ENCOURAGING COMPANY CULTURE

Connecting Employees to Our Core Values

Discover the importance of core values in transforming workplace dynamics and nurturing a company-unified culture. Learn how Nadia Bokhammas, Director of Human Resources at Acro, helped our company navigate the challenges of making abstract principles tangible and actionable, fostering a culture of purpose and unity.

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In our fast-paced and dynamic workplace, aligning employees with our company’s core values is often akin to navigating through a maze. While these values serve as guiding principles, they can sometimes feel abstract, distant, or even inconsequential to employees entrenched in their day-to-day tasks. However, overcoming the hurdles in connecting employees to these core values is not only possible but crucial for fostering a culture of purpose and unity.

But What Does It All Mean?

Like many organizations, when we updated our core values in 2019, we encountered obstacles in fostering a workplace culture where our values were not just words on a wall but guiding principles embraced by every team member.

One of the primary struggles we noticed was the disconnect between abstract concepts and tangible actions. We recognized that our employees struggled to see how our lofty ideals translated into their daily responsibilities. Additionally, communication gaps, lack of clarity, and differing interpretations of core values further exacerbated the challenge. 

However, we didn't just sit idly by. Instead, we took proactive steps to overcome these hurdles and create a workplace environment where our core values thrive and resonate with every employee.

Turning Ideals Into Action

The journey of overcoming started by defining and refining our core values in a manner that resonates with employees across all levels of the organization. This involved distilling abstract concepts into practical behaviours and actions that employees can relate to in their work environments. For example, our core value of Empowerment was updated to read:

 Empowerment 

• Mentorship: The best mentors are the ones who support you to learn and grow.
• Confidence: Everyone deserves to be heard. Speak up and be bold.
• Authority: Authority is earned, not deserved. Use the authority you are given within your role wisely, and be careful not to abuse it or others.

Weaving Our Core Values into the Fabric of Acro

After defining and refining our values, we worked on seamlessly integrating them into the organizational culture. This required deliberate efforts from leadership to embody these values in their actions, decisions, and communications. 

We incorporated our core values throughout our management training and onboarding so each leader could effectively embody and champion them throughout every aspect of their team's endeavours, fostering a culture of integrity, collaboration, and excellence.

We didn’t just stop at weaving the values through our management training; it was important for us to reinforce our values regularly. We did this by building them into our onboarding documentation and immortalizing them through our recognition program, Karma, which helped embed our core values into the fabric of our organization. These initiatives not only fostered a sense of belonging but also substantially reinforced our values.

Feedback—A Core Tenet of Good Communication

We established feedback mechanisms to solicit input from employees on how we can better integrate our values into the workplace. This not only demonstrated our commitment to transparency (another of our core values!) but also allowed us to continuously improve our efforts.

In our experience, effective communication is paramount in bridging the gap between core values and employee engagement. Establishing clear communication channels, such as monthly blog posts, internal messaging tools, and our monthly corporate meetings, all helped facilitate an ongoing dialogue about the importance of core values and their application in daily work practices.

Shifting Organizational Culture

In our journey to connect employees with our core values, we encountered various challenges and setbacks. However, we witnessed a transformational shift in organizational culture by adopting a multifaceted approach focused on refinement, integration, clear communication, and alignment.

Today, our core values serve as the compass guiding our actions, decisions, and interactions. Employees at all levels of the organization not only understand but also embody these values in their daily endeavours. Our collective commitment to these principles has not only strengthened employee engagement but also propelled us toward achieving our strategic objectives with unwavering unity and purpose.

Living and Working Our Core Values Every Day

Connecting employees to core values is not a one-time endeavour but an ongoing journey that requires dedication, perseverance, and adaptability. As a result of these initiatives, we witnessed a significant transformation in our workplace culture. Our employees are now more engaged, motivated, and aligned with our core values than ever before. They understand how our values drive our decision-making processes and shape our organizational identity.

By sharing our journey, we hope to inspire and guide you in overcoming similar challenges in your organization. Together, we can cultivate a workplace culture where core values are not just words but lived experiences that drive success.