Fortunately, we’re not without solutions. Among surveyed exiting employees, 52% said their manager or company could have done something to keep them on board. What’s more, organizations focused on maintaining strong cultures are seeing less turnover than those with toxic cultures.
So what type of company culture convinces employees to stay?
It’s time to go back to college. To retain top talent, we need to bring the blend of work and social life out of the ivory-lined halls of our undergraduate careers and into the office.
What Is It Like in College?
You’ve likely heard a friend or colleague say college was the best time of their lives. It’s a time of immense growth. You get a taste of what it’s like to be an adult while still being afforded the space to explore and take risks.
Why do we do away with this sense of experimentation and open-mindedness once we graduate? In many traditional offices, coworkers interact at work but don’t take those relationships home with them. Without the structure provided by a collegiate environment, many people report feeling isolated and alone.
What if we could maintain the atmosphere of college in the workplace? One where we understand we are all still growing and developing? One where we encourage socialization and stay open to new people and ideas?
Bringing It to the Workplace
It is possible to create an atmosphere in the workplace that mimics the magic created on a college campus, but not without intention.
To begin, create a more robust onboarding process. Think of your college orientation: Students are given multiple advisors, and countless events are planned to ease the transition. At my company, we have a three-month onboarding process to ensure our employees feel welcomed and supported as they transition into our culture.
You can also go directly to your employees, asking them what they think would help support an office conducive to work and play. When we were creating plans for our new office, my company had a session where employees voted on the features they wanted. Employees were given the chance to voice their opinions in a light-hearted environment that encouraged collective interaction.
When cultivating this college-like environment as a company leader, also allow employees to create their own events. A colleague recently relayed this story to me: As he was leaving the office one Friday night, he went into the kitchen and stumbled upon a large group of employees playing a board game and listening to music. Everyone was having so much fun, and it inspired him to stay at the office longer and join the game. He could tell that everyone was genuinely excited to hang out with their coworkers long after the workday had concluded. Such moments of spontaneous connection bond employees and create an environment people are excited to return to day-in and day-out.
It’s All About Balance
There’s always the danger that the seesaw of work and play will tip in the wrong direction. Some worry it will inhibit productivity or there won’t be enough respect for boundaries. A balance must be found between cultivating a fun, college-like environment and a professional, productive environment.
One way to do this is to implement a buddy system. If someone new is being onboarded at my company, we give them a partner who holds them accountable and helps them have a smooth transition. The partner checks in with the new employee and makes sure they’re having fun and integrating into the team while also moving at a pace they feel comfortable with.
Creating a college-like company culture isn’t about strong-arming people to stay at work longer; it’s about presenting them with more opportunities to have a good time that they can take or leave. Involve employees, give them a voice, and find out what they want to see in the workplace.
Cultivating a College-like Company Culture
Company culture plays a huge role in many employees’ decisions to leave a job or stay. If you give employees space to develop, explore and experiment at work, you also provide them with an enticing reason to stay on board. Encouraging employees to go after new projects, try out roles they are interested in, and forge relationships with their colleagues increases employee happiness, thus improving employee retention. Employee happiness and engagement also correlate tohigher productivity. You will likely see less frustration and burnout, and employees won’t jump ship at every sign of trouble or shiny new opportunity.
If you maintain a college-like atmosphere in the workplace, you allow people to understand they’re still growing and developing. You show them that they still have the opportunity to become something else if they want to and encourage them to pursue all of their varying interests. Most importantly, you show them you care deeply about their happiness and long-term success. When employees feel the company is invested in them, they can invest in the company.
Cultivating this culture is a never-ending process, but it’s also paramount to our success. We have to actively and intentionally work to build an atmosphere of friendship and exploration with our colleagues in much the same way we did with our peers in college.
The words college and colleague stem from the same Latin root, but we often treat the two as if they are diametrically opposed. We don’t have to relegate all of the fun, growth and development to our time in the dorm room. We can and should bring those qualities into the office.
