Work Culture

Written by: Ibrahim Abu Ghazaleh

Work Culture Concept

Work culture is a set of attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that shape the usual atmosphere in the work environment. A positive work culture aligns employee behaviors and company policies with the overall goals of the company, taking into account the well-being of individuals.

Work culture also determines how well a person fits into their environment in a new job and their ability to build professional relationships with colleagues. An employee's behavior, work-life balance, growth opportunities and job satisfaction depend on the culture of their workplace. When the work culture is positive, employees become more productive and loyal.

For example, at Amazon, the work culture pushes employees to constantly give their best. Amazon divides employees into small teams, encourages collaborative decision-making with a focus on innovation, and Amazon focuses on working in each department and product separately, and strives to encourage employees to excel, which is what led to its success as a startup.

On the other hand, the work environment at Amazon is very stressful, as some Amazon employees stated that they suffer from a work culture that imposes long working hours, low wages, and unreasonable work standards, which led to their lack of work-life balance; which led to their departure.

The importance of a positive work culture

A positive work culture is very important for companies, and the following points explain its importance:

Increasing employee retention rates

This means that a positive work culture will make employees more loyal to the company, and will make them stick to working with it, thus reducing the turnover rate (employee resignation), as if the turnover rate is high, the company is likely to spend thousands of additional dollars annually just to keep the jobs filled.

Encouraging growth at the personal and organizational levels

A positive work culture encourages growth at the personal and organizational levels, as employees with a growth mindset will feel able to perform their work better, and seek opportunities, and companies can benefit from the experience of old workers who have remained in the company, in addition to attracting new talent.

Increased Productivity

A positive company culture makes employees happier, more valued and supported, which leads to increased productivity. Happy employees are said to be 13% more productive than their peers, according to Oxford University.

Financial Success

Companies with positive work cultures saw revenues grow by 682% over 11 years. Meanwhile, companies without the right work culture grew by just 166%, according to some studies. This shows that companies that create a positive work culture are more likely to be successful.

Work Cultures by Country

Work cultures vary by country, just as social cultures vary in each country. Work cultures will have distinct aspects depending on the country, and every organization is unique. It is possible to find a Japanese company with a work culture that is very similar to America, or a French company with a distinct German culture, but there may be many differences between them.