Most companies think that hiring top-tier talent is all that it will take to boost their productivity. Even though investing in the best talent will always be an essential element to long-term success, something that is often overlooked by many architecture firms is the clear correlation between the firm’s culture and increased employee productivity. Here are some tips for creating better employee engagement through creating and managing your firm’s culture.
Support Healthy Balance of Competition and Collaboration
Focus on creating a high-performance culture by supporting healthy competition and collaboration on your team. Create individual goals which encourage competition, while also establishing team goals which encourage collaboration. For this to be effective, team members should also be encouraged to share their opinions, and to hold each other accountable for accomplishing projects on time. Healthy competition should be embraced as a form of motivation. Just stay focused on helping you team work smarter instead of harder.
Reward Top Performers
Many firms fail to appreciate and reward their best employees. This is a mistake in the current market. From bonuses to travel rewards, there are a variety of different ways to entice your team members to perform better. Some firms make the mistake of rewarding average employees the same as their high performers. This participation trophy mentality tends to encourage mediocrity. Firms with effective rewards programs have better employee retention and productivity. Some examples of financial rewards are profit-sharing programs, quarterly performance bonuses, and lower health insurance premiums for top performers. Another strong motivator is offering extra paid time off to those employees that have exceptional attendance and performance records.
More Flexibility
A strong work-life balance is more important now than it has ever been. The traditional 9 to 5 work day is quickly becoming outdated; younger workers prefer more flexibility at work. Find ways to offer more flexibility around processes, policies, and schedules. Some companies keep standard office hours yet embrace the flexibility that technology can provide. This is a fantastic way to extend more options to your team. Effective planning and communication are essential to creating flexible work arrangements. Be open to alternative methods to reach shared goals. Avoid micromanagement so that people can enjoy their work, because people who like their firm’s environment are more productive than those who don’t.
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