Positive corporate culture is fast emerging as the primary factor behind continued company success. Managers are starting to have a better understanding of how something that was once thought to be inconsequential at worst and marginally beneficial at best is now at the forefront of growth and achievement of goals. Times change and the way workplaces look today is very different to how they were even ten years ago. Employees have different expectations when it comes to office culture and presenteeism is now thought to hinder productivity at far greater levels than increase it. So, considering the changing nature of office culture, how can you best manage your team? Below we take a look at some ideas to make part of your management.

Abolish Presenteeism

Many companies have flexible working policies on their books and appear quite proud of them too. This is a step in the right direction but more needs to be done to discourage prevailing ideas regarding presenteeism if these policies are to be of use to all staff. It’s worth reviewing your company’s procedure for flexible working to determine whether it’s really there to be used. For example, if you need to request a day away from the office then employees may think that it’s frowned upon to do so, even though there’s an overall flexible working policy in place. Employees should be trusted to manage their own time – measure success through productivity, not time spent at the office.

Resource Management

Following on from the above point, companies need to reshape ideas about what a successful employee looks like. If one person is in the office every day and has the same level of productivity as someone who choses to work from home for the majority of the week, then both should be well-regarded in the eyes of management. What tends to happen is that employees that are in the office are seen to be more reliable and somehow better at their jobs versus ones taking advantage of flexible working. This can be combatted with the help of resource management software to help account for productivity. Tasks can be assigned through the system by management and it’s then up to employees to complete them in the set amount of time, giving you, the employer, a tangible way to manage productivity and deadlines.

Educate Your Team

Making changes to your company’s work culture and reviewing current policies are all great steps on the road to healthier, better workplaces, but you need to consider team education too. Dedicate some time, and budget if needed, to educating everyone on the team on the newly created policies and your company’s commitment to work culture changes. Making a public statement of the changes, possibly accompanied by a handbook, will demonstrate your organisation’s seriousness when it comes to these issues, giving employees a nudge in the right direction.

Work culture changes are inevitable and many of the shifts that can be currently observed in the workplace are making the life/work balance better for everybody. Companies need to be proactive when tackling and supporting cultural changes to ensure that employees stay happy and productivity doesn’t dip. With the right combination of education and tech your company can benefit from happier employees and higher rates of productivity.