How to Create a Thriving Great Work Culture

It is a balmy tropical Thursday evening in May.Men and women, dressed to the nines in serious style, milled around the room decked out in futuristic décor.Large flat screens flashed – Back to the Future: Hall of Fame.I am sitting at a table of 7 in a room of around 150 people. We are all seated and chatting with excitement.The conversation buzzed with friendly rivalries and bets. “Who do you think will win?” Smoke swirled and laser lights beamed around the room. The DJ was in the zone; keeping the crowd hyped and their anticipation amped with the music selection.Then the male and female Master of Ceremonies took to the stage…I smiled.This is definitely NOT your usual Annual Employee Awards Ceremony!It was a tremendous honour to be the guest speaker at the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa annual Employee Awards this month.Here is a snippet of my opening remarks.

“I have a confession to make to you. As an HR professional, it is very tough to say this out loud.Employee Award Ceremonies are usually a really dry affair.Maddeningly, they are famous for boring and uninspiring award categories such as the typical; Employee of the Year, Manager of the Year, Back of House Personality [as if people who work in the heart of house functions don’t have a personality – now that is just rude!!]Sadly, it is too rare that we stop and take a break from the crazy busy rat race.We don’t make the time to genuinely celebrate the individuals, who do amazing work in our organisations and wider communities.We don’t do it often enough.When I received an invitation to be your guest speaker, I was pleased. I believe that employee awards are a fabulous opportunity to recognise and reward outstanding contribution.When I was told the theme, ‘Back to the Future – Hall of Fame’; I was intrigued. Mm!When I received the email with the titles of the Award Categories, I grinned and started to do the happy dance.Gone were the boring and uninspiring award categories. Instead, I was delighted to read;

Mover and Shaker of the Year!

Circle of Joy Award!

Standing Ovation Award!

Money Maker Award!

Heart of House Award etc.

My HR heart began to sing. Now this right here is a CELEBRATION!"

Now this week’s post is not about my speech to the remarkable Sandals team.This week’s post is about the multiple brainpokes that resulted in participating and sharing in the experience of this spectacular annual employee award ceremony.Unexpected experiences have a knack of inviting reflection and triggering a (re)action.This is where my brainpokes led me.REFLECTION

How do you create a great work culture?
What are the uncommonly good things that thriving cultures do?
How do the leaders in great workplaces turn the ordinary (e.g. annual employee awards) into the extraordinary?

Here are 6 ideas to inspire you to (re)connect with what actually matters to your employee community and the business.When put into action, these ideas can help you on the path to creating a thriving culture and a great workplace.

6 Uncommonly Good Things Great Workplaces Have in Common

6 Brainpokes.1. Creative and Meaningful Award Categories: Sandals have raised the bar high with their creative, fresh take on the standard staff awards categories. Draw inspiration from Sandals and ditch the dull as dishwater Manager of the Year, Employee of the Year categories. Trade them in for titles that has meaning for your business and your employees actually would love to be awarded.2. Happiness: I work with luxury hotel brands and I am fond of sharing this quote at the start of conversations about employee engagement projects.

“It has been said that luxury cannot originate from unhappy people working in an unhappy environment. Our experiences have proven this to be as true.” E.M.M of Imperial Black – makers and purveyors of handmade luxury shirts.

The smart folks at Gapingvoid say this on the subject of employee happiness.“There’s a popular phrase in HR circles doing the rounds, about Letting employees bring their best selves to work. Not only is it a nice idea, it makes economic sense. People’s best selves do far better work, than people’s crappy selves. Of course they do. For the same reason happy chickens lay more eggs than unhappy chickens.” Gapingvoid.I say this. Happiness is a personal choice. Spending time and precious (financial) resources solely on making your employees ‘happy’ is a fool’s errand. Instead, invest in creating a work environment where doing great work is possible, actively encouraged, and ultimately recognised and rewarded. Employee ‘happiness’ is one of the many positive and valuable outcomes of creating a great work culture.The role of HR and other business leaders must be focused on clearing the path of obstacles to achieve success. Obstacles such as poor processes, toxic culture, weak or aggressive leadership can cause friction and prevent a culture of great work from taking root.3. Great Work Focus: So what is this Great Work? I recently read, “Do More Great Work” by Michael Bungay Stanier. His easy to grasp descriptions and the simple way he connects the dots between employees’ work and business success is straightforward. Even better, they are easy to apply operationally. Follow the thread.First, “Good Work is the familiar useful productive work you do […] At an organizational level, Good Work is vital. It is a company’s bread and butter – the efficient, focused, profitable work that delivers next quarter’s returns.”“Great Work is the work that is meaningful to you, that has an impact and makes a difference. It inspires, stretches and provokes. Great work is the work that matters […] For organizations, Great Work drives strategic difference, innovation, and longevity. Often it’s the kind of work that pushes business forward, that leads to new products, more efficient systems, and increased profits.”

GIVE ME MORE GREAT WORK PLEASE!

4. Competition Fuels Camaraderie: The concept of “everyone is a winner” is completely out of touch with reality. Workplaces with clear purpose and friendly rivalries have a vibrant buzz.Let’s be honest. Do you really think that your employees want to be served a meaningless mush of mediocrity? This dish of misguided altruism at best, and lazy pandering to the lowest common denominator at worst, will leave even your most committed employees cold.When each member of your employee community understand how their work contributes to something bigger, and feel secure that their skills and abilities are an important part of their team’s success; the sky is truly the limit.Build your recognition activities around the remarkable and the values they represent. These are your employees who relish responsibility and accountability, take pride in their work and want the organisation to succeed. When you celebrate them and help them to shine, you increase the chances that they may inspire others to shine too.5. Kindness: Give what you wish to receive. In the business context; give your employees what you want them to give to your customers.Here’s a novel idea from Kindness & Co. Ditch the cheesy old employee appreciation gifts and certificates. Why not give the gift of an experience of kindness. I had a chat with Founder Jesse Weinberg and was bowled over by simplicity and exponential value in this idea when executed in the right way.Kindness impact potential trajectory: the giver (HR, Leader) -> the recipient (the employee or customer) -> the organisation (internal culture) -> the business -> the community -> the world?

Check out the Random Acts of Kindness Kit - HERE.

6. A Culture of Gratitude: Last and by no means least, this is a super simple and often overlooked great culture turbo charger.Simply saying a sincere T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U, verbally in person or via an old fashioned handwritten note or card, speaks volumes. Genuine gratitude resonates with both the giver and the receiver and echoes throughout the team and organisation.There is no app required for that.Which would you treasure most; a handwritten thank you note or email? Why?There you have it, my 6 brainpokes of uncommonly good things that you will find in a thriving great workplace.

So tell me, how are you creating a thriving great work culture? I would love to hear.
What other uncommon new ideas or a fresh-take on an old concept can you share?

Let me know in the comments!

Until we meet again down the HR Rabbit Hole…