The core values of an organization are one of the integral aspects of its operations. Basically, the company values clearly outline the principles regarding the vision, mission, and beliefs of an organization. They help in bringing everyone in the organization on the same page. You can think of them as foundations of the guiding philosophy for serving customers, employees, and the surrounding community.
When you set out to build a day off tracker for employees, it is important to ensure that the system aligns with your company values. However, the effectiveness of such solutions depends largely on how leaders communicate them to employees. The following discussion dives into the significance of company values and the best practices for communicating them to your employees.
Why Are Company Values Important?
Before diving into the ways for communicating company values to employees, it is important to understand their significance. You could easily find the core values of an organization in prominently large or bold print on their websites or posted on signs across all organization locations. Some of the notable values include integrity, honesty, diversity and inclusion, fairness, accountability, teamwork, quality, learning, and passion. Now, any business owner would wonder about their necessity in a case where they are developing a leave tracker solution. Let us take a look at some numbers which showcase the significance of company values in the modern business environment.
- Almost 33% of employees all over the world perceive the mission and purpose of their organization as significant factors in identifying the importance of their jobs.
- According to the 2019 Global Human Capital Trends report by Deloitte, almost 53% of respondents find their organizations effective at generating meaningful work.
- Most important of all, 67% of employees feel the need for frequent and improved communication from employers.
Therefore, it is quite clear that company values play a massive role in defining how an employee perceives their significance. At the same time, alignment with them is an essential requirement for employees to adapt to changes such as introduction of new PTO tracking software. So, how do companies ensure that their employees are aware of the core values? The conventional approaches for onboarding new recruits through training sessions can play a fundamental role in introducing employees to the values of the organization. However, it is important to wonder whether the training sessions can help employees relate to your company values.
Communicating Company Values to Employees
As your organization grows and increases the employee count, it is important for leaders to ensure that your company values don’t get lost in translation. Even with the introduction of new tools such as vacation trackers and hr tools, company values can ensure that an organization sticks to its ethics and primary goals. However, the changing norms of communication have also created troubles in communicating core values to employees. Let us find out some of the best practices recommended by experts for conveying them to employees productively.
Leading by Action
One of the foremost approaches for communicating your company values to employees is through action. In most cases, business leaders have to show the company values in action to employees. For example, if service is a company value, leaders should show how to help a customer. If empathy is a company value, then leaders should show it by truly interacting with a staff member. Leaders capable of showcasing their values in action can encourage integrity, thereby opening avenues for excellence and ethical behavior.
Simpler Statements
The next suggestion for communicating company values to employees in change management scenarios involving the introduction of an employee leave tracker app would be the simplification of value statements. Leaders should focus on conveying their mission, vision, and values in single sentences. Employees cannot understand complex and verbose value statements and ultimately end up failing to follow them. After simplification of their value statements, leaders should discuss the company values with employees by using real-world examples and references.
The Culture Playbook
The culture playbook is also another promising instrument for HR managers to ensure effective communication of core values. Developing a culture playbook around each core value of a company could help in showcasing what exactly qualifies as ‘right’ in the company environment. Focus on outlining the meaning of each value and build on experiences for defining what is ‘right’ in the case of each value. It can help employees to see the values clearly and easily, thereby making it easier for them to follow the values.
Offer Recognition
Leaders should work in improving the prospects for recognition of employees who showcase company values. Recognition for leaders’ efforts in upholding them could encourage them to adhere to the values. Public recognition for actions driven by company values could be an effective method for communicating them to employees. In addition, it is also important for leaders to take note of the instances where employees don’t follow company values.
Comprehensive Involvement
Another striking suggestion for HR management to improve communication of company values to employees is the involvement of employees. Leaders who bring every employee into the annual strategic planning routines and quarterly reviews have better chances at employee engagement.
All the employees could easily understand the planned trajectory of the company for the year. At the same time, employees could also find out how the company’s journey will evolve over the year in real-time. Most importantly, the involvement of employees in strategic planning helps them perceive their role and impact on the company’s strategic plan.
Interweaving Values and Success
Businesses should recognize the importance of company values in their growth and adoption of new technologies. An organization that can adhere to its core values is more likely to withstand the pressure of change management. Therefore, introducing a new free vacation tracker would have limited influence on strategic objectives of the company.
The company values help employees build a better connection with the organization, thereby achieving improved productivity. Start discovering more about their importance and how they affect the competitive advantage of organizations. Leaders who are able to communicate their values effectively can encourage improved employee engagement. Know more about the company values that can support your organization’s growth.