Cul·ture (noun) // the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.

According to ERC, a positive company culture “attracts talent, drives engagement, impacts happiness and satisfaction, and affects performance.” The culture of your workplace is developed naturally by the people you hire and the personalities they posses. However, it’s also affected by the policies you implement, the management style of your leadership team, office practices, and more. While a great workplace culture happens naturally to some extent, to sustain a long-lasting, strong culture, there must be some intentional thought and implementation, as well.

We take company culture seriously because we understand the significant role it plays in creating a productive and positive work environment. Interacting with co-workers in a different capacity helps us get to know each other better.

Recently, I joined the team as the Culture and Operations Coordinator to strengthen our company culture even more. Prior to my joining the team, coworker lunches and daily coffee runs were already the norm for several members of our team. However, a strong company culture extends beyond these daily happenings for a few employees. A significant part of my role is to facilitate company-wide events that bring our entire team together. As a new addition myself, I understand the importance of planning activities that integrate new hires and existing employees.

A new addition to our company activities is Third Thursdays, a monthly happy hour to celebrate notable events. Our leadership team also announces the Ascender, an award given to an employee who has gone above and beyond. The Ascender award is a highly sought-after commodity in our office.

Another tradition that existed prior to me joining the team (but one that I’ve worked to make more frequent and unique) are Fun Fridays. These weekly in-office gatherings cap off the work week on Friday afternoons. I’ve begun implementing more structure, devoting the first Friday of each month to trivia, while the theme of the remaining Fridays could be anything from  creative cocktails to a fun game of “two truths & a lie.” Not every work week flies by, and many will be challenging, but having a “fun Friday” to look forward to at the end of a busy week can help push through the week’s stress, one game at a time.

We also know how much people love the holidays, so we take holiday fun pretty seriously. Halloween gets especially interesting in the office. A few weeks prior to the spooky shenanigans, we kick off the long-standing tradition of “Boozing*” fellow co-workers. On Halloween, we go all out with everything from spooky cocktails to a costume contest.

Company culture doesn’t just depend on grand gestures and company-wide events, but also little moments or unplanned outings. Company culture isn’t something that one person can simply implement and POOF, office morale is at an all-time high. Rather, it’s a group effort to create a positive environment inside and outside the office.

*Boozing (verb) /bo͞oz/-zing

A Wingard tradition of gifting employees their favorite spirits.