You know them, those friends or family members who claim that an office job is not for them because it is boring. Nonsense of course! Every company has its own culture. Formal or informal, the culture of every company is unique in certain details. Jealous of your neighbors' corporate culture? Not necessary, it may not suit your organization at all! Moreover, the grass is always greener on the other side. Experience tells us that the culture in an SME company is often quite informal, with a low hierarchy. In contrast, there is the culture of, for example, a large consultancy firm. As a manager, establishing a strong company culture is perhaps your most important task. What can you do to keep this culture as good as possible?

Establish core values

Stable core values ​​within your company ensure a balance between attitude, rules and behavior. Invest in involvement. Ensure overlap between personal and organizational values ​​in the form of shared values. As a manager, avoid doing this yourself core values of the organization will determine. Do this in consultation with your team. They know better than anyone what the culture is, how they would like to see the culture and what rules should accompany it.

Make sure your employees come into contact with each other

Make sure the communication threshold is low. This creates a good working atmosphere and it is also efficient. That sounds simple, but often turns out to be very difficult. Even in an SME organization, different departments often work very separately from each other, creating so-called 'cliques'. For example, when the desks are designed as small islands with several people, the communication threshold is lower and you can also consult efficiently without having to put in too much effort. Where possible, use open spaces, without opaque doors or walls. If people can see each other, this creates fewer communication barriers and a better mutual culture.

Keep moving

An office job doesn't have to be boring, on the contrary! However, the big disadvantage is that you sit a lot and therefore move little. Exercise clears your head for a while, so that you can work twice as efficiently afterwards. Exercise is good for your health and good health results in more productivity. Move together creates bonds and trust. This could be as simple as a walk during lunch, but also by placing a table tennis table and table football in the office, for example. Relaxing and also a huge boost for communication and fun. More and more companies are also participating in sporting activities together, such as going to the gym or running.

Rotation is important

Rotation provides variety. This does not mean that you have to play musical chairs in the workplace every week, meaning that everyone takes on a different role every week. Again, try to keep the thresholds a little lower. Make sure that the different departments in your company are accessible, and especially ensure that employees step out of their comfort zone every now and then to try different activities. Who knows, you might even recognize hidden talents in your team. A fresh perspective from someone else often leads to new creative ideas.

Keep working on the culture

Continuously improving the culture is important. A corporate culture is never finished. Just like in everyday life, conflicts occur in every team and certain people are better at each other than others. Successful companies can be recognized by the strength of their culture. People who don't like each other treat each other respectfully within such companies. You can and may make mistakes, but make sure you learn from them. As a manager, you do not determine what the culture of your organization is, but you can ensure that the ingredients for a strong culture are present.