10 ways companies improved their culture in 2024

December 31, 2024 5:30 AM

Group of employees working around table, talking and laughing

A thriving company culture is constantly evolving, and those that make this a top priority stand out among the rest.

While this does require leadership's commitment to innovative and thoughtful programs, policies and overall work atmosphere, it doesn't mean reinventing the wheel. If there are gaps in an organization's culture, communicating with employees, seeking out examples of what other companies have found effective and working with experts are great ways to find inspiration for improvement.

Over the course of 2024, EBN has spoken to leaders making positive changes in their own company's culture and the experts helping employers create a culture they can be proud of. From how to establish great communication to an emphasis on wellness to supporting all employee populations, here is a collection of their experiences and advice.

6 workplace culture staples

If people leaders want to develop a workplace where all employees feel valued, know what's expected of them, and support one another, it will require a long-term investment of intention, time and effort, says Rhett Power, executive coach and CEO of leadership and culture-building company Accountability Inc. To lay the groundwork for improvements, he recommends getting feedback early on from management teams and employees who are influential among their peers.

"Start with a sit down to talk about purpose, vision and mission," Power says. "Does all that make sense? Do we understand it? Does it really define who we are and what we're doing and why we're here? If you can settle on those, then you can start talking about culture and how you can tie your culture to the mission and the purpose, and you can tie the work to it and the goals. Then it's a matter of getting everybody to buy into it and agree that this is what we want to do, and here is how we're going to do it."

Read the article:

Secrets of HR: 6 components of a great workplace culture

A haven for working parents

Located in the El Segundo, California campus, Mattel's subsidized, on-site care center celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. The center, which is managed by the child education company Bright Horizons, provides care for employees' children, ranging from infants to pre-kindergarten. In addition to full-time employees, contractors and part-time staff can also access the benefit, with approximately 2,300 eligible workers.

"Mattel early on recognized the many benefits of on-site childcare as part of our commitment to investing in employee well-being and supporting the needs of our parent workforce," says Karen Ancira, executive vice president and chief people officer for Mattel. "Our facility offers programs designed to accommodate the varied schedules of Mattel employees, including full-time and part-time enrollment options, as well as drop-in care."

Read the article:

How Mattel's child care center has supported working parents for 30 years

Building culture at every level

Eighty-eight percent of employees believe a strong culture is key to business success, according to workplace insight platform Zippia, and more than half of employees go as far as claiming that good workplace culture is more important than salary. And for the most part, their employers agree: 72% of companies say culture helps successful change initiatives happen. But what about the culture on individual teams within an organization?

"A corporate culture is a set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterize a company as a whole — and it's usually appointed by the CEOs based on how we want to do things and what kinds of impacts we want to make," says Archer Chiang, the CEO of AI startup Giftpack. "Team cultures are controlled by managers and reflect their stance on the attitudes and behaviors the company shares."

Read the article:

Company culture vs. team culture: How organizations can have both

Emphasizing employee wellness every day

Ron Marhofer Auto Family's approach to employee mental health is straightforward: Offer a culture grounded in inclusivity, trust and connection, where people feel like they belong.

Despite this being easier said than done, the company has figured out how to do it very, very well.

"It starts with, from day one, creating open dialogue with our team members to make sure that we have relationships with everybody, that they know we're here to support them, and that we have them and their families best interest at heart," says Robert Hamer, the company's CHRO. "We incorporate that into decisions we make across the board."

Read the article:

Everything about this company's culture fosters employee mental health

The power of individual impact

Barry Gauch's outlook on success was shaped at a young age, when advice from his mother and a mentor merged to form the perspective he now shares with others: "You have to be passionate about what you're doing, otherwise you're never really going to be great at it."

"I needed to connect the value of the employee and their work — what that does for the business itself, and why the business owner should invest in employees, whether it's benefits or whether it's good structure from leaders — and that really changed how I looked at how corporate America worked, and what I could do in my role at that time, [as well as my] leadership," says Gauch, now the VP of strategic alliance and partnerships at human capital management platform isolved.

Read the article:

This isolved exec strives for greatness in himself and his team

Going the extra mile with empathy

According to a study from the American Psychological Association, 72% of working parents' stress stemmed from school and child care disruptions and uncertainty. Another 39% of working parents struggle to find quality child care and thus are unable to manage parenting responsibilities, according to a research report from early education center KinderCare, which makes support from employers non-negotiable.

"Back-to-school season can bring added stress for working parents who are navigating new child care needs and rising child care costs," says Chris Santucci, a data risk and privacy partner at PwC and father of two. "When our people are cared for in ways that matter to them, they are more engaged, fulfilled and motivated, and our clients can feel that in the work we do and see it in the solutions we deliver."

Read the article: PwC supports their working parents beyond back-to-school

Leading by example

EBN asked its Excellence in Benefits award winners to share their best tips, strategies and suggestions for young talent and newcomers on how to succeed in the benefits industry.

"Our field evolves rapidly, so maintaining a curious attitude is essential to staying ahead of emerging trends and innovative solutions," says Jennifer Loar, account executive team lead at Lockton Companies. "Engage in conversations with peers and subject matter experts and dedicate time to reading articles that deepen your understanding of industry dynamics."

Read the article:

15 business leaders share their strategies for success

Offering inclusive benefits

Eighty-three percent of LGBTQ individuals looking to build a family said they would consider leaving their current employer for one that offers family-building benefits, according to a recent report from fertility care provider Progyny. If employers want to succeed in creating inclusive environments, they're going to have to make significant changes to their approach.

"Whether they realize it or not, many companies that offer fertility benefits have restrictive policies in place that limit their LGBTQ employees from accessing the care they need," says Cynthia McEwen, Progyny's head of DEI. "And when companies exclude the needs of LGBTQ individuals in their family-building benefits, it can lead to substantial financial and emotional stress, discouraging LGBTQ employees from pursuing their family-building goals."

Read the article:

How organizations can better support LGBTQ families

Bringing employees together

When organizations are successful in setting employees up to become closer, the payoff is a big one: In a survey by Wiley, 59% of respondents said having a friend at work was a deciding factor in staying at the company. Beyond friendship, employers can see an increase in engagement, productivity and creativity as well.

"Social engagements have been key to bolstering company culture, employee relationships and retention," says Chris Brennan, a marketing and safety manager who has seen the positive impact of connection efforts at his company. "While events require time and resources, the long term benefits to workplace connection and community far outweigh the investment."

Read the article:

Free lunches, retreats and mentorship: 5 connection strategies that work

Data-driven improvements

At accounting firm EY, data is helping them understand exactly what is making the biggest impact, and how employees are engaging with the company's offerings. Their Vitality Index is a 10-part survey sent to employees three times per year, giving leaders a deep dive into the full employee experience.

"We're obviously a firm that values data in everything that we do, so it was really important for us to put it into the [wellness] space," says Frank Giampietro, EY's chief well-being officer. "It adds some level of credibility, but we also want to make sure we were spending our time and attention on stuff that had the maximum impact."

Read the article:

How EY leans into data to make well-being decisions for 65,000 employees