Workplace culture will usually determine how well a business is run, including its employee relationships. Many businesses find the whole issue of disciplinary processes disruptive and a drag on their resources. Regardless of how well they deal with them, the underlying cause of this kind of disruption will be found in the workplace culture.
People in Business
Across a range of sectors the one thing businesses have in common is people. Relationships are what govern how companies run and if these relationships are not consistent, then this increases the likelihood of disciplinary issues occurring.
Stable workforces indicate greater levels of contentment in the workplace, and less turnover of staff is likely to mean better performance all round.
What business leaders and managing directors must understand is that they are the people who will set the tone. This is particularly true of small and medium-sized enterprises, and family-owned and run businesses.
For many people running companies, the business is an extension of themselves, and can take on aspects of their own personality, both good and bad.
The same emotions that can drive a business in its start-up phase may hinder its long-term growth. This is because the art of building a strong workplace culture lies in listening to the opinions of others and making it clear to them that these opinions are valid.
The danger for very driven individuals is that the same strength of opinion that has enabled them to get started will come across as too unyielding, even bullying in some instances.
Change from the Top Down
While building good employee relationships is definitely a two-way process, cultural shifts at work have to come from the top down, transmitting positive signals that people’s efforts and opinions are truly valued.
Leaders and managers sometimes underestimate their impact on the culture of businesses they run, when they should be building a climate of trust.
Getting disciplinary processes right and following procedures are vital in work, but so are the ways in which businesses can prevent disciplinary issues arising in the first place.
The disciplinary-free workplace may seem, to some, like an unrealisable dream, but it can be achieved through the right attention to detail when it comes to establishing a positive workplace culture.
To discover how to improve your workplace culture and work towards a disciplinary-free business, please contact Ubuntu HR.