33% are fantasizing about a hybrid work arrangement. That likely means that only 2% of your entire staff are going to be coming back to the office with enthusiasm. There’s no question about it—the time has come to evolve.
Eliminating the Risks That Come With a Team Working From Home
What forges strong corporate culture? Constructive social bonds and a clear sense of the values and purpose of the organization at hand are vital ingredients—and these ingredients require communication and resources if their flavors are to take. While employees might be lauding the creature comforts of home and being able to ditch the commute, are they losing opportunities for critical relationship-building and meaningful interactions with leadership?
Sadly, many companies are already reeling, having not pivoted effectively. Research from Gallup highlighted that employees working from home are 10% less likely to feel that their contributions are being recognized, 10% less likely to think that someone cares about them at work, and among them, only 60% feel certain of what their company stands for. Meanwhile, the same research tells us that turnover is up 24%, which means that alarm bells should be ringing. This is companies putting their reputation and performance on the line in real-time, so its time to get serious about building corporate culture remotely.
Unlock the Potential of Working From Home With a Corporate Culture Audit
The key to improving corporate culture is investing in deepening working relationships, and the first step is understanding exactly where you are today, so you can plot a course for tomorrow. Without a solid overview technology can be an aid, but it can also be a crutch. To ensure that your evolving corporate culture strategy is on-point, turn to seasoned experts for guidance via a comprehensive Corporate Culture Audit.
This innovative process serves as a health check for your business, helping you better understand the dynamics at play within a team riding the wave of a fast-changing world. Corporate Investigators from Lauth Investigations will help you make sense of this new form of navigation—ensuring that you’re not only on track to weather the storm, but ultimately robust and thriving when the storm has passed and your competitors are still trying to get their bearings. Discover more about Corporate Culture Audits, or simply contact our team today to discuss your needs. As the landscape of business changes, the next evolution of your prosperity is our objective.
by Carie McMichael | Feb 2, 2022 | Corporate Culture
Companies across America spend a fortune on curating and dispatching just the right marketing messages—in fact, last year alone, that number ran to roughly 296.4 billion U.S. dollars. But its interesting to ponder how many of these businesses and organizations pause to think about the messages they send inward. If a well or poorly-chosen tagline can make or break your next big campaign, what sort of cues do you imagine language in the workplace might be serving up to your employees?
The Power of Words
Just like any other element of an organization’s branding, the way that communication flows between many turning inner cogs plays a powerful role in shaping the performance of teams, employee turnover rates, and the perceptions of potential future hires. A strategy for the way that words are used is a vital resource for improving corporate culture and, in all truth, these days companies have to be more careful about language than ever.
That’s because, in a world that sees every word immortalized by technology, poor language choices can travel—reaching not only employees, but also wider audiences, doing untold damage in the process. Meanwhile, larger organizations that drop the ball may be unaware that a festering vernacular has taken hold among middle-management, triggering burnout and turnover that doesn’t leave a paper trail. In many cases, a Corporate Culture Audit becomes the only way that executives can get to the bottom of a hard-to-track unraveling.
These days, great leaders understand that thriving corporate culture is key to driving productivity and delivering soaring profits. While attractive perks and trendy communal spaces might make a business look appealing on paper, a culture driven by aggressive or negative language will inevitably derail efforts in other areas. It’s all about perception: Does language in the workplace make employees feel proud and supported, or stressed and marginalized? In an era that sees 86% of job seekers avoid companies with a bad reputation, could language be costing you the very talent that your brand deserves to attract?
Language Changes Everything
On a subconscious level, language impacts the way we feel, the decisions we make, and the goals we pursue. Facebook serves up a fascinating example of the power of a few words strung together. As a company that began subversively and grew to dominate the global social media stage, Facebook has been no stranger to perception crises—but it has adjusted course at various junctures by altering its language.
In 2014, denoting the brand’s maturation away from its rebellious roots, Facebook changed its brand motto from “Move fast and break things,” to “Move fast with stable infrastructure.” In 2021, following heat over Facebook’s failure to police nefarious users, the brand changed it’s mission statement from “Make the world more open and connected,” to “Bringing the world closer together.” It’s interesting to take a moment for introspection, and consider how these shifts change the way we feel about the mega-brand.
Improving Corporate Culture Through Language in the Workplace
Of course, Facebook’s linguistic pivots are public examples—but what about language used behind closed doors? Subtle differences in the makeup of everyday language in the workplace can serve as a pendulum of influence that either provides your teams with fuel, agency, and direction, or robs them of it entirely. The good news is that when language shifts, behavior always follows. The key is identifying the idealogical roadblocks that are being perpetuated through words through a Corporate Culture Audit process. This allows organizations to reveal the tricky-to-pinpoint thorns in their side, and provides a roadmap to correction, including strategising a rich lexicon that motivates and attracts the crucial elements for success.
If improving corporate culture is on your agenda, have no doubt that overlooking the power of language would be a grievous mistake. Private Investigators from Lauth Investigations International are not only versed in uncovering the silos, security risks, and malfeasance that may have taken hold in your workplace, but also analyzing and adjusting the finer points of culture—down to the last sentence. If you’d like to know more about how we can transform language in the workplace into your brand’s superpower, contact our team today.
