Does your company culture crumble in a crisis?

If a workplace were a freshly baked cookie, company culture would be the egg binding all the good stuff together. Without it, you’re left with a crumbly mess.

So how do you reinforce a strong company culture during times of crisis? Over the past 18 months we’ve seen the value of pulling together to weather the storm as a collective organisation. Empathy, teamwork, recognition have all been vital ingredients but underpinning it all, is culture.

While the initial crisis period has passed, Australian employers are still very much facing difficult times. With states and territories bouncing in and out of lockdown, the mental health of employees has been pushed to the limit. Even once Australia achieves high levels of vaccination, COVID-19 will continue to throw up new challenges. Now is a critical time for HR leaders to think carefully about how to protect the company culture against the rollercoaster of ups and downs.

Read more: Workplace COVID-19 vaccinations could begin in September

In an upcoming webinar hosted by HRD, ELMO Software’s HR experts will explore this challenge in detail, sharing the company’s ‘whole of employee’ approach to maintaining and protecting a great culture.

Speaking to HRD, Joel Smith, Head of Sales at ELMO Group, said the evolving nature of how and where work gets done is impacting company culture – and getting it right is a big challenge for HR leaders.

“Culture can be understood as ‘how we do things around here’,” he said. “Right now, the how is changing daily – and in some cases, forever. Many leaders were caught off-guard when COVID-19 first hit in early 2020 and it has been a slow process of redefining the concept of work and what culture means in a remote or hybrid working world.”

Read more: Flexible working: Is it given or is it earned?

Cultural adaptability is now the goal for organisations in the ever-changing world we’re in, Smith said. He identified three pillars to moulding a culture that allows employees to innovate, experiment and quickly take advantages of new opportunities as they emerge. The webinar will explore these strategies in depth, as well as share expert tips on measuring culture metrics and hybrid workforces.

“To achieve cultural adaptability, we need to focus on hiring and promoting people who are curious, resilient and adaptable,” he said. “Second, we need to be reinforcing our cultural values through new practices. So, look at your values and apply them to this new way of working. For example, what does innovation mean in a hybrid world? What does collaboration mean?

“Finally, how we communicate also needs to adjust to this new world. Communication really is one of the keys to strong, resilient cultures. It builds trust in leaders and empowers people by allowing their voices to be heard. It also helps to create that sense of belonging that employees must have – the feeling that they are part of a bigger team or entity and that they are comfortable bringing their whole selves to work, wherever that work is undertaken.”

To hear more on building and strengthening company culture, join Joel Smith and ELMO Software’s HR Business Partner Jamie Hermes for the free, virtual webinar on August 31. Click here to register for your place.